EC: Black Knight
by maximorph1
Summary: Emiya Kiritsugu, son of Emiya Shirou and Arturia Pendragon. The Prince of war. The Black knight. These are his stories. An emiya clan collection
1. Cooking Problem

These snippets were all written by me and posted originally on the Mechanics of In Flight Forum under the Emiya Clan. If you are not familiar with the clan, it would be best to go there first and get familiar else this collection will not make sense. Thank you

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This was it. It was finally time. No one, no one was going to get in his way this time. Time and time again, they kept trying to stop him, but not today.

Finally, it had taken him a week of watching, calculating the precise moment when the others had left it unguarded. It was now or never.

He flicked the switch and went to work quickly, efficiently. He didn't have much time before someone came. if they saw him, they would try to stop him. No more. Today he was going to show them all. Today he would erase the stain on his reputation. Therefore, today, he was going to do it right, no extra experimentation...well, maybe one or two things needed to be added in.

It was going to be rather bland, already had tried the normal combinations. No he needed something to clear his record. Something that would make them all get down on their knees and bow before him.

Yes, yes, the more he thought about it, them more he was convinced he was in the right, warnings to the Root for all he cared. He could smell it now, the scent of victory.

*sniff, sniff*

Wait. Smoke?

The device in front of him began smoking and the surface was beginning to melt from the heat.

Uh Oh,

With instinct driven into his skull by his mother and father, he leaped back and found cover as an explosion ripped through the room. He grimanced. Clearly he had done something wrong.

Well, only one thing to do...run away!

He turned and prepared to flee with all his strength, when a hand grabbed him by a collar and held him up in the air.

"Mongrel, what did you do?" Gilgamesh roared. This was it, no way out. Nothing to do but tell the truth and live with the consequences.

"Um...making scrambled eggs." Kiritsugu explained as another explosion ripped through the kitchen.

The Golden King flicked his eyes to the devastation in the other room. The fire extinguishers were barely able to contain the blaze while the mongrels were dropping whatever they were doing and dashing to the source of the disturbance. "How did scrambled eggs do that?" He muttered to himself. Honestly, he wasn't surprised in the least. While the boy was ranked somewhere around first and second best in swordsmanship [it's been flipping between Takeshi and Kiritsugu] of the children after learning from Asturia and the Faker, it seemed that he also took after Asturia in cooking skill rather than the faker.

"What happened?" Arika asked. As the Root would have it, it was Kiritsugu's twin (i think they're twins as they're the same age). Wordlessly, Gilgamesh held out the instigator in front of his sister.

Kiritsugu rubbed his head with one hand and responded downheartedly, "KTC level 3"

"YOU TRIED COOKING AGAIN!" his sister yelled. Both males winced from the volume of her voice. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING NII-SAN? YOU KNOW YOU'RE BANNED FROM THE KITCHEN FOR LIFE." This was probably the twenty fourth time that he had blown up the kitchen in his attempts to cook. Luckily, there was the back up kitchen, or the whole place would riot.

"Gomen" Kiritsugu said with his hands clasped in his face. "Please don't tell Kaa-san."

"Don't tell me what?" a familiar voice rang out. Kiritsugu paled and turned his head to his left. There she was, his mother fully decked in her armor, sword in hand in case of an intruder.

Damn you Root


	2. Little Kitchen of Horrors

Little Kitchen of Horrors

Akane couldn't help but feel downcast at the standard failure of her cooking. Most people fled for their lives upon seeing her cook if not outright blocking her from the kitchen. Those that dared to try her food all ended up needing stomach pumps. Ranma was being the jerk as usual telling to stop cooking and save the world from the horror. Even here while she trained at the Emiya residence, she was skill facing the same problems back home.

Bakas all of them

She took the charcoal remains of her latest cooking attempt and threw it in the garbage.

"Lucky," a male voice called out. Akane whirled at the sound of the voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akane said angrily. Did someone here want to find out how deadly she was with a frying pan?

From around the corner stood the second eldest male Emiya child. What was his name again? Kirtsugu? Kirisugi? Kiri something. Everyone called him Kiri anyway. "You're lucky. You at least get to practice."

Akane snorted, "What's stopping you?" For an answer, Kiri walked forward until one foot almost entered the kitchen. Immediately, a thick steel door dropped down cutting the kitchen off from the world. Red lights whirled and klaxons began blaring at near deafening sounds. Akane stood dumbfounded at the security precautions keeping the Emiya boy out of the kitchen. After about a minute of waiting in the isolated kitchen, the alarms turned off and the door opened. There Kiri stood with several of his siblings watching him like he was an incoming disaster.

"That's what." Kiri answered deadpanned. The other siblings saw that he was merely explaining his situation and not trying to cook and dispersed. Well...all except Arika who refused to leaver her brother alone while he was anywhere near the kitchen.

"Uh...um...nani?" Akane asked dumbfounded.

Kiri sighed, "You think you're bad? They set up a whole new security system to keep me from cooking."

"Darn Right nii-san." Akira commented. "How on earth did you cause an explosion making a salad?"

"How was I supposed to know that bottle was Kazehana-kaasan's high quality vokda stash instead of vinegar? And it was a reflex to turn on the stove, honest. I just spilled a little bit of it. Nothing major."

Arika rolled her eyes then focused on Akane, "Praise whatever deity you worship that you're nowhere near as bad as Nii-san here. At least you only set the kitchen on fire occasionally. Nii-san's guaranteed to cause an explosion rivaling several sticks of dynamite just entering the kitchen."

"Ah, um...ah." Akane was struck dumb by the fact that she had found someone infinity worse than her at cooking. She watched as Kiri looked forlornly at the kitchen one more time before walking off. Akira shook her head one more time before leaving Akane alone in the kitchen.

Later

Akane found herself wandering the Emiya residence. The whole place was still intimidating how large it was and how many people lived here. The word mansion seemed too small of a word to describe the place. The whole building had it's own zip code due to it's size. As she wandered the grounds, she found herself at the dojo.

'Why not,' Akane thought. She could do with a little stress relief after cooking. As she entered the dojo, she found another was thinking of the same thing. The he was, practicing with a large wooden sword with large weights on his hands while he was constantly swinging his sword up and down. Akane had to admit, Kiri-whatshisname was dedicated to the sword. While the others had taken the opportunity to learn how to fight barehanded, Kiri had opted to stay out of it and continue to practice his swordsmanship.

Ranma had shrugged his shoulders, but there was nothing any of them could do to convince him to learn a new method of fighting. Instead, he continued to train for hours on end with his sword. Looking at him now, Akane could see how focusing on the sword had honed his abilities far beyond that of any other person near his age group.

"Oh hello," Akane called out. Instead of responding, Kiriguki or whatever his name was continued to swing his sword. Aken shrugged, but was not offended by the behavior. She knew all too well how mesmerizing training could become. Right now, anything short of an explosion probably wouldn't affect Kiri. No, actually, considering the common occurrences of explosions in the house, probably not even then. Akane went into the changing room and put on her training outfit before joining Kiri in the dojo. As he swung his sword, Akane punched. The two of them unconsciously found a rhythm that matched each other breath for breath, punch for swing. Finally, after some time, the two stopped to catch their breaths. Akane looked over at her 'partner' and smiled. "Wow, you train hard."

Kiri nodded as he reached for a water bottle. "Yeah, I've got a lot to live up to."

Akane blinked, "Why?"

Kiri shrugged, "Technically, I'm a prince. First born in fact."

Akane blinked. "Huh?" She said dumbfounded. Sure the family was rich, but royalty?

"Kaa-sans royalty, and I'm her first born son. It's a cultural thing." Kiri said as he finished draining his water. "She probably doesn't realize it, but she pushes me hard to be better than what I am."

"Wait, wait, wait. So you're going to run a country or something?" Akane asked. True, she had been around royalty before after her adventures with Ranma, but still...

Kiri began laughing. "Hahaha, well maybe. She is the once and future ruler and all. Or at least according to the culture of the old country." Kiri began waving his hand back and forth. "But I doubt it. Kaa-san has no interest in taking the throne again. She's happily retired and all."

"And you?" akane asked.

"Me? I think I'll be a black knight." Kiri said with a smile. "A lone wolf fighting for my ideals serving no one. I go where I will and right the wrongs and injustices I see."

Akane smiled at that. It sounded like a real hero.

"now then." Kiri said putting the sword away. "Time to sneak into the kitchen."

"Eh?" Akane said.

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The two silently walked towards the target. Kiri held his fist up signalling her to stop. he motioned to the wall. Looking closely, she noticed small, almost invisible marks on the wall.

"I've been researching for weaknesses." Kiri whispered. There, the marks told the heights where the sensors were hidden.

While Akane could enter the kitchen at will, she was apparently now becoming a flagged person. Soon, she would be forbidden from entering the kitchen too. Therefore, she had no choice, according to Kiri, but to follow him while they snuck into the kitchen.

"Dad's out on a mass date with Kaa-sans and I bribed Eiko to keep Gilgamesh occupied. In addition, I discretely placed a box set of VOTOMS by Karin's computer. She's be too busy to watch the cameras." Kiri explained. He had spent weeks apparently preparing for this one chance to get into the kitchen. There was no way he was going to be blocked from his goal today.

With a flexibility Akane had never seen in Kiri before, the boy began contorting his body to evade the triggers. Sure enough, he got through without setting off the alarms. Akane merely walked into the room while observing Kiri's movement pattern memorizing it in case she needed it later on. She mentally reminded herself that she needed to work on her flexibility more if she had to do this too. But still, here they were two people who had been ostracized and forbidden from cooking in the largest kitchen of the Emiya Manor.

And there was no one to stop them now.

Mwahahaha

"So..." Akane said, "What are we making?"

"Bread." Kiri said simply.

"Bread?" Akane said confused. "That's rather plain."

"I figure we start simple, restore our good name, then work on harder things." Kiri said. His experiments always ended in explosions anyway. "Besides, how hard can it be?"

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"Kill it! Kill it!" Akane screeched.

"Feed Me." A gurgling voice called out

"Don't let it touch you!" Kiri roared slashing the dough tentacle with a knife. He had tried to escape earlier, and ended up setting off the alarm and door sealing the two of them in.

"Feed Me"

Said bread had become an eldrich abomination worthy of Aoko's trunk. The Root damned thing was trying to eat them after nearly being cooked in the oven. Akane and Kiritsugu fought back to back against the countless tentacles attacking them. Both of their clothes had shreds in it, but neither one backed down lest they both be overwhelmed.

"Come on Guys." Kiri groaned as he slashed three more tentacles. "Where are you?" The alarms should have sent the house in an uproar and brought an onslaught of terrified clan members running to deal with the problem.

"Feed Me" The bread demanded

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Eiko stood by the door smiling knowing full well what lay behind the blast door. "Gomen Nii-san. But some lessons must be learned lest you unleash real horrors upon the world."

"Meanie." Reiko said to her older self.

Eiko shook her head, "You know what he would have created later on."

Reiko shuddered, "Cthulhu mark 2" she said in repressed horror. All the other clan members armed to the teeth around the door shuddered at the thought of Kiri's potential with cooking. They would save their brother soon enough, but maybe being attacked by mutant bread would cure his need to cook


	3. Legend of the Black Knight

How long has it been since his journey started?

How long has he fought for his beliefs and his dreams?

It's hard to remember at times. The years gone by are but a blur in his memory. The friends he met, the loves he found, all begin to blur as the years press upon him. Friends have come and gone, loves entered and left his life. He has been surrounded and left alone over the years time and time again. He mastered his weapon, honed his body into a blade. His battle instincts were unmatched. His body was covered in scars from the countless foes he faced. Dead Apostles and Demon Lords had fallen to his blade. Evil Magi trembled at the mention of his name. Unholy abominations fled in his presence.

But his life had left him marked. His right eye had been gouged out by a Dead Apostle. His left hand had to be replaced with an artificial one enhanced with magic. His body ached in bad weather. His chest was missing two ribs exchanged to kill that which was said to be immortal. His armor had been beaten back into shape a hundred times.

Yet still, he yearned for this journey. This endless battle.

Alaya had offered to make him a Guardian, but he refused. He was born a man, and would die a man. He was given great gifts by his Father and Mother, and that was all the power he needed. Time and time again, power had been offered to him. Time and Time again, he refused. All he needed was his armor, and his weapons. Everything else he could gain on his had worried for him, afraid of what road he might take. The path of Asura, however, was not his way. His path was different. A life of pain and sacrifice, but ended with salvation. They said he could not save everyone, but he ended a battle without casualties on either side. He bartered peace between blood feud enemies.

How long has it been since his journey started?

Ah yes, he remembered. He had been young, twenty five probably. Now, here he was, eighty nine years old, yet built like he was thirty. His body was covered with iron hard muscles, with traces of hundreds of scars. Some had been near fatal, but none had ended his life. Time and time again, he threw himself at his enemy. Time and time again, they fell beneath his skill. Yet, he knew he could not keep it up for much longer. His body was beginning to fail. Time waits for no man, and death will not be denied forever.

Yet still he fights, never compromising who he is. What his justice is.

They who threaten his family will fall.

They who thrive in the darkness will meet their justice.

They who cry out for aid will receive it.

This is what he is, this is what he has done for years. While most of the others settle down and find families, he found he could not...not completely anyway. From time to time, he would rest, recuperate, and revive himself with those he held dearest, but it was not to last...

No, the road called for him.

The people called for him, and he would answer.

His Father and Grandfather dreamed of being Heroes.

Grandfather's dream was distorted and left a broken man behind. Father's dream clashed and clarified his identity. Both dreamed of being Heroes.

Not him, he would be a vagabond, a random card, a joker. He would fight where he willed against who he wished bound to no master. Bound to no organization.

He would be a black knight.

And so he stood, straightening his back that was beginning to stoop and looked to the horizon. With a smile of satisfaction, he walked forward. Undaunted by what may lie behind the horizon, he would continue forward, always forward. Others might regret and try to undo the past. Father, Eiko, Haru, all of them did what they thought was best to undo it all. Not him, he was satisfied for what lay behind him. Forward, always forward would he march to the next opponent.

What became of Emiya Kiritsugu is unknown. Some say he died to prevent the end of the world. Some say the weight of his black armor finally wore him down and crushed him in his sleep. Some say he fights an opponent for all eternity never resting lest mankind face such a horror.

But a few, a small few believe he has gone on to right the wrongs in other places. Places unseen and unheard of by men. Perhaps, perhaps. Whatever happened to him, the world would remember the Last Knight Emiya Kiritsugu. The last exemplar of chivalry in this modern world. Possibly the greatest swordsman the world has ever known. As the ages pass and time moves on, his deeds will be remembered and and told anew through the history of man.

Let none forget the sacrifices he made to keep us safe.

Let none forget the battles he faced.

Let none forget, and perhaps, perhaps, he will come again when we need him most.


	4. Black Descent

The base's air raid siren began blasting full volume.

The soldiers of the corrupt regime grabbed their guns and manned their posts. All eyes were on the sky watching, waiting. The forces of the tyrant looked up with barely contained fear. There had been rumors for weeks as their forces were steadily beaten back. The end was coming. Four major military bases had already been devastated, laid to waste. Only ruins remained of the fortifications and buildings erected there. Yet not one fatality was recorded. Instead, everyone was taken. To where? None could say. The word through the grape vine was filled with rumors, but the most common and most believed one feared them with the most dread.

The Black Knight was coming.

The Champion of the Underdog, the Wild Card, the Freeman, the Unbound Warrior. He was known by many names, but the Black Knight was what he was. He did not fight for money, fame fortune, or glory. He fought for something indistinct, intangible, and ultimately, unknown. He was known to fight whenever he was inclined, wherever he wished. To those he fought, he was a demon incarnate. An immortal that could run through onslaughts of ammunition and come out victorious. For those he sided with, their moral was unshakable, their victories were all but assured. Should the Black Knight side with the rebels, the regime was certain to fall. It never failed, the Black Knight was a walking WMD (weapon of Mass destruction).

Maybe, maybe that's what happened to the third armored brigade last week. Five thousand troops, over a hundred tanks, vanished.

"Posta!" The Sergeant yelled pointing to the sky. There it was, the iconic plane of the black knight. An unknown high speed bomber invisible to radar was skimming past the base. The troops there burned the image in their mind as the black painted bomber with red painted wings flew by at supersonic speeds dropping off a single container. Said container bounced a few feet then skidded to a stop. From within the box came the sound of a growl, much like a tiger or a lion.

"AAAAAAGH" a few troops that had been hastily drafted and pressed into service screamed. They didn't want to die. They wanted to live, LIVE. A few turned and tried to run, only to be gunned down by the Lt. "All cowards will be shot." he said in a clipped tone. Honestly, these recruits were useless these days. It was just one man, a man with an inflated reputation nothing more. The other soldiers looked on at the dead and flinched. All three were still alive, albeit barely. Even worse...

they were only ten.

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"Good Drop Kitten" Kiri said on his radio.

A tired sigh responded on the radio. "You're never going to call me by my real name are you?"

"Only when you get to my age Kitten, then I'll call you such an intimidating name." Kiri said with a tired smile. He had found Kitten, true name Artemis, ten years ago in the streets of India during the over throw of the government. The little five year old had held a gun at him, shakily, mind you, but held a gun at him none the less and tried to rob him. He had calmly grabbed the gun and turned off the safety before handing it back to her. "I'll change this place." He promised her, "I'll make a land where you will not need to bear arms." He had then gone on to take down the government and made them institute reforms on the threat of him coming back to take them down to. he hadn't expected the little girl to be waiting by his ride, gun still in hand, demanding him to go with him. The little child had become his ward and partner over the years. Though he had promised to make a land where she did not have to bear arms, she kept on hanging on to them none the less.

Now, she was an ace pilot, a certified battle field medic, a crack shot with a pistol, a dead eye sniper, a decent hacker, an apprentice magi (others in the family trained her, not him); oh and she was the greatest partner an unaffiliated man could ever have. As for the name, don't ask. She chose it for herself, and that's the story everyone is sticking with. Let it lie, the last guy who questioned her had to have six surgeries and psychotherapy.

"Well, lets get this show on the road." Kiri said with a grin.

"I've jammed all their radios and am feeding false information back to enemy HQ." 'Artemis' informed him.

"Arigato." Kiri was as the doors burst open. His mighty mount dashed forward straight into the bullet storm. Immediately, a metal shield of an unknown alloy arose and blocked the bullets. Kiri drew his sword and gripped his shield as he leaned forward. "Hah!" He yelled. His mount crashed into the enemy as he began swinging his sword left and right breaking bones and rendering men unconscious.

The soldiers kept aiming at his mount to take him down as thier bullets kept bounding off his armor, but it was no use.

"That's no horse!" a corporal yelled as he shot the four legged monster. Kiri grinned. Podagros, named after one of the four mares of Diomedes, was an artificial horse made from a combination of science and magic. Within minutes, over half the enemy were down, and the other half were ready to flee at a moment, but they remained for one reason, the Lt. The man held his guns at their heads threatening to kill anyone who dared to run. Kiri snorted, and it seemed as if Podagros agreed as well beneath him. The fake horse snorted releasing fire from it's nostrils and scraped the ground with it's fore-hooves. The Lt. narrowed his eyes and aimed his gun at Kiritsugu.

Bang

Bang

Bang

Each time, the bullet bounced off harmlessly against his armor. Kiri raised his left hand and held his palm up in front of him. "Cease or suffer." he said shortly. When he was very young, he believed that a knight had to give long speeches to try to convince his enemy on giving up before the fight began. As time went on he had shortened his speech to three words. Strangely enough, it worked even better than the speech.

Not in this case, however...

BaBang.

Again, the bullet bounced off his helmet. Only, a second bang overlapped the other. In response, the Lt. dropped his gun and held his bleeding hand. The Lt. looked up with hate filled eyes at Kiri's hand which was now smoking from his palm. The hidden gun had done it's job well. The dropped gun was all it took for the others to flee for their lives. Kiri shrugged, he had no need to chase them. Before the troops could get out of the base, they ran into a line of resistance fighters holding their guns at the routing troops. Surrender was immediate.

As the rebels approached their champion, he indicated them to treat the children that had been shot by the Lt. The troops nodded, unhappy of how the children had been pressed into the fight as the regime was running out of loyal troops. Heck, half the rebels were former soldiers, unhappy of how their country was being ruined by the select few.

"Treat the wounded, loot what you need, then burn the place to the ground." Kiri instructed. No sense leaving a place for the enemy to recapture at will. The rebels nodded, pleased on having another easy victory. "As you wish." the leader responded. "Tell me though, why do you fight for us? Your accent is Asian. Why is an Asian here in Romania?"

"Because it is right." Kiri answered as he turned he false horse around. To his radio he said, "Kitten, turn off the jammer and bring the Hippalectryon in for a pick up. We've got four kids that need med evac."

"Roger that." She responded. "How was the fight?"

"Short, easy, well executed. Just the way it should be." Kiri responded. His grin faded. "The next battle's the big one. No more raids."

"We're hitting the capitol?" She asked.

"Yes." Kiri responded as his mount dashed towards the landing strip of the base. He would have to coordinate with the resistance on the timing. He would be the distraction, again, and they would clean up the mess.

Kiri looked up at his custom made plane as it came in to land. Kiri nodded to himself, 89 years old, and he's still got it. It's good to be alive.


	5. Black Arrival

"how's our heading?" the old man asked.

"We're on course, we'll be there in a few hours." Artemis answered as she flicked a switch. "You want to lay down for a while old timer?"

Kiritsugu chuckled, "Not yet kitten, this old bastard's still got some energy left in him yet."'It'll be good to see my home again. It's been too long already.'

Artemis growled at the mention of the hated pet name, but continued to focus on flying. As she looked forward, her eyes narrowed. "Hey, I think we've got something here." She pointed at a dot coming up on the horizon. "Radar's showing up a big nothing, and the satellites don't see anything." She frowned slightly, "Magic?"

Kiri inhaled for a second feeling a sharp pain run up his aged and wracked body. "Feels like a storm, but...more." He looked at the darkness coming up quickly. "Turn us around, now."There was no way he was going to get involved in whatever magic was involved here. It seems that one of his countless enemies had sent this at him.

Artemis pulled back on the controls, but systems weren't responding, "No good," She said through gritted her teeth as she tried to regain control. Flicking various switches did nothing to alter their course. Artemis began banging her fist and feet against the plane trying to regain control. Her movements became more and more erratic as she tried to steer away from what looked like a massive wall of darkness.

"Calm Down." Kiritsugu instructed her. "Breathe deep and consider our options."

"What options old timer?" She spread her hands out indicating the horizon. "We're a stealth bomber on an unrecorded flight in the middle of the ocean. Our plane isn't responding, and it's likely that bailing out will end up getting us caught in another trap, and oh yeah, we've got a scrambled radio"

"Do you have control over out speed still?" Kiri asked seriously.

Artemis altered the throttle, "Yes, I can slow us down, but we'll still end up in the same predicament if we bailed out."

"Forward," Kiri instructed, "Always head forward, maximum speed. If this is a trap, we'll run our way through it."

"You're crazy," Artemis muttered, but she followed his instructions. If the old bastard was going to get them killed, who was she to contradict him. She was already considered dead when he found her, his saving her had given her new life. She would fight where he ordered, and die upon his commands. Though their relationship was strange, she accepted her role willingly. She pushed the throttle to maximum and prepared to die. She muttered a small prayer to Alaya. Not for her, but for Kiritsugu. She knew all about Akasha and the fate of heroes. She prayed that he would find a place within the Throne, and possibly any of his family that had entered already. What happened to her was irrelevant, she was but a weapon in his arsenal as far as she was concerned.

Kiritsugu closed his eyes for second, inhaling the air and located his center one more time. He could feel it within him, his inner world. Unlike his father, he could not bring forth in a Marble Phantasm, but he was aware of such a place none the less. It was his place, his refuge, and his eternal testing ground. It was a throne room covered in murals of countless battles. The throne was made of black and white vines covered in thorns. He knew that he had the potential for greatness. He could conquer a mighty kingdom and usher in a new age of man if he was willing to take that throne and endure the endless torture as all that he was bled away. At the same time, there was a set of armor waiting by the door of the throne room. The armor was what he wore right now, covered in countless scratches and dripping blood from the fingertips and toes. This represented his second option, rather than the route of the king, he chose the route of the knight. Never knowing peace, never knowing rest, he would fight forever on his eternal quest. Though he would never save as many lives as he would as king, he would forever retain who he was.

Mentally, Kiri had the armor kick the throne over as he prepared to die. He felt sorry that Artemis was not going to live a long life like he had, but she had chosen her path, and he would not dissuade her from it.

The Hippalectryon, Kiritsugu's pride and joy iconic plane blasted into the darkness and was never heard from his world again.

xxxxxxx

In another time, in another place

"Yes!" a much younger Kiritsugu yelled in triumph, "i did it, I actually made food that didn't blow up the kitchen." Behind him, he could hear the blast doors of the kitchen buckling against the might of a mighty blow. They hadn't expect him to jury-rig the stupid doors to seal him in the room, leaving him alone to attempt cooking. With a mighty heave, the door was ripped off it's hinges. Arika, Eiko, and Gilgamesh were at the forefront of the group. All of them had eyes of steel as it was clear that Kiritsugu was unrepentant about doing what was forbidden to him. Instead, he held out the plate of hamburgers happily. "Here, try them." as he held them out at thought occurred to him. He immediately pulled them back and said, "No wait, let my try them first and make sure that they're good enough." He didn't want to pull an Akane and force people to eat horrible food. One bite and his eyes rolled back until they were pure white. He began frothing at the mouth, took a step back, and fainted. Unfortunately, as he fell back, Eiko tried to catch him while he knocked over the pepper shaker he had pulled put. Said shaker went flying and spread pepper throughout the air. Eiko's eyes opened wide then closed tightly, "Ah-Ah-AH"

Gilgamesh reacted instantly. He pushed Arika back as hard as he could, slapped the second emergency blast door, tackled Eiko and Kiri activated his armor and awaited whatever happened.

"ACHOOOOOO" Eiko sneezed harder than she ever remembered doing.

Hot, the room became instantly hotter than an inferno. There was a deafening roar as something went past the three of them and blew out the wall. It was only due to Gilgamesh's armor that the three of them did not die then and there.

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Artemis swore she just saw them smash though some sort of wall, but suddenly they were back in the sky, and waaaay too low for comfort. She yanked upon the controls once more and found she had control again. The Hippalectryon pulled up steeply evading what looked like a wall and headed for the clear skies. 'What the h-?' her thoughts were interrupted as several missiles flew at them. She pulled her plane in a spin evading the missiles. They were so low to the ground any idiot with a rocket launcher could aim at them at this moment.

Kiri stood up and headed to the back of the plane. "Get ready to drop me." he ordered, "They want us, they'll have to fight us on our terms."

Artemis grunted, but concentrated on flying as the missiles from hidden SAM sites were doing they're best to kill the both of them. Yet, she was comfortable now. Now, she could fly, now, she had control, now she could hunt. They dared to hunt her, the goddess of the hunt? While she had her magnificent mount? They've no idea what they're dealing with.

Kiri mounted Podagro and move it into the drop pod. "Ready." He said.

"Prepare to drop in thirty." Artemis said gleefully. It sounded like she was having fun evading death again.

Kiri counted down from thirty to zero and felt the pod drop. A heavy crash, a bounce, and a landing. "Good drop. Watch your aim, missile stations only, no casualties." "I know the drill." She answered as she veered the plane out of the way of a missile and fired the machine gun at another one coming at her blowing it to pieces.

Podagro, kicked the pod doors open and dashed out while Kiri drew his sword. If someone wanted him dead, they would not find him easy prey.

xxxxx


	6. Black Confusion

"What do you think you're doing?" a strange young man in an ugly yellow shirt, black pants, distinctive fangs, a red umbrella, and a headband of yellow with black rectangles demanded. Kiri sneered, "too low to know what your superiors want boy? Come if you will, fight if you dare, the Black Knight will not fall this day." Dramatic maybe, but it seemed appropriate in this case. Either way, the young man charged at him heedless of the danger involved. The boy leaped up to kick him...only to be grabbed by Kiri at blinding speeds. "Foolish, never leave the ground unless you know you can evade all attacks." He admonished. Kiri threw the boy up slightly and grabbed the back of his neck before ramming his helmeted head against the boys knocking Ryoga unconscious in an instant.

The problem being 89 years old, memories of childhood fade with time, to be eroded by memories of the more recent pat. Kiri might have recognized Ryoga if he were older, had streaks of white in his hair, a scar running across his right eye, and missing one of his fangs, but unfortunately...that was not to happen.

All around him, snow began billowing, much like Kouki's signature move, but much slower in developing. Kiri barked a short laugh, "Do you think to blind me?" He spoke to his radio, "Kitten, I need a gas bomb. Lock on to my coordinates and fire for maximum spread." He did not need to see to defeat his foes these days. Ah, it was good to be the veteran. Still, he was reminded of a gentler time, when Koyuki made the greatest ice-ream the world had ever tasted. Ah well, time to kick some **, then go find some gum or something.

xxxxx

"Copy that," Artemis spoke, "Gas bomb, fifty feet above your location, wait twenty." She banked her plane in a tight maneuver that would have caused any non-Reinforced human to black out. Luckily, the signature skill of the Emiyas had been passed on to her being Kiritsugu's student. She locked on to his signal, and deployed a bomb filled with a combination of smoke screen and tear gas. Below her, she could see her bomb had blown up exactly where she plotted covering her Master in smoke obscuring any opponent's vision while he attacked. She smiled then went back to the hunt, she had already destroyed three SAM sites, and was about to destroy a fourth any minute now. Yet, as she fought, she had a feeling of deja-vu. In fact, she swore that she was attacking the Emiya manor, except the place was a lot smaller, a lot less fortified, and frankly, a lot newer than the manor she knew. Where was the eighth story swimming pool? The Pavilion on the tenth floor? Where was the four story dojo in the shape of a Pagoda?

She shrugged, maybe it was a copy cat. Didn't matter, there were targets to hunt, and she was the Goddess of the hunt.

xxxxx

Kiri could not help but grin as he waded through his opponents in the smoke. It was clear none of them had expected him to chose to blind himself and the area. While his opponents choked on the tear gas, his helmet filtered the air allowing him to breathe with ease. 'Not so easy a prey am I? Not bad for an old man if I do say so myself.' So far, he had knocked out eight different opponents. True, most of them were children, though that boy who had an intimidating aura that could rival Takeshi may have been an adult. It was hard to tell right now. Right now, however, he could sense a mighty opponent. Quite possibly the most powerful opponent ever barring that which took two of his ribs and a kidney. Podagros snorted fire as it charged the opponent sensing the enemy through the smoke. Kiri brought down his sword preparing to knock out yet another opponent..only to be blocked.

"Yaaaaaaaah." A female voice yelled out. Kiri swore it was familiar. Didn't matter, this opponent was wielding a sword as good, if not better than him. It was only though his connection with Podagros and it's fire that kept him alive against the opponent. He couldn't see much of the enemy, but he could make out blue and possibly blond hair. What really amazed him was that the enemy was fighting with ease even though she was breathing tear gas. Clearly this was no ordinary opponent. In fact, it was looking rather bad as he was getting pushed back with each blow. The enemy was using Mana Burst, a rare ability that forced mana into the body far better than Reinforcement ever could making the person a superhuman. The only person he knew who had that ability was his mother, well, there was his half baked Mana Burst ability, but he had no where near the ability of his mother. His miniscule talent was no where near the match of the enemy today. Kiri sighed, it seemed that it was time to prepare for the inevitable.

"Artemis," Kiri said seriously. He could hear her inhale sharply. He only called her her real name for one reason. "Looks like I found the one."

There was a pause as she processed the news. So, he had found the one that would kill him. "Copy That." She answered briefly. She would not, could not interfere now. He would not thank her for saving him if she attacked. He fought his enemies alone. Should he fall, she was to take Hippalectryon as far away from the battlefield and go to ground. She was then to tell the clan of his fate once he fell. That was his instruction, however, she believed differently. If they should, if they dared kill him, she would break his taboo. She would attack, attack, attack until either she or the bastards that killed him were dead. She would hunt them forever for robbing her of the one who gave her life anew. But, she would not interfere now. He had said that he had found the one before, and yet, he had come out the victor every time. In the mean time, she would continue to hunt the last two SAM sites and provide support if needed.

Below the Hippalectryon, Kiri fought tooth and nail against the unseen swordsman. He could feel his sword shiver against every blow. It was only through his Father's crafting that the sword had lasted so long against his enemies. Yet, it seemed that today would be the day that his sword would finally shatter. Kiri mentally shrugged, what would be would be. It wasn't like he was suicidal, but he was content. Was that too much for an old man to ask for? To fight a good battle and die a quick death? Better than Arika's husband's death. Who wanted to die in bed anyway? He swung his sword again barely parrying the attack that would have cleaved his head off.

"You are skilled." Kiri complimented. "I have not seen your equal in many years." He still remembered Kaa-san's funeral. It had been a sobering moment to see how even his mother, Arturia, had succumbed to the ravages of time.

It seemed to take his opponent aback at his compliment. "Why do you dare attack us?"

Kiri blinked. He could understand the boy not knowing who he was supposed to be attacking, but this one? No chance, not unless...

"You must have been coerced." Kiri stated, "All know the Black Knight. Why should the Black Knight attack any save his own whims?"

It seemed to make the opponent radiate even more killing intent, "I see, then you do this because you wish it." It was a statement, one that promised death.

Kiri shook his head, "Fool, you dare attack me, use magic against me, yet you claim to be the victim. Very well, face the wrath of the Black Knight."

Kiri swung his sword as hard as he could pumping as much Prana as he could into both himself and his sword. Yet, his opponent block it. Blocked it, and didn't even budge an inch, rather, he was sent flying from his mount. Yet, something far more horrible happened, his sword shattered. The final blow of his trusty blade had failed him. Kiri sighed, grief filled his soul as he saw his weapon break. His sword as a reflection of his soul, and just now, something broke within him. He outstretched his arms to the world. "Finish it, claim my head. May your name live on in glory as you kill me."

The smoke was clearing, soon he would see the face of the one who killed him. "What is your name?" His opponent asked holding a sword above his neck. He was sure that he had heard the voice before now. But where?

Kiri couldn't help but chuckle, the world had never known his name. Rather, he was known to the world as the Black Knight, Emiya Kiritsugu was an unknown being. Perhaps that would bar him from the Throne, but probably not. He was a legend after all. "Emiya Kiritsugu." He stated proudly. He would not die nameless today. He could see the sword waver at that. Ah, they knew the Emiya family. Fine, didn't matter. "Son of Emiya Shirou and Emiya Asturia. Second son of the Emiya clan, and a proud Knight." He watched the sword in front of him waver even more, then suddenly leave his neck. "What are you waiting for?" he demanded. Would they not give him a good death? Would they prolong his agony for years? Fools, capturing him merely gave him time to escape, or did this one forget about what flew through the sky right now?

Instead, his opponent knelt down beside him. It was then that he saw his opponent's face. Kiri was sure that he was hallucinating, that or he was going to have a heart attack. A very real threat for an old man like him. But right now, he felt like a child, a tired, scared child. She placed her hands on his helmet and pulled it off. She looked at his face for a bit, then began tracing his face, as though burning the sight before her into her eyes. "Kiritsugu." She said simply.

"Kaa-san." he whispered in disbelief. The last time he saw her, he and Arika were hugging her as she faded after her Mana supply ran out after Rin-kaa-san had died. It had been one of the hardest moments in his life as no-one was qualified as a Master to reestablish the contract with her after Rin died. Bazett-Kaa-san, and Tou-san had lost thier rights to be Masters, and Sakura and Rider had died two years before them.

"Kiritsugu," Saber said softly as she took him into her arms and hugged her child. Her grown up, wounded child. She saw the scars on his face, the missing eye, the tired look in his eyes. But there was no doubt, it was her son. He had his father's face, and her style of swordsmanship. She saw him hold a hand to his ear then spoke to someone known as 'Kitten' and told her to cease attacking. That they were home. It was time to land and explain everything. Somehow, Saber looked forward to seeing what her younger son would think of his future self.

xxxx

In the Destroyed kitchen

Kiri woke up, then promptly turned his head and vomited the chunks of hamburger he had eaten He looked up to see Gilgamesh, Eiko and Arika look on him in anger and disappointment.

"Typical," Arika said, "Only you could find some way to destroy the kitchen after the cooking is finished.

"Mongrel, if I ever catch you in the Kitchen again," Gilgamesh began to threaten, but he was beaten by another.

"What. Have. You. Done?" Eiko Asked furiously. "He's not supposed to be here. He's not supposed to be here." Eiko raged again and again. Whoever the 'He' was, Eiko was afraid of him.

"Who's he?" Kiri asked.

"He was the Best of Us. He was the One to keep them in Check. He was to Inspire them beyond the Grave" Eiko Roared. "Now Look at What you've done. He's here. He's here." Again and again she shook him."Everything is off." She yelled, "It may not come to Pass. It may never exist."

Kiri wasn't sure what was going on, but he was sure of one thing, next time, don't put in as much pepper in the hamburgers. Or at least, that's what his rattled brain came up with before he passed out again.

xxx


	7. Black Reunion

Kiritsugu shakily got back on his feet with his mother supporting him as he stood. For the first time in years, the old Knight was truly feeling his age. His muscles bellowed in agony and his bones creaked while he walked. '89 years old huh,' he thought, 'How long has it been since she gave me a beat down? Heck how long has it been since I couldn't fight at her level for hours?' The whole fight with her today had lasted less than fifteen minutes. 'I'm too old for this I swear.' Still, for this moment alone, this one precious moment being in his mother's arms again, he would gladly take on a dead apostle. This moment, this one instant, was one that was worth every bit of pain and agony he had ever endured.

"Your left side is vulnerable." Saber stated as she helped him to the mansion. She had seen how he reacted just a little slower on his left compared to his right. The whole missing an eye must have affected like that. "Is that why you use a shield?"

Kiri nodded, "Yeah, after it was clawed out, you recommended that I learn shield tactics. Saved my life countless times." He chuckled, "Took to it like a fish to water actually." Kaa-san had praised him for his quick learning curve.

"Yet you bear no coat of arms." Saber admonished. His shield was pure black lacking any for of identifier.

He chuckled, "I am the Black Knight, the lone wolf, the wild card, the vagabond. I swear no allegiance to any oath or organization. This is my coat of arms. Rather famous where I come from actually."

His mother shook her head at her stubborn child. Yet, she could not help but feel pride in his accomplishments. A human, near the end of his life, was able to fight her at full power and hold his own for a while. If he was this strong at the twilight of his life, what was he like before. He must have been magnificent. The two slowly walked towards the manor, but were stopped on the way by the most unlikely of people.

Little Shinra, possibly the quietest member of the clan, and considering Akitsu and Koyuki were in the family, that was saying something. The little red head with red eyes looked up at her 'big brother' and smiled. "Kaa-san wants you ya know."

Kiritsugu smiled even as Saber paled at the implication. "I know Shinra-chan, but I'm not interested."

Shinra tilted her head for a second, "She says she'll give you your own palace, servants, an indestructible kitchen to practice cooking."

"No thanks." Kiritsugu smiled. "The answer's still the same." Shinra hung her head and pouted slightly at the response, but nodded her head. She looked up one more time and said, "Kaa-san's not going to give up." With that, she turned and went back towards the mansion.

"Kiritsugu." Saber said horrified at what had transpired before her. "Did you just get offered..."

"To become a counter guardian? Oh yes, happens every week." Kiritsugu said fondly. "I was wondering when the next offer was coming."

His mother's eyes narrowed, but she made no comment. He had refused, and that was all she really needed to hear. The fact that Alaya was repeatedly trying to recruit her son was disturbing, but he was refusing her at least.

The two came to the entrance of the mansion where they were met by a vast majority of the clan looking furious at the stranger, yet also confused as to why Saber had not dealt with the intruder the normal way (beat him within an inch of his life then either sent flying or dragged to the house to await 'questioning') Saber looked at Chiyo and Chiho. "Takeshi, Sakuya, Ryoga, Riko, Fuuko, Aya, Kaien, Fuyuki, and Keiko are fine. Unconscious, but unharmed." There was a ripple of relief that their children were fine. If anything had happened to them, there would be BLOOD. Chiho and Chiyo looked at each other then headed off to treat any injuries. The rest of the family glared at the old man in armor.

"Tadaima." Kiritsugu said happily. "Everyone, it's been a while."

His family blinked at him stupidly as they processed the information. Saber stepped forward releasing Kiritsugu and gestured to him. "Everyone, this is my son Kiritsugu."

"EHHHHHH?" the females all collectively said at once. Saber only had one child named Kiritsugu, and there was no way he was this old.

"...Please move." a soft voice called from behind the group. The others looked back then respectfully made way for the patriarch of the family. Emiya Shirou calmly walked forward and gazed upon the old man. Shirou's eyes narrowed as he looked over the ragged face. Then, his eyes relaxed. He held his hand out to Kiritsugu. Kiri moved his hand forward to grasp the hand, however, rather than shake it, Shirou's hand shot forward and gripped Kiri's neck.

"What are your intentions with my son?" He growled. Kiritsugu's eyes widened for a second, then relaxed. He couldn't blame his father for doubting him. He did suddenly appear out of nowhere, attacked several of the children, and had the possibility of coming back to kill his younger self like a cetain counter guardian. However, someone else interfered first before he could explain.

"Enough Shirou," Saber barked. She would not have her husband and son fight each other over a misunderstanding like she had just done. Shirou's hand drew back, but it was clear he was ready to fight to the death to protect the younger self. Shirou composed himself, then asked, "You're Kiritsugu?" His son took the broken sword and held it in front of him. Shirou instantly understood the composition of the sword. Forged from rare metals then engraved with hundreds of runes strengthening the blade, yet charming it so that it never killed a human being. The blade could cut through the armor of a tank like a knife through butter, but it would never be able to harm any humans. Shirou saw the hours upon hours of work put into the blade teaching him new ways to use the runes speeding up his research by a decade if not more.

"Chivalry," Kiritsugu said simply, "That was what you named it. I have held this sword over sixty years, yet I cannot use it anymore." The blade, or what was left of it was barely more than a hilt and a dagger sized shard of the original blade left. He held the sword out to his father who quietly took the blan and continued to analyze the blade. Kiritsugu bowed his head to his father, "I have no intentions of harming anyone of my family, myself included. This old man was merely flying along, minding my own business, when we ran through this wall of blackness and ended up here out of our time."

Shirou blinked for a second, "We? Our?"

"Oh yes," Kiri said rubbing a hand behind his back, "Kitten, well, actually her name is Artemis, my pilot." He pointed to the airstrip where the Hippalectryon was coming in to land. "You'll like her, lot of spunk in that one."

Shirou was busy trying to take it all in about this fiasco while beating off the mother of all head aches when suddenly...

"You!" Eiko roared out from a window above them all. "You're not supposed to be here."

The old man shrugged, "Didn't have a choice in it Nee-san." True, he had an older body, but he knew all too well that she was centuries older.

"Go back," she ordered, "Go back now before it all changes." In front of him a portal opened.

Kiritsugu jumped back and shook his head, "Is that anyway to treat your beloved brother Nee-san? It would be rude of me not to apologize to those that I pummeled." "No!" Eiko screeched, "You'll throw it off, you'll throw everything off. Avalon won't be built, our kingdom won't be created. Go! Go!"

"Oh please," Kiri said waving his hand, "Dad owned the island before we were born, and for the record, what Avalon? The sheath is still in Tou-san."

Eiko took a deep breath ready to retort when she felt a small tugging on her shoulders, she turned to see the worst case scenario occur.

"What's going on here?" the younger Kiritsugu asked.

Eiko paled fearing the worst.

"Down here boy!" the older one called. The younger Kiri looked out the window and saw an old man missing on eye and wearing the most kick ** black painted suit of armor he ever saw as well as a black kite shaped shield. "Yo," The old man called, "Get down here boy, we've got some catching up to do."

Eiko's wanted to stop the meeting, there was no telling what damage to the future this might cause. She reached for her brother, only for him to slip past her and leap out the window. She watched in horror as the two looked each other in the eye(s) It was then that the old man grinned and opened his mouth.

"We are the owners of our dreams. Rulers of our land, and makers of our peace." The old man suddenly spouted. The entire family flinched at the sound coming forth. It seemed familiar, hauntingly familiar. Like something that had always been at the edge of their vision, yet had never been seen till

"We've shed our blood for this land, and brought our blades for this cause" He continued. The others began feeling thier concentration heighten, their breaths becoming synchronized.

"As one we stand, as one we fight, for those we love, for the memory of the fallen"From the window, Eiko began crying, she could feel the wholeness of her family within her, their unconscious support eased her worries away.

That is our only power, that is the only way."The old man chanted. Everone could feel it, the strengths and weaknesses of each other. Takeshi's need to support the family, Eiko's loneliness and longing for the perfect future, Tsukiumi's fear of being forgotten, and Shirou's need to be a hero. All could feel it within their souls and sent what they could to support the weaknesses.

"One army men works" The Younger Kiritsugu chanted finishing the Aria though it lacked it's true power. The older Kiri nodded,"we are one you and I, separated by time and space, one soul, two bodies." He could see his younger self nod his head as he digested the information.

"So...does that mean you won't try to kill me?" The younger one asked.

The older one barked a laugh, "You? Ha! As if I don't have better things to do than put an upstart kid down. I'm 89 years old boy, any regrets I had in the past have eroded over time. Besides, it's not like you could give me a decent challenge anyway."

Before the boy could speak in his defense, a familiar voice called out to the elder.

"Oiii" Artemis called out. "What's going on you old Bastard?"

"Eiko sneezed." said old bastard called back as she walked towards him as though it explained everything.

"Ah, I see..." She said shuddering. The last time Eiko sneezed, they had been sent flying to a remote island in Alaska. What was the name of that place again? Shadow Noah? Shadow Jesus? It was Shadow something biblical. The less said of that FUBAR experience the better. She walked up to her partner and asked, "So where/when are we?"

"We're home Kitten," Kiritsugu answered to his ten year partner who sighed at the pet name, "Just seventy one years too early." He pointed to his younger self. "Meet my Past, it aint much, but I worked with what I've got." Artemis walked over to the younger version of her savior and looked him over critically.

Said younger self held out his hand and said the stupidest thing he could have, "Nice to meet you Kitten."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. The next thing the younger self knew, he saw darkness.

xxxxx

"Uwah." the young Kiritsugu yelled as he woke up. He looked around and saw that he was in the Infirmary. "Wha tha'?"

"Oh, you're awake nii-san." Chiyo said beside his bed.

"What happened?" was what he tried to say instead, it came out "Wha hapand?" Kiri finally noticed how his face hurt like an extra stern sparring session with Kaa-san.

"Little Artemis does not wish to be called Kitten." Chiyo explained. "She kicked you in the balls, gut checked you, then proceeded to pummel you until your Future intervened and held her in an arm lock."

"Fy?" he asked trying to say why

"You're not him," a cold voice answered. Kiritsugu swiveled his head and saw the girl that had beaten him to submission was standing in the doorway looking at him with disgust filled eyes. "You could never match him. You cannot match his greatness." She spat, "Fake, fraud, fool." With that she turned on her heel and marched out.

Kiritsugu sat there stupefied by her attitude.

"I think she likes you." A familiar old voice said with suppressed mirth. Kiritsugu looked to the adjacent bed where the curtain was pulled aside to reveal his older self was resting his batter body. "Had you been anyone else, she would have broken bones."

Kiritsugu snorted while Chiyo glared. "Keep her on a leash nii-san." She threatened. She didn't like strangers pummeling her family.

The old man held his hands up in defense, "Hey, you're the one that taught her those moves, clean up your own mess." Chiyo was taken aback by the news but nodded her head. "Very well nii-san, I will."

The younger Kiritsugu groaned at today's developments. 'Could this day get any worse.'

"Niiiiiiiiii-saaaaaaaaan" a venom tipped voice called out from the hallway. Arika entered the room with fire around her eyes. "Don't think I've forgotten you breaking into the kitchen and getting it destroyed once more."

Both incarnations of Kiritsugu gulped in fear of their twin sister.

Damn you Root, Damn you we say


	8. Aurora 1

For months he trained his younger self, for months he gave advise and practical lessons to hone his younger self a little better. The Younger Kiri had refused to use a shield, but that was to be expected. He hadn't lost his eye yet. In fact, it would be a hindrance to learn how to use the shield against several of his (potential) opponents. The older one shrugged then went back to training. The two had even sneaked into the kitchen a few times and tried their luck at cooking together. Needless to day, the results were best left unrecorded lest readers be driven to the brink of madness, or split their sides. Either one works. Yet through it all, the older Kiri was not smiling inside. Mentally, he was counting down to an important date until it was a week before the promised day.

Artemis was given a brief notice, i.e. "Prep the plane. We're in for a long haul." Artemis smiled, she had been living in the Hippalectryon since they had arrived in the past refusing to unpack her stuff. For her, this was not home, this was not her place. Her place was seventy years in the future give or take a few months. She quickly rushed to the plane which had been refueled months ago. It still galled her remembering how she had been ordered to teach the young fake how to fly. The sheer agony of being near the fake had nearly driven her to insanity. She had pulled the plane through near impossible maneuvers and near crashes at high speeds trying to get the fraud out of her plane and her life as fast as possible, but it hadn't worked. The bastard had endured everything, and even learned a few of her crazy maneuvers himself.

Now however, she was free, FREE!. A long haul, a mission that required her to be months away from the mansion and that hell. She checked one of the crates again confirming that the private stash of gold and ammunition that would allow them to barter for fuel from various mercenary companies was still secure. A few fools had tried to steal the stash before and had paid the price of one of her more severe beat downs. No one stole from the Black Knight as long as she was here. She waited with batted breath at the controls preparing to take off at maximum speed and head off for some Root forsaken place at the whims of the old man.

Yet, it was strange, he was waiting by the doors. One foot in, yet one foot out.

"Getting homesick already?" she jested.

Rather than reply, he stood there, looking at the house. There was something in his expression, wistful maybe? Something about it sent shivers up her spine. Finally he spoke, but not to her.

"You coming or what?" He asked to the wind. No, not the wind. There was someone who appeared out of the shadows. How she had missed him was beyond her. He was hideously scarred with an extra large one on the bridge of his nose. But what truly drew her attention was the red eyes. She was sure that she had seen this man before, but where?

"You're crazy nii-san." The scarred man said.

Kiritsugu shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, but it needs to be done."

DA Hura leaned in closely to his brother and whispered, "You're going to die. Why do you persist on fighting others battles?"

Kiritsugu whispered back, "Why do you insist on taking your burdens alone? Your have plenty who will help you if you but ask."

Neither one answered the others question, instead, both went into the plane and seated themselves.

Artemis who had missed the last part of the conversation but could tell the gravity of the situation asked, "Where to?" "First stop, Yokai Academy." Kiritsugu responded.

Artemis blinked, "ahhhhh?" There was no way to enter Yokai Academy via plane.

"Just head for a nearby tunnel." Kirisugu informed her, "We'll deal with the barrier."

Haru's eyes narrowed, "The Academy?"

Kiritsugu nodded, "The Headmaster has a certain artifact I need."

"The compass." Haru stated. It wasn't even a question. "You know how well he guards that."

Kiritsugu laughed, "True, but I know where it is, and I have you."

"I won't aide you." Haru retorted.

"That's fine, just open the barrier, and prepare to run like hell afterwards." Kiri said with a grin. Haru couldn't help but grin as well at his brother's antics. He had truly missed Kiritsugu's impossible requests. He had not, however, missed his cooking. That was something best left sealed for all eternity.

xxxxx

Kiritsugu sat outside the tunnel on his 'horse' Podagro. The artificial horse snorted fire and toed the ground preparing to charge in to hell itself.

"You realize that, as a human, you're prey to them right?" Haru said as he approached the tunnel.

"Of course, what's a raid without pursuit?" Kiri said lightheartedly. He then spoke on his radio. "I'll be out of communication for a while. If I'm not back in six hours, consider me dead."

"Copy That." Artemis clipped while grinding her teeth. The academy was one of the few places where she could not give him aerial support. He was on his own inside.

She watched as Kiritsugu flapped the reigns and Podagro took off into the tunnel. Haru looked in from where he stood for a moment before she saw his mouth grit in frustration. Though she could not hear him, her camera angle was good enough for her to read his lips. "What are you thinking you idiot? Where's your sword?" Artemis' eyes widened. How had she missed it, the old man still didn't have a replacement for Chivalry.

'Oh **.' She thought. Suddenly, she saw Haru dash into the tunnel. She felt a sigh of relief that the Dark Apostle would guard his back.

xxxxxxx

It was pandemonium in the Academy. A human, a human was inside the school. Never before had any human (as far as most of them knew) penetrated the barrier and invaded before. In fact, this one was the stereotype that many had come to fear. A human, mounted on a black horse was charging headlong into the school. Now, if he only began swinging his sword, then everything would have solidified their opinion of humanity. A younger Haru who had been staying in the academy for the school term had not known what to look for. All he saw as he watched the rider charge into the school grounds was a black knight charging in heedless of any who might be in his way rather than a 'long lost' brother. He watched in horror as the rider neared Kurumu, who had been heading towards him to glomp him...again, for a second before he began charging at the enemy. He barely moved four steps before something big and black smashed into his side. Haru saw for an instant his older, corrupted self before he blacked out.

DA Haru looked on at his younger self and cursed the fates that he had, for a moment, been forced to use his full power to knock out his younger self rather than kill him. He had no time to test his younger self, rather, he had to protect his brother on his crazy task. He watched as the 'horse' reared back on it's hind legs and suddenly burst up into the upper part of the school right where the headmaster's office was. Haru mentally made a note to ask Kiri how he knew exactly where the room was as soon as this FUBAR situation was over.

xxxx

Kiri quickly dismounted and dashed for the book shelf. He quickly took the copy of The Book of the Dead and moved it up two rows, three shelves over. The book case flipped revealing a safe room full of forbidden and ancient relics. He ignored them all and headed for a corner of the room. He shifted aside a precious golden plate of unknown origins and picked up a small wooden compass. The compass whirled for a second, then pointed in a direction most definitely not north. Kiri placed the precious item into a slot in his armor then turned around and dashed back to his horse. He had enough time to mount it before he saw the doors smash open revealing the headmaster and his right hand man the 'bus driver'. Kiri wasted no time directing Podagro to flee back out of the hole they had already created. The were barely half way out of the hole when they were suddenly encased in a giant rosary. Yet, they were no sooner bound then they were released by DA Haru's interference. Kiri and Podagro wasted no effort turning tail and fleeing for their lives as Haru faced off the two men.

The dark lord looked Haru over then began cackling. "So, he hopes to make life easier for his past self huh?" Haru was not surprised that one of the most powerful creatures on the planet was well informed of Kiri's plan. Haru flicked his glance over to the 'bus driver' who pulled out a cigar and lit it. It was clear, the two of them would not interfere any more. If the old man survived the gauntlet, he could use the compass as he wished. Haru turned to leave, but was stopped by Mikogami's voice. "Do be sure to return that once he's finished with it Haru. I would hate to have to discipline your younger self for your crimes." Haru made no comment, but the priest continued, "And those girls of his too of course." That made set Haru's teeth on edge, but he nodded stiffly and dashed after his stupid stupid nii-san.

As soon as Haru left, the priest turned to his old friend, "It seems that little Eiko was spot on in her fears." The 'bus driver' said nothing but took another puff of his cigar.

xxxxx

It took less than an hour for Kiritsugu to invade and retreat out of Yokai academy. As soon as he saw daylight, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was out, the hardest part of this mission was over. The nest two steps would be far easier to accomplish now. He turned to see Haru leave the tunnel sweating slightly.

"Getting old there brother?" Kiritsugu asked.

Haru growled for a second then composed himself. He walked right up to his brother and punched him hard. "What were you thinking?" He asked furiously. "Without your sword your useless on the battle field."

Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed, "First of all, I have plenty of weapons on me if needed. Second..." He tapped a side of Podagro. Suddenly, a slot opened out and a large two handed sword popped out. Haru found his mouth was hanging out.

"Honor? I thought that sword was lost after you lost your eye." He stated.

Kiri shook his head, "No, I just...can't use it as well. My vision and all that. In addition, my false hand isn't as good as the real one. That's why I rely on a shield and a lighter sword these days. But...I can still fight with my first sword rather well."

Haru growled out something intelligible, something about crazy and bastard. Kiri ignored it to see his faithful partner hovering the plane in front of them. Podagro reared back and jumped into the open drop bay. Haru leaped up using his unnatural body as the door began closing.

"Where to now?" Artemis asked. She didn't need to know if he succeeded. The fact that he was alive was all that she needed to know.

"Jerusalem" Kiri said seriously, "It's time to get the Sword of Godfrey."

Haru choked on that. Kiritsugu was going to steal from the Church? And one of the last Noble Phantasms left? What had he gotten himself into?


	9. Aurora 2

"Let me get this straight." DA Haru said holding one hand up while rubbing his forehead with the other. "You want to go to the second most heavily fortified region guarded by the church and steal the Sword of Godfrey of Bouillon?"

"yes." Kiri said simply.

"The sword of Godfrey, one of the last usable Noble Phantasm in the world, guarded by more magic seals and elite troops of the church than some of the vaults in Rome?" Haru said still sure that he was hearing things.

"Yes." Kiri said again with a smirk.

"Even though it will bring down the wrath of the Church, which will most definitely send a battalion of elite troops after you in hot pursuit?" Haru said, his headache ready to burst into a full blown migraine.

"That's the plan." Kiri said with a full smile.

"Even though you just brought forth the wrath of the entire Yokai population down upon yourself?" The headache was now most definitely a migraine.

"Exactly." Kiri said all but laughing at Haru's noticeable pain.

"You're crazy." Haru stated

"I like it." Artermis said cheerfully.

Haru rolled his eyes, "Of course you do. If he told you to jump off a bridge, you'd do it."

"Would not," Artemis argued.

"Oh?" Haru said with a raise eyebrow.

"I'd dive off." Artemis declared. Knowing the old man, there would be a ledge to land on or a parachute thrown at her in the process.

Haru began banging his head against the bulkhead to distract him from his migraine going on seizure. Kiri on the other hand began chuckling deeply. It was clear that Haru was uninformed of Kiri's past. The church? Yokai? Hell, he had been made an enemy of them countless times, then became their unexpected ally countless times. He was the Black Knight, the wild card, the unaffiliated warrior. His actions had alienated himself against every organization of man and monster, and in turn, he had saved their hides in their time of need. In the end, all organizations had a standing order about him. If he's an ally work with him, if not, shoot on sight.

Worked out pretty well in his opinion. Now then, time to catch a nap before the next raid.

xxxxxx

Haru shook his head as his 'older' brother fell asleep. "You're crazy brother. Stark raving mad."

"No," Artemis said as she came from the cockpit. "He's been doing this for decades. It'll be fine."

Haru made a yelp of complete fear as he saw the pilot was away from the controls. Before he could take a step to the cockpit, the girl held up her hands. "Calm down, we've got the best autopilot program of our time. We could fly through a storm with the program and not be disturbed."

Haru breathed a sigh of relief. It would be a stupid way for his brother to die, death by a negligent pilot didn't sound very good on the tombstone. Looking back to his past, he couldn't help but shake his head at his Kiritsugu's past in the dark future. After the battle, after the war and the death and destruction, his brother had set out on a quest of vengeance and blood. Consumed by his need to avenge the fallen. In the end, he succeeded. It took him thirty years, but his brother killed every remnant of the enemy. The clan had hailed him as a hero and their champion. For a time, they used him as a threat against any who opposed the clan. 'Obey us or we'll send our dog against you.'

That was what they kept doing, until Kiri found out about it. Though he was an old man, he had done what none had ever dreamed of at the time, he walked away. Abandoning clan and family, he marched off to countless battlefield to ease the agony within. His quest of vengeance left him a hollow man, but he was no butcher. Instead, he spent what little time he had left trying to atone for his sins and eventually died in a nameless battle in a meaningless war buying time for a few civilians to evacuate. His brother had died alone, not from the bullets that pierced his body, not from the shells that ripped his legs off, but from a broken heart at how the clan had changed.

Yet, this one was different. He was, if anything, at peace. Content with the way of the world. He gave no warnings of the threats of the future telling his past self to 'Figure it out on your own.' He made no moves to kill the enemies that threatened the clan, he made no move to head off the potential invasion of the clan. Instead, he was content to let history move forward at it's own pace saying, "What will be will be, the consequences of our actions will dictate the future."

At least now, his brother was seriously planning on doing something, though what Haru was not sure. He suspected of course, there were numerous enemies that threatened the clan in the future, but only a few required the compass, and even fewer needed to be killed by a powerful Noble Phantasm. Looking at it now, the most he could figure was that Kiri was planning on killing a Dead Apostle Ancestor or something equivalent, but who?

ORT? Root help them all if he dared take that one on. Not even Primate Fury could defeat that entire clan at it's peak would have been annihilated trying to kill that one. Knowing the tales of that one, the entire world could try to kill it and die horribly.

Rizo-Waal Strout? That would be the most epic sword battle shy of the Grail Wars, but the former knight of his mother had done nothing to harm or even interfere with the clan. Heck, if memory served, his mother said he had even visited her on the day he was born.

Fina-blood Svelten? he could see his brother's need to avenge the fallen children that Fina had fed upon, but again, Fina was a former knight of Kaa-san. What reason was there for him to kill one that had sworn to never harm the family, and even hold back on eating humans? He'd still drink the blood of young boys, but that's what the blood bank is for. Last time Haru checked, the guy was going on a world cruise trying to find the lost city of Atlantis or something.

Haru went down the list and came up with only a few names that might be potential enemies.

Trhvmn Ortenrosse, The White Wing Lord. A 4000 year old monster that had been a Magus in the Age of the Gods and the orchestrator of the True Ancestor hunt. Was Kiri planning on facing a being that was equal to if not far superior to Caster?

Stanrobe Calhin The Wraith. A ghost of a dead Dead Apostle that is supposed to continue to haunt and feed upon humanity for a little under one hundred fifty years. Could Kiri be planning on ending it early?

and of course, Dark Six.

No, not possible, not unless Kiri was planning on performing the Aylesbury Valesti Ritual to awaken it. No can't be, his brother's no magi. He would have to gather hundreds of magic artifacts across the world to make up for the lack of his skill. That would take...not that long actually with that compass. Oh Root, that's it right, that's what he's planning on doing. Haru began to sweat buckets as he imagined his brother unleashing a monster on the world just so he could fight it to the death.

"What are you thinking?" Artemis asked as she saw him sweat.

"Dark Six, isn't it? He' going to fight Dark Six." Haru asked afraid.

Artemis blinked then snicker, "Pft ah aha ahahahaha." She began holding her side as she couldn't stop laughing. Finally, after a few minutes of laughing, she collected herself. "Ah, I needed that." She straightened herself up and fixed him with a look and a smirk. "He'll go where he goes and fight who he fights, but Dark six is someone else's problem. Besides, the ritual they tried to wake him failed spectacularly anyway." She remembered reading it in a text book in the Emiya Clan of what happens when magic goes wrong.

Haru found himself relaxing. At least he wouldn't have to see that monster in his lifetime."So then, what do you think he'll fight instead?"

She contemplated it for a second then said, "Oh, probably that Thing."

"Thing?" Haru asked.

She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't know it's name, if it had one to begin with. Supposedly the old man's most difficult enemy. Said to be immortal and impossible to kill. Course, he goes and kills it while only losing two ribs, breaking half his bones and damaging a few organs, and spending a year in recovery."

Haru found himself worrying anew. There was something out there that had slipped by the various organizations to not have a name? This was possibly even worse than summoning the Dark Six.


	10. Aurora 3

"Time?" Kiri said as he woke from his nap.

Artemis looked over her readout and called back, "Five minutes"

Kiri nodded his head and headed towards Podagros. Before he could mount, however, DA Haru held his arm back. The look he gave Kiri was full of confusion and worry.

"What are you planning Nii-san? Are you going to just throw your life away for some sentiment about your past? Look at what you're throwing away. A family, friends, your own personal glory. If you die here, there's a good chance you won't enter the throne."

Kiri looked at his 'younger' brother with a critical eye then smiled, "Why Haru, I didn't know you cared." Haru had to resist smashing his brother's snide face in. Was this truly his brother Kiritsugu? He remembered Kiritsugu always being so formal to everyone, especially after the battle. This one? Root, he barely took anything seriously anymore. Like he had seen the irony of life and found it amusing or something. That seemed crazy to the multi-century old Dark Apostle. The irony of life wasn't amusing to him, just morbid.

Kiri swept his brother's hand aside and climbed up Podagros. "You want to know why I do what I do? So does everyone else." He flashed a smile, "Get used to it." His reasons were his own, and it was no one else's problem. He knew the paths available to him, king or knight, ruler or vagabond. He had made his choice, and had little to no regrets about it. He maneuvered Podagros into the pod and shut the door with a button. Kiri strapped himself down on his artificial horse and said on the radio, "Ready for drop."

"Copy that." Artemis responded, "ETA One Minute." Artemis calmly watched the horizon as they approached the holy city of Jerusalem. Their target, the Holy Sepulchre. To the public, it was a place of worship. To the Churhc, however, it is an armory of some of the most powerful anti-freak weapons in the world. The stone of anointing? Ha, that stone covers some ancient weapons that predate Arturia's time. These relics left in an area of heavy worship have been absorbing residual power for centuries and even millennia for a few. Yet, of all of them, the Sword of Godfrey would be the strongest in the armory as it is displayed for the public to see and worship directly. Faith is the fuel for noble phantasms.

"ETA ten seconds." She radioed back. "Prepare for a quick drop and run."

"Ready." Kiri responded.

"Opening bay doors. Dropping in five, four, three, two, one."

Kiri felt his stomach leave him again as he fell for a few brief seconds before the pod crashed into the ground, bounced once, then skidded to a stop. "Good drop." Kiri complimented as Podagros kicked the doors open. "Keep the Hippalectryon ready for a hot grab."

"Copy that." Artemis responded. Below her, various missile sites rose from the ground and began targeting her. "Holy city my $$." She muttered as the secret fortress began activating it's defenses. The Church had no idea who they were in this world, thus, as soon as she 'bombed' them, she was labeled an enemy. "Come on," She muttered, "Try and hit me. I'm the goddess of the hunt, worship me." She glanced at a monitor and saw that she had gotten the pod to stop right outside the door of the target building. She smiled at that, mentally she added expert bomber to her list of skills. How many bombers could get a drop pod to land right next to the target? She evaded two missiles and blew up a SAM site with ease. She then sent the Hippalectryon in a tight turn losing two missiles following her and headed back to the pod for pick up. Sure enough, Kiritsugu had burst out of the Holy Sepulchre holding a package in his shield arm while his sword arm finished knocking out the last guards. He then went back into the pod and hit the button inside that sealed the doors and shot a cable attacked to a rocket into the sky. Once a certain distance was hit, the rocket shut off, and a massive balloon inflated.

Artemis steered the plane to the cable and caught it in a special groove imbedded on the Hippalectryon. The pod shot up from the ground and was quickly hauled behind the Hippalectryon. Artemis regretted ending the hunt so soon, but there was no time to indulge in her appetites. Instead, she flicked a switch that caused massive amounts of flares to fill the air behind her. She then flicked a second switch that began bringing the pod back into the plane. Once the pod was back in, the cable was detached and allowed to drop allowing the Hippalectryon to become stealth once more. By the time any fighters were dispatched to chase them, they would be long gone and lost from radar.

The whole operation had taken less than three minutes. Not quite a new record, but fairly close. Behind her, she could hear Kiri walk up to her.

"Good job kitten." Kiri said with a smile. Artemis gritted her teeth for a second, but nodded her thanks. Kiri then sat into the secondary piloting seat. "I'll take over here." Kiri said placing the compass in the cup holder beside him. Artemis shrugged, then flipped controls over to the old man.

Behind them, they heard the final member of the operation walk up behind them. "You're crazy brother if you think you've lost them."

Kiri turned his head back to smile at his brother then went back to flying. "I know." "They'll chase you with the greatest of thier forces to make a point to anyone who steals from them." "I know." Kiri said gently, "It's going perfectly."

Haru raised an eyebrow. "You want them to chase you." He stated

"Yes."

Haru sighed, "Alright Nii-san, I hope you know what you're doing."

"Always." Kiri reassured his brother. "Strap in brother, who knows how long we're in the clear."

Part two of the operation was complete, only the final phase remained.


	11. Aurora 4

Shuzen Gyokuro was having a good day in her opinion. Her spies had reported that the legendary compass had been stolen and was now out and about free as a bird. What was even better was that one of her spies had been able to get a tracking device on him as he fled the scene of the crime.'I'll have to think of a suitable reward for the girl when I have the compass.' She thought. How often did these kinds of things happen when a Dark lord lost control of such a powerful object? Once in a millennium maybe? Didn't matter, she, and all available forces were going to snap up the compass before it was recovered. How hard could it be? After all, it was taken by a human. A bold, daring human mind you, but clearly back water if he was wearing armor in this day in age. It's not like armor did much to protect humans against monster attacks. Why else did the detestable church not outfit their troops with anything more than the lightest of armor or leather?

She flicked her eyes to her computer and flipped a switch activating the intercom. She couldn't be bothered to make a speech to the troops as they prepared to embark on a hunt "I have gathered you all today for one reason. To find and kill the one who has the legendary compass formerly owned by Mikogami. We will take that compass and use it's power to further our goal to free our god Alucard" (Yes I realize that there is a second Alucard held under the Helsing organization. Just go with it, the best I can figure with the Clan forum is instead of trying to revive him, they are trying to free him.) "With it's power, we will surely find a way to free him form his slavery and have him lead us on our glorious crusade to exterminate humanity."

She imagined the troops were cheering as they loaded on to the cargo planes. "We know where he is, and we know his course. We will catch up with him and feed upon his bones. His death will be the but the first of countless humans falling beneath our might. Go forth, and bring me that compass" The troops were probably cheering even harder. As for her, she was calmly enjoying a massage on her luxury aircraft heading for the Himalayas. Her troops would come from eastern Asia and head off the enemy

xxxxxx

Ciel wasn't sure why they had called her in to lead the hunt for the missing sword. Sure, it had been stolen, but by all accounts, it had been done by a human. A human stupid enough not to realize that one of the guards had been able to slap a tiny tracking device on his leg. Seriously, why was a burial squad member being involved in this? This should be the job of a different branch of the Assembly of the 8th Sacrament. The one that actually dealt with stolen artifacts, but of course, her luck was bad enough that she was the closest person available to lead the hunt. This should be the job of an executioner not a burial squad. Inwardly, she sighed, she just wanted to get this over with and get back to Shiki and her children. Little Sakura missed her mother dearly. She looked over her troops of one thousand elite hunters assembled to chase the enemy. Most of these were Knights, the main branch of the military of the church. Though they still fought with halberds, several were now using guns with blessed silver bullets or other holy weapons.

"All right, you guys, here's how it's going down." Ceil ordered, "The sword of Godfrey was stolen two hours ago by an unknown force. As far as Intelligence goes, there are two people involved." Behind her a screen turns on Showing two pictures, one of a young person piloting the plane. The picture was, unfortunately, distorted due to the high speed and crazy maneuvers obscuring the picture. This picture had only gotten this clean after the best techs had cleaned up the picture with the best technology possible. The other picture, on the other hand, was a perfectly clear picture taken from a security camera showing what looked like a black painted knight on some sort of artificial horse.

Ceil continued, "We don't know why they stole the sword yet ignored the other relics, but we intend to take it back. From what we can tell, they stopped at an isolated runway for ten minutes to refuel then took off again heading for the Himalayas. Others have been dispatched to head off any attempts at sending the sword on the road. Our mission is to follow and deal with the thieves ourselves. Gear up men, this is no drill." Chiel exhaled, fixed her glasses and headed for the runway. Everyeno had to move quickly lest the sword become lost for all time. The troops here would converge from the west and chase after the enemy moving at all possible speed, refueling in air if they had to.

xxxxxx

Inside the Hippalectryon, Haru found Kiritsugu was playing a game of chess against himself while lining up dominoes. Once the course had been set, Artemis was able to take back control of her sanctuary and push the old man out to rest.

"What are you doing brother?" Haru asked confused at the combination of actions.

"There's a certain satisfaction found when you know the enemy's move before they even do." Kiri responded as he moved a black knight and stole the white queen. Haru blinked then groaned, "Maybe, but life isn't a chess game and it doesn't line up neatly like dominoes."

Kiri shrugged, then tipped over a single domino sending the whole line collapsing. The white king was forced to back off lest it become trapped. Yet, even Haru could see that the king would become trapped as soon as the black knight advanced one more time. "Maybe, but try doing two at once, then it becomes a lot more like life." he then shrugged again, "Besides, you forgot to take in one factor." "Oh? What's that?" Haru asked intrigued

"Stupidity, it makes the world go round." Kiritsugu declared. "With that in mind, you can manipulate almost anyone." He then pulled out a deck of cards, "Care to gamble?"

Haru began banging his head against the wall feeling the stupidity of the world crushing his sanity with every word he listened to. 'Crazy old man.'

Kiritsugu suddenly stood up and yelled, "Turn us back around!"

Artemis nearly sent the plane careening as she followed the order. Kiri looked back at the compass beside the chess board and said, "Okay, circle the area, once I triangulate where it is, I'll drop."

"Copy that" Artemis said feeling her stomach leave her. She had never heard of this place in the old man's past. This series of valleys and mountains was foreign to everything she had heard about him. What was the point of flying in this desolate region?

Thirty minutes went by as they kept circling in a wide arc over basically nothing.

"I got it," Kiri declared. "Turn us around one last time and prepare to drop me on the nearest plateau or fairly flat surface."

"Copy that," Artemis said feeling more nervous than she had in a long time. Behind her, she could hear crates being opened and contents being removed. It was clear Kiritsugu was going down with the big guns. Whatever was down there, he was serious.

"Drop in thirty." Artemis transmitted.

As soon as thirty seconds had passed, she felt the plane buck a bit as the pod descended. As soon as it hit the ground, she heard him call back. "Good drop Kitten." She gritted her teeth out of reflex, but her heart wasn't in it.

xxxxxxx

At the same time, two organizations noticed that the plane had been circling the region for some unknown region. Though neither of them knew they were being manipulated, the fact that a place was circling over an area at the edge of the Himalayas did not bode well to either of them. What was he looking for? Both leaders of their respective troops thought? Is there something there? Something even more valuable than what was stolen? A secret cache?

Who knows...

Neither side knew

xxxxxx

Haru couldn't help himself, he moved to the abandoned chess board and moved the knight forward. He didn't know why, but he knew that he needed to do it. It might be the last thing his brother ever won. He then knocked the white king over as a token of victory. "Your victory brother, it's your victory."

Behind him, he heard a loud snort, Haru almost leaped when he turned. What he saw there made his skin turn pure white and his eyes dilate completely. "Oh Sh**" Haru said aloud.

xxxxxx


	12. Aurora 5

**"We are the owners of our dreams.**" Kiri muttered as he finished planting the explosive. **"Rulers of our land, and makers of our peace."**

He stood up and brushed his gauntlets removing the snow.**"We've shed our blood for this land, and brought our blades for this cause."**

It was a good thing that the snow wasn't that deep here. The surrounding mountains must block off most of the clouds here. **"As one we stand, as one we fight, for those we love, for the memory of the fallen."**

Above him, he had blue skies with only a few clouds to block his view. **"That is our only power, that is the only way."** He remembered the dead, some glorious, some horrific, and some were almost too normal to remember

Not him. Today here and now, he dies a death that will shake the foundations of the world. Whether he lives or dies, the world will remember him and the foe he fought.**"One army men works"**

He remembered the island, the country his family had built with it's own hands. His father fighting in the front lines even at the age of eighty. Back then, he had been in awe of how his father found such strength to live. Now, at the age of 89, no wait...he looked at his watch. Oh, okay, still eighty nine, he understood what his father had to keep on going.

Purpose. It is purpose that keeps a man moving even when will and faith falter. As long as a man has purpose, he can continue on far longer than a man that only has duty or honor. Purpose defines humanity, the such for why they are on the planet consumes their lives. Or at least that's what he came up with as he lived his life. Right now, he had purpose, kill that which was the most danger to the clan. It wasn't the Einzbern and their plot, it wasn't the monsters and Church that would try to hunt the clan, it was what slept under the rocks here.

He imagined right now that Kitten was all but ripping the bulkheads off the Hippalectryon while Haru was either bashing his head in or cussing in every language known to man.

xxxx

"Mother***"der Gockel Dolboeb Huesosder Hinterlader Merde" Haru spewed out in every language he knew. He had been unable to do anything but cuss for several minutes now. In front of him was that d*mned horse Podagro. Beside it was the sword of Godfrey and the compass with a note on it that said:

_Haru_

_Please return to rightful owners_

_Kiri_

What was the point of stealing them if he wasn't going to use them? Well, the compass was used, but why the sword?

Back in the cockpit he could hear the little hellion screeching in rage. Haru put his own aside for a moment before heading up to see how Kiri $crewed them now. In the cockpit Artemis was banging every switch and button she could trying to gain control of the plane, but the screen had a message of it's own on.

_Warning: Omega Protocol initiated_

_All flight controls have now been overridden by order of the Black Knight_

_Please stand by until the plane has reached one of it's designated landing points._

_Do not attempt to eject from the plane and save me as I took the last parachute_

_All your plane are belong to me._

Artemis was now banging her head on the dashboard as the screen repeated the message over and over again. "He knew," She said in agony, "He knew what I would do and he blocked my choice." Never before had he interfered with her choice on how to live her life before. This betrayal struck her to the core. How dare he? How dare he tell the goddess what to do? She was his weapon, his tool, and he had sent her away while he went and got himself killed. She continued to bang her head on the dashboard hoping something, anything would happen.

"Hello?" A voice turned on the radio.

"Matsu-sama?" Artemis said in wonder. It was like Devi herself was watching over her wayward daughter. "Ohthankgodyou'rethere. Ineedhelpturning this**ingplanearound."

"Wait Wait!" Matsu yelled frantically trying to get Artemis to slow down. Artemis inhaled and was about to start again when Matsu chimed in, "hmm, sorry. Seems like he's got a good security system. Looks like Karin's work by the signature. KARIN I KNOW YOU"RE LISTENING, HELP KAA-SAN OUT HERE"

The was a small eek and then Karin got on, "Looks kind of like mine, but there's a bit of Chisame there too. We'll need her to help crack it at this rate. Geez look at these codes and pathway files. It's way more advanced than any I've ever seen, but my back doors arn't there? How the hell did he convince me to do that?"

Behind Artemis a cold voice called to the radio, "Upload a satellite image of Kiri's battle."

Artemis turned to see Haru standing behind her.

"Understood," Matsu said. It took a minute, a minute that felt like eternity, but it was finished. There was Kiri on a screen standing in the cold waiting. In his left hand, the artificial one, he held Honor. This right hand held his black shield by his side. Kiri was looking up in the skies searching, waiting. Honestly, if it didn't looks so cool, it would look ridiculous as he was holding a blade too large to truly be used with one hand.

"What's he looking for?" Artemis whispered.

Apparently Matsu took that as a question and answered, "Two different fleets of planes approaching Kiritsugu-jiji's location from the east and west. Estimated time to arrive five minutes from the east. Four and a half from the west." The statement took a second for her to process what that meant then suddenly, "Wait. What? KARIN GET CHISAME NOW. SHIROU-TAN GET OVER HERE, I NEED A BOOST!"

"I've called Chisame Kaa-san," Karin called over the radio, "She'll be here in five minutes"

"She's got less then four before she's short a brother." Matsu yelled. "Get the others to the viewing centers. I won't have him die unnoticed if I can't save him in time."

Back in the plane, both Haru and Artemis held their breaths, the fate of Kiri rested on the shoulders of others to help them out.

xxxxx

Kiri smiled as he saw the first planes on the horizon. He held up a set of binoculars and saw that they belonged to the church. Looking the other direction, he saw the first ships of Fairy Tale heading for him, though they were slightly behind schedule. He shrugged, close enough. He held out a detonator waiting. With the explosion, he would wake the Beast, but, it would take a lot of food to bring it out into the open.

_"I am bound by an Oath_" Kiri muttered as he waited.

_"Guard the helpless, and protect the family."_ He had lived by this oath almost his entire life. It was his food, it was his air.

_"I have fought over countless battlefields"_ So many battlefields he had fought acting as the vanguard for the family. He was the first to bleed, and the last to leave combat

_"Hands stained with blood, and head full of horrors"_ He had killed so many for the oath, even with chivalry in his hands. His actions had gotten so many people killed to fulfill his oath.

_"Withstood countless pains that others might not"_ How many times had he thrown himself in harms way for another? How many times had he been forced to bear their burdens that they would not?

_"Yet I have no regrets for my life."_ Any regrets had faded seeing the consequences of his actions. Every death he saw, every pain he endured, every person that died because of him built a better world.

_"My path ends today as a Black Knight"_

There, it was finished, his version of a death poem. Though father would be able to reshape reality with his Reality Marble, all he could do was brace himself for the inevitable. Ah well, he is 89 years old after all. No use crying now. How many other old men could do what he did anyway?

Looking up, he saw the two groups were preparing to kill each other in the air. The troop transports would have to fight for landing space. The few fighter jets and powerful flying monsters would deal with each other in the air. Kiri said a small prayed for the soon to be dead, but he felt no pity for what he would do. The Church had been a major enemy for the clan in his later years, and Fairy tale was a disease to be purged. Time to cut down on their troops today. If they wished to live today they had but two options, go Forward, or go Back. Either way, they would help him that went forward would have to fight It to survive, and those that went back would make it follow them until they had to fight It for survival. Even better, if both went Forward, then the odds increased in It dying today. If only one did, well...the Beast would be a target for the rest of the world to deal with, like say, Primate Fury.

Today, whether he survived or was slain, he would be victorious this day.

Kiri pressed the detonator.

Explosions ripped apart the surrounding mountains sending waves of snow and rock tumbling down. Hundreds if not thousands of tons of rubble and snow cascaded down into a valley filling it with debris. Beneath Kiri's feet, he could fee the earth shake, but not because of the esplosions. Something was awake, and it was hungry. Kiri smiled as he hopped on top of a large rock that had not been disturbed by the explosion.

"So, it begins."

xxxxx

Ciel had known there had to be more going on when the Sword was stolen today, but she never imagined this. The Church knew of Fairy Tale, a shadowy organization of Yokai that plotted to overthrow humanity if not destroy it. The church had spent a great deal of resources trying to locate their base of operations, but so far had only found dummy and abandoned buildings. Yes, the church expected another decade to locate the enemy, but they had never expected to accidentally run into such a large concentration of their forces. Actually, if estimates were right, this was over three fourth of their troops. True, the monsters out numbered them, but the Knights were better trained, and each one of them were elite veterans with at least a decade of experience. Though they were out numbered, they would not be undone today. There was just one thing that was creeping her out, the Black Knight.

What was he doing? He was just standing there, waiting. He he planning on handing off the sword to Fairy Tale? Maybe get some kind of reward? She watched as he pulled out a detonator and began feeling rather nervous. Her instincts were telling her to fall back and regroup now. But, she had her orders, and she would carry them out.

"All units, advance. Prepare for a hot drop on arrival." She looked at the available options and found that they had only a select few to land. About half of those landing sites would be contested between both Church and Yokai, while the other half were more distant to the target. If she chose to contest, the troops would have a hard fight as soon as they landed. Men would die on landing being dropped off right with the enemy. Planes would crash into each other uncoordinated by a tower. Yet, if they chose to land further away, the enemy might get to him first. Ciel sighed as she knew the burden of command was to send men to die.

"Send most of out units to the nearest landing spots, but have five transports land further away and have the men catch up with us." It was the best choice she could make. Keep a few in reserve uncommitted to the battle while the rest fought to keep the enemy away if not recover the sword. Right now, if he gave back the sword, she would probably let him get away to save her men. As her plane headed for a small bluff the plane could land on, a thought occurred to her. 'Where is the sword?'

xxx

Shuzen Gyokuro had to hand it to the human, this would have been a good plan. Have Fairy Tale chase him to a remote region, only to land right into a trap. Too bad the Church was too slow in getting here. Now, her troops could show their might against the organization that had long opposed them. Today, her men would prove that monsters were superior to the foolish humans. Today, she would kill the church troops, gain control of the compass, and have a glorious battle to wet her blood lust. How long had it been since she had enjoyed a good battle? Thinking back, it was during the French Revolution, so about two hundred years ago now. Yes, she was overdue for a good fight.

"Tell the troops to land where the church will." She ordered. In the end, they were disposable. Nothing more than cannon fodder for her ambition. Even if they freed Alucard, they would not survive long with the greatest Vampire in existence in their midst. She might, might protect her subdivision leaders, but even that was doubtful. She then told her pilot to take her over the Knight's location. Rather than land, she would jump with her subdivision leaders. It's not like a little fall would hinder them.

She smiled, eager for battle. Yet, as she neared the Knight, something began creeping up the back of her spine. What was it? She thought about it, and realized that it was a shiver. She hadn't had that happen since Alucard was free. Was there something special about this Knight? She hoped so, it would be a shame for him to fall in one blow. Rather disappointing actually. She looked on screen and had the video close in on the Knight. She watched him puss a detonator with uncaring eyes. The fool should have waited until there were men in the valley to blow it up rather than do it now. It's not like it cut off any of the landing points.

She continued to watch as she neared the target. The Knight then took his sword and began banging the flat of the blade on their shield rhythmically. If he was trying to intimidate her, he was failing miserably.

xxxxxx

Kiritsugu banged his word on his shield again and again. "Come on out you freak. Dinner's here. Hope you like my preparations." The ground shuffled beneath him slightly as It shifted beneath him. So close, it was so close to the surface. It could smell the meat arriving. Once the scent of blood was in the air, it would attack. It would feed, and It would be vulnerable. Kiritsugu-jiji smiled fully enjoying how everything was going as planned. His helter skelter dash into Yokai academy had been deliberately chosen to find, and get near the spy there. He remembered the mole creature. Little prick had been a thorn in his side for years selling information about his location a couple of times. The battle in Jerusalem had taken just a bit longer just so the guard could plant a device on him. It had been troublesome to ensure that he did not accidently smash the devices as he rested.

"Life isn't a chess game and it doesn't line up neatly like dominoes huh. Looks like I was right again little brother."

xxxxxxxxx

In the Emiya manor, the entire family held it's breath as enemy forces converged on Kiritsugu-jiji's location. Despite a Norito for Matsu, with assistance of Karin and Chisame, the Omega Code refused to rescind. When Chisame had arrived, she regocnized her fingerprints, but as soon as she tried one of her back doors, the whole system rejected them. It had taken them minutes working at nearly lightspeed that only they could do to get back into the system adn try again from scrartch. It appeared that a third hacker had been involved in the security system, but who?

"Mouuuu," Matsu said as she rubbed her forehead, "What were your future selves thinking making it impossible to get back in?"

The truth was, the future Karin, Chisame, and mysterious third hacker had agreed to Kiritsugu's request as they knew what Artemis would do if he went and got himself killed. Considering that Artemis was learning from the three hackers, they developed a program that rejected all their attempts that way even if Artemis became competent, she could not copy thier techniques to get inside and reverse it.

Miya and Takeshi were in a side room of the dojo watching on a small screen seeing the son of a Kight prepare for his last stand. His strength and resolve was obvious, but his tactics were foolish in their eyes. After all, he had stolen that which was not his to bring this about. A most forbidden thing. Behind them, two Hanyas floated muttering ancient words of hate. Yet, they could not help but feel sadness that Kiritsugu had chosen to die rather than to live.

Homua, Tsukumi, Akitsu, Sakura, and Kazehana sat in a parlor of the mansion looking on a giant screen as they watched Kiritsugu prepare to face an army. Homura clenched her fists ins frustration seeing the man prepare to become a martyr. How had it come to this that an Emiya had to chose death rather than salvation for some obscure reason. Were they cursed to forever be unsatisfied with the world. Kiritsugu had seemed an exception to the rule. Always laughing, enjoying his twilight years, yet perhaps that had only been a ruse to throw them off while he planned for this very day. Like father, like son it seemed. Tsukumi was biting her nails in worry while Sakura looked on in sadness at his choice. Kazehana was torn between being awed at his manliness and worry about his choice of tactics. As a former disciplinary member, she knew all too well about choosing the battle ground, yet his choices made no sense to her. Avalances would have been good weapons to use once the enemy arrived, not when the enemy hadn't even hit the ground yet.

Akitsu and Koyuki held each other silently watching a man prepare to die. No words passed between the two, only a tightening of their hug as they watched the enemy close in. The room they were in was as cold as Antartica and getting colder by the minute

Rin and Reiko had stopped what they were doing in the workshop to see the foolishness of the man from the Emiya. it was so stupid, why did they always insist that they had to do everything themselves? Why couldn't they see how much it hurt thier loved ones? Did Archer's lessons not teach them what became of foolish martyrs?

Uzume, Chiho, and Chiyo held each other tears falling down their eyes as they prepared themselves to see a loved one die. Sakuya, Aya, Gekkou, Kaien, Fuuko, and Aoshi were in their rooms keeping thier thoughts to themselves wishing that Kiritsugu had never chosen this path.

Riko was downcast that she had never tasted her brother's blood. Surely someone this epic would have held the most delicious blood ever. Unlike many of the clan, she and her mother thought back to the Age of the Gods where men stood against armies alone all the time. Such men were the best of them all, and were immortalized for eternity. Rider was in the garage next to her motorcycle looking at a screen remembering a time long lost and forgotten. Would the world be different if Kiritsugu had been sent back to her time? Would his honor and bravery change the face of history? She was sure of it.

Musubi and her children were, for once, not interested in fighting. Instead, they looked on with determination to never forget what they were about to see. They would remember and learn from what he taught the enemy this day. Jun and Lorelei had paused in their magic lessons. "Watch carefully Jun, you're brother is no fool. He has a plan here." she told her son who nodded and focused even harder.

Altourage had actually paused her game to watch the fight unfold. She was sure that there was more going on. Kiritsugu had seemed like a man with a good head on his shoulders. Why go through all that trouble antagonizing two powerful organizations to meet there of all places? This fact alone was all that made it more interesting to her than Mass Effect at the moment. Haru had no idea what was happening as the only way to contact with the outside world was through an old telephone.

Kyon sighed and rubbed his forehead. His common senses were tingling, but they weren't being all that helpful at the moment. His common sense told him that there was nothing he could do, so he watched, and waited.

Karasuba was most dissapointed in the boy. He had dared to go off and have such a good fight and didn't even invite her? He had better get himself killed or he would face her wrath. Eiko locked herself in her room and only allowed Reiko in. Eiko was crying in her youger self's lap. "I've failed" Eiko cried again and again. "There's no hope left. I can't save him." Reiko stroked her older self's hair unable to say anything soothing as her own eyes were leaking tears.

Kusano and Ichigo were in the garden, the plants growing uncontrollably as the two found thier control was wavering at the sight before them. Ichigo was crying in her mother's arms knowing instinctively that something bad was going to happen.

Bazett and Ivone looked on in understanding. Kiritsugu would only take to the field if he needed to as far as they knew of him. If he had chosen to fight there, then it was to be. As combat magi and freelancers, they knew all too well that this might be their fate to have two organizations try to bring them down. Today was a day for learning for the two. To learn how to die standing against countless waves of enemies.

Gilgamesh had to turn off the stove lest he burn breakfast seeing the sight before him. "Not bad Mongrel. You would have done well in my Kingdom." How long had it been since he had found one who would have been as worthy as the men of his kingdom in this age? It seemed that a few still remembered what it was like to be a neccessity for the world. Now, the man would do what he was supposed to do. Gain victory, no matter the cost.

Shirou and Saber held each other tightly as thier child went off to fight and die like a certain person had been prepared to do wothout the intervention of a Guardian. They were both proud of their son, and afraid of what he had chosen to do. Yet, they were helpless as long as he was out of their reach. Not even the full might of MBI and the Emiya clan could do anything to help him. Saber's eyes held tears unshed while shirou's were grave and fearful. In the old man he saw a great deal of himself. A man willing to sacrifice everything for something meaningless and unneccessary.

A younger kiritsugu looked on in firm resolve. He had a lot more to go if he were ever to match this great man. Holding a two handed sword in one hand. Impossible at this point. Judging by it, it seemed not to hinder the older one at all. Kiritsugu picked up a practice sword and held it in his hand. The then picked up a wicker basket lid in the other. Today, he would do all he could to learn from the old man and do all that he could to surpass him. Every tactic, ever skill he would memorize to be worthy of the legacy that might be his.

xxxxxx

Kiritsugu finally stopped banging his sword on his shield. He could feel it. The constant sound had acted live a lure to the creature below.

**The Troupe is Ready**

Knights jumped out of their transport as fast as they could. The planes did not fully stop as the men jumped and rolled out of their planes. In front of them, Fairy Tale Planes were coming in for a fast lighting. Some of the mroe resiliant monsters were jumping out already unaafraid of a fall.

The Stage is Set

*Booooom* Two planes had crashed as they attempted to land on a too small a landing zone. The crash was then followed by a few more planes from Fairy tale crashing as they had come in too close behind their plane. Blood and smoke filled the air tainting it with it's scent.

**The Actors have Assembled**

Ciel jumped out of her plane quickly and drew several Black keys. On her back a massive gun with a giant sharpened rod made from a unicorn's horn was strapped on. "Forward for God." Ciel ordered. The men behind her followed. While the Knights held off the enemy, she and ten of the best of her men dashed for the Knight. From above, Shuzen Gyokuro and her six subdivision leaders fell from the sky unafraid of dropping a measly few hundred feet.

**The Audience is Seated**

The entire clan held it's breath as they saw some of the most powerful and dangerous people/monsters came for Kiritsugu-jiji

**The Curtain draws up**

Kiritsugu jumped back, not from the apporaching enemy, but because a Giant mouth came for where he had stood a moment ago. A hundred tentacles lashed out trying to kill him and any near him. "Got you." Kiritsugu muttered with satisfaction

L**et the play begin...**


	13. Aurora 6

Time seemed to stop for those who saw the monstrosity burst from the ground. it was a three headed giant serpent with one head of a decaying wolf with one eye, one head of a worm with hundreds of tentacles writhing in the air and hundreds of rows of teeth in it's mouth, and one head was that of a human skull with fire red eyes and a forked tongue. The creature stood fifty feet tall on it's body, but the full length of the creature was unknown as it's long tail was still in the hole.

Shuzen Gyokuro,a vampire hundreds of years old was in shock that she had not sensed such a powerful creature until she was right above it falling towards it's mouth. This thing, this freak was strong, very strong. If she had to guess, it was a phantasm beast. A creature so old that it had lived in the Age of the Gods. Such ancient creatures gained unmatched strength and defenses compared to modern yokai...with the possible exceptions of Dead Apostles.

Gyokuro grabbed one of her subdivision leaders and used him as a shield as dozens of tentacles reached for her. That one's 'sacrifice' gave her enough time to evade the rest of the tentacles and hit the ground running. The subdivision leader screamed once before he was pulled into the worm's mouth and crushed in it's teeth. Blood sprayed everywhere as the creature fed upon the subordinate.

"Huh, the fifth head isn't there." Kiri said aloud. The bull head was missing for some reason. Maybe he had gotten to it fast enough that the next head hadn't developed yet. Kiri mentally sighed with relief, at least he wouldn't have to deal with that problem. But first things first.

**"WelCoMe lItTlE wOrMs.'** The skull head spoke. **"sO gLaD yOu cAmE."**

While the others might have been surprised that the skull head spoke, Kiri aimed his left palm at the skull head and fired a bullet. Not just any bullet though, a jewel tipped bullet courtesy of Keiko from his time. That girl could make a bb pellet go off like a stick of dynamite. The jewel tipped bullet, on the other hand, went off like a tank shell destroying the skull's tongue in an instant.

"Now, how long did it take me to figure that out last time? No more spells for you." Kiri said ironically. Seriously, was it truly that hard last time around? Guess this is what happens if you know wait's going to occur before hand. Now the creature would be reduced to pure physical attacks rather than having a bombardment of magic accenting each strike.

Ceil was taken aback at how efficient the black painted Knight was with the creature the whole encounter had been less than a minute, and already the monster was writhing in pain. She didn't have much time to concentrate however as the creature had used it's tail to smash two of her own Knights in an instant. As far as the burial squad member could tell, this monstrosity was strong, but not immortal. Something she was rather grateful for. "Let's go Seven." She yelled pulling off her gun.

"Righto." her gun replied. As the two of them dashed for the body. The were almost at it's chest when she was suddenly tackled by the black knight who yelled, "Wait!". One of her men kept on going past the two and swung his halberd at the body...

Only to run into a mouth at opened from the abdomen. The church Knight had no chance to evade as a massive tongue grabbed him and pulled him inside and the moth closed with a sickening crunch. Ceil watched as two eyes opened above the mouth. Big green slit eyes that belonged on a cat or a snake instead of this thing. These eyes were hypnotic, rather enticing things...

The knight punched her in the face sending her flying and breaking her eye contact with the creature. "Don't look in those eyes, it paralyzes you unless you overload your body with Prana."

"What is it?" Ciel asked. In all her years she had rarely seen anything as mishmash as this thing before her. A part of her wondered if it had anything to do with Nrvnqsr Chaos. The black knight ignored her and continued to shot at it with his built in gun. She watched as a clip ejected from the back of his hand, only for a second clip to be inserted.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The clan watched in fascination as Kiritsugu-jiji charged at the enemy. He leaped under the swing of the tail, dodged the dead wolf's head, and sliced his way through the tentacles heading for one target, the main head.

"Go Nii-san!" Several of the younger ones screamed. Look at him go. Him? Die? No way. Yet, the adults and a few of the older children could tell the truth.

He was tiring. You could see him breathe faster and faster with the steam coming from his helmet. Had he been riding his horse, it wouldn't have been an issue, but he wasn't. True, for a man of his age, he was in marvelous condition, but time had worn him down. Had he been younger...

But no, time does not reverse for anyone.

They watched as he evaded the tongue from the main head in the abdomen and shot several bullets into the creature. Keiko was cheering him on seeing him use tactics she preferred, i.e. shoot everything with lots of explosive rounds. She was still trying to figure out how to make a Bolter from Warhammer 40k.

It was then that Kiritsugu did something different. As he neared the Beast, his left hand pulled back revealing a large opening. From within a large diamond came flying out. Matsu paused and enlarged the image and froze at what she saw. She then looked over at the current monitor and saw a massive explosion rocked the area. Kiritsugu was sent flying...without his left hand.

Matsu quickly sent the image over to Rin who instinctively grasped a pendent under her shirt. A diamond pendant she had been given on her first anniversary of her wedding. A pendant she never took off. How did he get a hold of it? If anyone was to receive it, it would be her daughter, not the son of Saber. Yet, there it was, the exact same pendant. Overloaded and used as a bomb to kill a monster. Rin had a special spot for the pendant and have been putting in any excess prana into it since she received it. To see all that used in such a way hurt her deeply.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Haaaaaah" Kiritsugu roared as he launched the diamond pendant at the monster. He regretted what he was doing. The jewel Keiko had entrusted to him until her granddaughter was ready was about to be no more. The gem was special, first Rin, then Keiko spent decades pouring prana into the stone making it one of the most powerful artifacts in the clan's possession. The worst part was, he was going to have to use the other gift given to him by Keiko in a bit.

"Burst" He roared as the jewel went down the monster's gullet. He knew what it would cost him. He had to have his hand vulnerable to activate the gem. He saw a flash of white and red as the jewel burst. His hand was seared in agony as the artificial hand was blown off and took a bit more of his arm in the process. Well, at least it cauterized the wound in the explosion.

Of course, he was sent flying by the explosion and in serious pain all over, but that's besides the point.

A part of him just wanted to rest, to let it all end. That part, the screaming in agony part kept telling him that it was okay, someone else could finish it off. The rest of him shook off the weakness and forced his body to flip back onto his feet and begin running backwards as fast as he could.

Heh, how precognition changed things. Last time, he had wasted hours killing the four (three in this time line) top heads first then dealt with the main head. Of course, the tops heads were mostly decorative compared to what awaited him.

The body burst open like a Venus flytrap revealing countless heads on tentacles, and they were hungry.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was obvious to anyone, at least in her opinion, that the black knight knew what he was doing. Therefore, as soon as she saw him run backwards as fast as he could, Shuzen Gyokuro did the same. A shame that most of her subordinates didn't. Those ones didn't have much of a chance against the hundreds of teeth feeding upon them. She watched with mild amusement as she saw that most of the church members were fed upon as well.

She, grudgingly, admitted, that the black knight was doing an impressive job holding out against the monster here, but frankly, enough was enough. It was time to get the compass and move out. She had no vested interest in fighting this...thing. In fact, it might be to her interest to let it continue to go on a rampage.

Gyokuro advanced towards the knight, only to stop as the hated burail agent stood in her way.

"I will not let you pass." Ciel stated holding six black keys in her hands.

Gyokuro smiled, looks like she could go all out today.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu could hear the two most powerful opponents in the two factions going all out, but honestly, he had no time for either of them. Instead, he had to dive into hell itself. Hundreds upon hundreds of heads flew at him flashing their teeth trying to feed upon him. These were either repelled with his shield or cleaved with his sword at blinding speed.

*huff huff* This was rather tiring, but at least he didn't have to cleave every last head to find the weakness in this form. The one new thing for him was that the three top heads were actually aiding the body as they had not been removed, but they were so far away form him that they were merely incidental to him.

Forward, always forward he moved towards the center of the mass. It was there that he would have to go to unveil the next form

*Huff huff* His body was screaming for a rest. It kept begging for a chance to catch his breath.

He refused, to falter was to die right now. If he should stop, if he should waver, he would be met with death prematurely. Yes, he could rest, he could flee, but how could he look at himself if he did. Yes, Gilgamesh, Tou-san, and Primate Fury could deal with the creature, but he had his reason not to stop. It was his responsibility to deal with, his to destroy.

It was his sin to absolve.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Saber clenched Shirou's hand tightly as she saw her son charge into the mass of the enemy heedless of the danger ahead of him. Forward, always forward he moved, never evading, never falling back. She was proud of him, yet scared for him. Her heart felt like it was in a vice grip as she saw him slow down little by little. He had performed a miracle lasting as long as he did at his age, but even miracles run out. His sword was too long to use with a shield effectively, and now, with only one hand fled, he had been forced to switch his sword and shield to different hands and tie the shield to his left hand. It was clear that he was not as used to this combination as he was with a sword in his left hand.

Yet...he was still doing wonders with his limitations. Swing after swing of his sword, Kiritsugu cleaved heads heading for the center of the monster. Shirou winced in pain as Saber clenched his hand harder, feeling his bones creak in pain. He glanced at Saber who was biting her lip till blood flowed from it. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that it would be all right, but he couldn't lie to her. He could see Kiritsugu's fate as clearly as she could.

Gilgamesh watched on with a hint of reminiscence. Kiritsugu reminded him too much of Enkidu. Both reckless fools charged headlong into impossible odds heedless of the consequences that would occur. But even more so, he saw the traits of a king in the prince. The boy took after his mother too much. Gilgamesh had no doubt, if Kiritsugu had tried, he would have become king over the mongrels leading them to new found glory. Yet, he had refused to take the throne. He cast aside the power available and chose the life of a vagabond. Why? Kings were meant to lead, not to leave the throne unclaimed.

The youngest of the children still cheered Kiritsugu on, but more and more of them could tell that the tide was turning ever so slightly. Kiritsugu had been lightning with his blade, now, he was merely supersonic. His once pristine armor was dented, and before their eyes, the chest plate broke off. It helped Kiritsugu speed up a bit without the weight, but the loss of the armor left him vulnerable.

Matsu, Chisame, and Karin had been forced to give up on the Omega protocol for the Hippalectryon. Even if they cracked it, the plane would still take about two hours to turn around and give Kiritsugu support. At the rate of his exhaustion, Matsu figured that Kiritsugu-jiji would only last another thirty minutes. The three super hackers felt nothing but disgust for themselves at the moment. They had failed, they, the goddesses of the internet, the mistresses of cracking had failed. Never before had they felt this sensation before, and they did not like it. To them, they felt that if/when Kiri fell, it would be their own fault. Karin was hugging her mother crying as she watched through the satellite imaging. Chisame was busy trying to reorient several defense satellites, but the problem was the location. If he had been closer to the Pakistani-Indian border, she could have given him unparallelled cover from their attacks, but because he was so deep in the Himalayas, there was nothing for her to use.

Altourage was busy eating popcorn finding the whole thing more entertaining than a lot of the recent video games. Seriously, if games could capture the style of Kiritsugu, the gaming industry would hit a golden age. Yet, one thing irritated her. She had no idea what that creature was or it's history. For all her years researching ways to kill humanity, she had never heard of such a creature. Therefore, it must be new. Really new.

Lorelei and Jun were busy taking notes from Kiritsugu as he fought waver after wave of attacks. The real time strategies that Kiritsugu used were inventive and useful for any Dead Apostle hunts. Several things were going to be added to the family tactics and strategies once this battle was over. One: Explosive bullets are a must. Two: If it talks, keep it from speaking. Three: Shields are your friend.

Rin and Keiko watched in fascination as Kiritsugu used what was clearly items forged by them to stay alive. Jewel tipped bullets had cleared the way and Rin's pendant had split the monster. A part of them felt vindicated that their studies were not just theory and research, but were useful for battle. Expensive, but useful.

Chiyo watched in horror as a mouth came too close to killing Kiritsugu and ripped off the right part of his helmet. She feared that Kiritsugu would siffer brain damage, but found that no skin had been torn. Just the eye patch. It was then she saw what was over his eye. A pendent. Not just any pendant, but an Avalon pendant, just like the one she hid under her clothes. She narrowed her eyes and zoomed in on it. No, it was the pendant under her shirt. It had the same small notch on the side. Clearly her future self had given it to Kiritsugu, but when, and what did it signify? Had she died? Or was it a gift to a foolish brother?

Riko and Rider watched as the man who would have been at home in the age of the gods fought a beast that belonged to such a dark time. To them, he was everything good about the Age of the Gods. A time when men could not afford to be weak, foolish, or insane. Kiritsugu-jiji fought like a legend, and would go down a legend. If he should fall, they were sure that he would drag the creature down with him.

Ivone found herself feeling a heretical thought for a Fraga. She had a new person to worship. No longer was Cu Cuchulain her idol. It was Kiritsugu. The man had not one drop of blood of the gods in his veins, yet he fought a creature that all but screamed needing divine blood to win against. Kiritsugu was like a god of swords to her. Ivone still worshiped the old gods, but she had found a new being to worship as well.

Musubi and her children stood at the edge of the seats all but holding their breath. This battle was more epic than any they had seen in a long time, if ever.

In her room, Shinra was busy talking to the air. "Kaa-san, I don't think he's interested." She waited a second. "No, he won't be interested. Not even if you bring them to him." Again a paused, "Hmm, well how bout you ask the throne to loan him if you want him that bad." Pause. "Ooooh, Gaia-obaasan wants him too?" Pause "Mama, fight on!" In the green house, Ichigo felt a shiver of tension as she felt two ancient beings face each other off glaring daggers and lasers in preparation of claiming a soul.

Eiko and Reiko kept themselves company as they awaited the inevitable. No matter where they looked, there was no way to save their brother without losing something else as precious instead. Today, a clan member had to die. If they interfered, more than one clan member could be lost.

Of all the clan members, none were as conflicted as the younger Kiritsugu. He could feel his older self's need to destroy the creature. Hell, Kiritsugu knew on some level that he had to kill it. Why? He was not sure, only he knew it had to be done no matter the cost. Yet, the cost would be high. He knew his older self had used two organizations that were threats to the clan as bait, but it still racked his sense of honor. His older self had cautioned that the church was not to be trusted and Fairty Tale were bigger threats than anyone realized, but did it have to come to this.

On the hills surrounding the monster, men and monster fought to the death while their leaders had to survive the gauntlet of head from the beast. No matter what, Fairy Tale would be set back for years, maybe decades while the church would hurt for losing so many of it's Knights.

Did his older self really have to sacrifice all of them to take it down? Could the older one have brought help, like uncle Gil or Primy?

Kiritsugu shoved the thoughts aside as he watched his older self do what needed to be done. His was not to reason why, his was to watch his other self do or die.

In the Hippalectryon, DA Haru and Artemis slumped down in defeat as the Omega Protocol message continued unopposed. Kiritsugu had outmaneuvered them completely. Haku went over to the chess board and picked up the deck of cards left on the board. Haru took a deep breath, then shuffled the cards. He cut the cards then dealt five cards to where Kiritsugu sat and five cards where the opponent would have been on the chess board. Haru stared in resignation at the results he saw. Kiritsugu had four aces. The opponent had a pair of twos.

"Care to gamble, huh?" Haru muttered his brother's words. "You don't gamble brother, never have, never will." He then saw a small note under the edge of the board. He opened it and read the contents. Haru's eyes opened. He stood up and dashed for Artemis.

Artemis went to her room in the plane, locked the door and began crying. She had failed, she the goddess of the hunt had failed to stop him from going to die. The pain was too much for her. Her idol, her light in the dark was fading. To her, there was nothing left. She grabbed the sheets from the bed and made a noose. She grabbed a chair and hung the noose from the ceiling. She inserted her head into the noose. Better to die than to live with this agony. As she prepared to kick the chari, her door was smashed opened revealing an enraged Haru. Fast as lightning, he ripped the noose off of her head and punched her in the gut knocking her unconscious.

"It seems you know her too well brother." Haru muttered looking over the warning Kiritsugu had left behind.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu-jiji had made it. Here, at the center of it all was a mound the size of a man. With a mighty heave, he slammed his sword into the mass. The heads around him screamed in agony, writhing in pain, then collapsed as It released control over the larger body.

Kiritsugu pulled out his sword and jumped back to wait. The mass wavered and twisted as something fought to free itself. A sword suddenly jutted out of the mass slicing a hole through the mass, then It stepped out.

It was covered from head to toe in thickened bone. The bone looked exactly like Kiritsugu's armor, only white instead of black. The creature held a long flat bone in the shape of a kite shield in the right hand and a long sword in the right.

The thing looked Kiritsugu over then said in perfect English, "Hello Father. It's been some time."


	14. Aurora 7

Previously:

It was covered from head to toe in thickened bone. The bone looked exactly like Kiritsugu's armor, only white instead of black. The creature held a long flat bone in the shape of a kite shield in the right hand and a long sword in the right.

The thing looked Kiritsugu over then said in perfect English, "Hello Father. It's been some time."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"WHAAAAAAT?" The entire clan screamed in unison

The young Kiritsugu could feel something akin to bloodlust filling the air around him. Yet, he was too shocked to care. He had a child? When? Somehow, he knew he had to flee if he wanted to survived for long. Yet, he could not help but watch the scene before him. He had to watch, had to see. He needed to know, to understand. Why? Why did that...that thing look so familiar?

Kiritsugu-jiji scratched the back of his head with his one good arm. "You know, I don't actually recall ever seeing you. Not to mention, your mother sealed my memory of her after the deal was made."

It nodded once understanding. Mother had seen his potential and wanted it for herself. It was her nature, her very existence that dictated her actions. She, who had lived for several millennia, was a careful creature.

"Actually," Kiritsugu said, "I've always wondered, where are the others? There should have been at least a dozen of you."

If it showed it's mouth, it would have smiled, "I killed them. Such is our way."

Kiritsugu's head lowered slightly. "You killed them. Your brothers and sisters. Every last one of them." He shook his head, "I expected better of you...my daughter."

"Deny me, hate me, despise me. I care not father." She said proudly. "I am her greatest child, and I will prove it to the world."

"All of this." Kiritsugu said spreading out his hands, "All this death, the countless lives you killed and added to your body, to prove your strength?"

"Not that this isn't touching," A third voice interrupted their discussion, "But I have plans for this girl." Shuzen Gyokuro broke in as she dashed for the White knight. Yet, as soon as she neared her target, the white knight pirouetted evading the attack and back handed the vampire with her shield. Said vampire was sent flying several dozen feet from the force of the blow.

"You've been learning." Kiritsugu stated.

"Mother said you would be the best in be the best, over your dead corpse."She said fiercely

Both of them went into their stances. Kiritsugu held his sword horizontal to the ground over his head, while she held hers at an angle. The two stood there, watching, waiting for an opportunity. The wind blew gently by them causing bits of cloth to flutter in the breeze. Kiritsugu shifted his weight just slightly, signaling the attack. White charge black swinging her sword low, only to be blocked by his shield. Kiritisugu was pushed back a foot from the impact, but remained standing. He swung high, only to be blocked by her shield. He could feel his arm shake from the strength she held. Really, she was just like her mother.

Again and again the two clashed with the occasional backhand to the vampire who clearly did not know her place. Again and again Kiritsugu was pushed back just a bit. He could not push her forward, and was always repelled back. To counter this, Kiritsugu kept circling the area as they smashed swords and shields. To an observer, it was clear that the girl had only a basic grasp of swordsmanship. Her swings were too wide, her stance was sloppy. Yet, she more than made up for it with inhuman strength and speed. Skill is, after all, only needed to make up for weaknesses. Herakles hadn't needed skill to fight when he was already impossibly fast and strong to begin with.

"Tired father?" I expected better of you.

"I'm ninety years old now, what do you want from me?" He retorted. She flinched from that, allowing him to nick her helmet.

"How?" She asked uncaring for the blow. "You should only be eighteen."

"Said the child in an adult's body." Kiritsugu countered.

Again and again they clashed, but it seemed that the girl had lost something to her style. Ninety, a ninety year old man. Had her mother mated with an old man? No, he had been but a boy, separated from the herd, forced to mate lest mother kill his unconscious twin. So how was he ninety? She couldn't say he was lying, she could see how he had aged through the broken helmet. She had fed upon enough humans to know how they aged.

So, if he was old, would this undo her victory. A younger man would have vindicated her win, but time...time would be the counter to her win today. She knew older men were slower, weaker than young ones. Could she call herself the strongest now?

Unconsciously, these thoughts were slowing her, weakening her. Had she been focused, she would have seen him pull somethings out of his belt. She focused instantly when something shiny flew in front of her face. She brought her shield up instinctively as the jewel exploded.

She didn't see the dagger pierce her shield.

"Burst." Kiritsugu said simply unleashing the prana stored within the Azoth dagger. Not just any Azoth dagger, but Reiko's. Again Kiritsugu regretted using a family heirloom he had been entrusted with, but it had to be done. He would destroy It, and redeem himself. He heard her scream in agony as her armor cracked and chipped from the power stored in the dagger over the course of decades. Her shield shattered into hundreds of pieces and her sword fell from her hand.

Kiritsugu drew back his left arm and slammed his shield into her shattering her armor and sending her flying. For a moment...she looked like a developed teenager in the full bloom of woman hood. Long red hair and green eyes like her father, then she changed. Her body turned into a pale blue, her legs fused into a red-brown snake tail, her ears became pointed, and two horns arose and curved around the front of her head and were almost touching. The horns looked almost like a circlet on her head.

Oh, and she was suddenly the size and development of a five year old.

Kiritsugu looked at his ruined right hand. If he was careful, he could hold the sword with his two good fingers and the stub of his thumb, but not much else. His swordsmanship had been sealed forever with the blow. He picked up his discarded sword 'Honor' and walked over to the unconscious girl.

He held his sword point over her, watching, waiting.

She stirred, then opened her eyes. Her eyes narrowed, then relaxed. The bared her throat and said, "Finish it."

Kiritsugu snorted, "So like me to the end. Will you tell me your name?"

"I have none." She stated flatly. "Mother would not give one to a failure like me."

"Failure?" Kiritsugu asked.

She nodded once, "Yes, laugh. I was the runt. Yet..I killed the rest. What does that say?"

"You needed a better parent." Kiritsugu stated. He raised the sword up a bit and looked her over. "Hmm, red, red, red. So much red, yet clashed with blue. Like the dawn of morning or the hour of twilight."

She looked at him quietly as he mused.

"Dawn? No, to simple, uninspired. Jasmine? Jade? Ruby? No, no, no. Ah, why not? Aurora. Your name is Aurora."

She inhaled, " Aurora huh? Why not?"

He raised his sword up and swung it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A young Kiritisugu fell to the ground holding his head as sealed memories flowed through him.

He remembered.

Five years ago, he had been on a trip to Greece. He and Arika had been hiking with their family when it had happened. A landslide, loose earth beneath their feet had given way and sent them tumbling. They had, unfortunately been a bit behind the others as they had stopped to gather a few flowers. They had only been a hundred feet from the others when the ground gave way and they fell. Rolling and tumbling, Kiritsugu had been, shamefully, protected by Arika as they fell. She hit her head, and was knocked unconscious. They had fallen into a cave. A cave that had been there since ancient times. Kiritsugu had dragged his sister inside to protect her, but it was a trap.

Rocks sealed them in trapping them in with those...things. Hybrid creatures that were a mix of dogs and snakes. Kiritsugu had been afraid, but knew his duty. Protect the family, guard the weak. Was it luck that there was a rusty sword there or had it been a test?

Didn't matter, he grabbed it and fought. Though a child, he was decent with a blade, and determined to the core. He fought, he killed, he won. End of story.

Or it should have been...

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Ciel picked herself up after being mauled by the vampire. She had watched as the Knight fought the monster. To think that it was his own daughter. No wonder why he fought like he did. It was his sin, his mistake to watched impassively as he held a sword over her preparing to kill her. The wind was blowing, loose snow billowed and collected behind him.

Wait...

That's not snow.

She watched as the black knight swung his sword as the 'snow' turned into the white armor. Sword met sword, and she was truly lost.

Xxxx

Young Kiritsugu remembered.

"Well done child." A seductive voice said.

Kiritsugu held his rusty blood splatter sword ready. His eyes shifting through the darkness.

"I must admit, I am surprised." the voice continued. "My children are not weak, yet a child kills them all. Dear me, you're not a demigod are you? They make lousy lovers"

"I am Emiya Kiritsugu, son of Emiya Shirou and Arturia Pendragon. Come if you will, fight if you dare."

"hehehehe, spirited aren't you? Yet, son of Arturia Pendragon? Dear me, what a lineage." The voice said amused. "Well now, son of the King of Knights, what brings you to my home and killing my children?"

"ah, um." Kiritsugu was taken aback by this, but responded, "We fell, my sister and I. We just...ended up here."

"Ended up here hmm...may hap the Fates led you here." There was a shifting, a slithering and shuffling. "Indeed, I have never met the child of an Epic Spirit and a human before, and a magi at that if this feeling is right." There was a long pause as something shifted in the dark. Whoever this voice was, she was clearly thinking. "By the smell, you've met the Gorgon recently. Humans always seem to think I birthed her, but that is not true. Hmm, yet I also smell others, old beings of my time. A Dead Apostle, Primate Fury, why...even little Gilgy. How is that scamp?"

Kiritsugu nearly chocked at that, but answered, "Gilgamesh? He is well."

"Gilgamesh...so I was right. What a particular thing to find in this boring age. You know some interesting people child." The voice was getting closer. "How extraordinary to find such a catch this day and age. It almost makes me feel young again."

Kiritsugu heard something growl behind him

"Still, I don't wish for weak ones. Prove to me child. Prove that you are worthy and I shall reward you."

Kiritsugu faced the growling. He could see three eyes reflecting thew miniscule light in the dark; and teeth.

Lots and lots of teeth

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu-jiji felt his sword slip from his hands as he faced It. His daughter was never his target, it was the armor.

Where she had found it he didn't want to know. Didn't care to know. He would destroy it today.

"No more," Kiritsugu declared as he slammed his shield into the armor sending it back. "No more shall you take what is mine. No more shall you steal what is mine." Again and again he smashed his shield into the armor. "No more shall you touch her. No more shall you manipulate her."

Kiritsugu brought his foot up and kicked it as hard as he could with a Reinforced body and Mana Burst. "No more!" He hadn't wanted to kill his daughter, but then, she never told him until the fatal blow last time. Last time, she had been silent, fully under the thrall of the armor. Not this time. Not this time!

For the first time since this battle began, Kiritsugu fought with hot rage. For the first time, the world witnessed the fury of Emiya Kiritsugu. No longer was he tired, no longer was he in pain. He fought with the mindless fury of a Berserker with speed and strength to fight against the most powerful of them. Again and again he assaulted the cursed armor smashing it with his shield and pummeling it with jewels and fists. Yet, every time he shipped it, every time he bashed it, it healed the damage.

Good thing he wasn't planning on finishing it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ciel watched as he smashed the unholy object towards her. She could feel it. This...thing was the result of the search for immortality. A creature made by a magi to live forever. A most forbidden thing, and Ciel's specialty to destroy.

"Lets go Seven." She said.

"Haiyo." Her gun replied. She dashed forward gun at the ready. Just before she hit it, the Knight grabbed the armor and held it before her.

"Haaaaaaah." Ciel yelled as she slammed her gun into it, the unicorn's horn slamming into the armor while bullets flew into it. She knew what it would cost the knight, and he clearly did too. The bullets and the horn shattered the armor, and smashed into the unarmored chest of the knight.

She would give him credit though, he made no sound as her attacks pierced him. Instead, he focused on holding the enemy down while she finished it off. As the armor faded, she stopped attacking lest she kill the man outright. For the first time, she saw him face to face, and was stunned. He was old, very old. Not her level of old, but there was something in his eyes that spoke of countless battles and horrors he had fought. Something that seemed to demand respect for her.

He turned form her, something that stunned her completely and headed back to the little lamia, or whatever she was. There was power coming from that girl. More than any normal snake woman had. The snake girl watched with something in her eyes. Horror? Fear? Sadness? The man walked forward, heedless of the blood trailing down his chest. He went down on his knees and...

Hugged Her?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The creature was about the size of a lion, and for a thirteen year old Kiritsugu, that was an almost unbeatable enemy. Words cannot describe the hideous creature. It was like a platypus, a panther, and a bulldog had been mixed together then colored bark blue. Yet, he had fought tooth and nail, and finally killed it.

Panting, Kiritsugu dropped his sword. He was so tired, and he was bleeding out. Yet he still stood protectively over his twin. He would die before he left her side.

"Well done child. It seems I was right. You are interesting." the voice complemented him.

"Show yourself." Kiritsugu demanded as he bent down to reach the sword.

"Gladly." The voice answered. She came forth, a creature so powerful that even Kiritsugu could sense it and feel weak. This thing, this monster was old, ancient. Yet, she was beautiful. Her top was that of a woman, no not just a woman, but the most beautiful woman in the world. Her bottom half, however, was that of a large green snake.

"Lamia." Kiritsugu whispered in fear. A snake woman.

"Hardly child. I am no more a lamia that you are an ape. I have been known many names over my life. Cihuacoatl, Nuwa, Wadjet. But what I am most known as is Echidna."

"The mother of monsters." Kiritsugu said fearfully. There was no way he could face a drakaina, a female dragon and live. She, the wife of a god and the one who gave birth to dozens of famous monsters was an impossible enemy to beat. She was so old at this point she was no longer considered a monster. She was a phantasm race.

He was going to die.

"Well well, strong and smart. Yes, you will do nicely." Echidna said "The newest of my children have been so weak lately. There's hope for you yet child." She slithered up to him. "Tell me child, if you have but one wish, what would it be?"

"Leave my sister alone." Kiritsugu said simply.

She blinked for a moment, then smiled. "That is not a wish, that is a demand." Her tail shot forward and wrapped around him instantly. "I will not repeat myself."

"Leave my sister alone."

Her tail tightens, his bones creak in response. "Now now, how can I test you if I don't know your wish." The tail tightens some more. "Very well, let's say she is not here, then what would your wish be?"

The child glares at her, refusing to respond. In response, she tightens more until a gasp of pain comes out of his mouth. Yet, he does not cry, he does not whimper or beg. He glares at her, daring her to continue.

"My my," The mother of monsters says in amusement. "It seems I have found the rarest of men this day." With that, she loosens her grip, and her eyes flash. "What is your deepest wish."

Kiritsugu's eyes glaze over and speaks in monotone "To be a black knight,"

Her eyes widen. Never before has she heard of such a wish. "And what, pray tell, is a black knight?"

"A freeman. One who will not bind himself to anyone or any cause. One who helps those he wishes and fights who he wishes." Kiritsugu said in monotone.

"So you want freedom." She said contemplating the wish. "Most interesting. Men wish for power, for greed and vices, yet you want freedom, the ultimate luxury." She smiles even wider. "I think I like you. Yes, you are interesting. You are stronger than the men of this time. You are determined for your goals, and you are greedier than any man I have ever met."

She pulls him up til their faces almost touch. "I think you will do nicely." She releases him form her eyes, yet tightens her tail. "You will give me strong children I think."

Kiritsugu does not struggle, does not flinch, he only responds with one thing while glaring at her. "Leave my sister alone."

"Very well." She acquiesces. Such a paltry wish is easily granted.

What happens next can only be described as riding on a rickety boat during a storm. She does not make it pleasant, she does not make it feel good. She is relentless and unyielding. Finally, after who knows how much time, she releases him to collapse in a heap. "I think I'll give you one more gift for your efforts child. I expect a dozen children after this dalliance" She lifts his head up until he stares into her eyes. "Forget."

His eyes glaze over one more time, then he collapses.

Kiritsugu wakes up from his seizure remembering it all. After that, he had woken up and found his clothes torn to shreds. The cave entrance had been cleared. They were soon found, and the whole thing was forgotten, lost to the sands of time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shuzen was bored. The monster she had hoped to recruit was but a child, a powerful child, but not one worth recruiting right now. She turned to her two surviving subdivision leaders. "Gather what forces we have. We're leaving." It was clear that the compass was long gone by now, if it was even stolen. This had been a large setback for her organization, but it was meaningless in the end. As long as she had her daughter and the child of Ayakashi, Alucard would be freed soon enough.

Ciel walked forward with her last Knight and looked on at the dying man and his child. "Tell the men to pull back. There's nothing for us here." The knight nodded once and headed for the troops on the hills. She continued to walk up to the father and daughter. "You need to put her down." Ciel said. "She is a threat to humanity."

"She is my daughter." Kiritsugu said calmly. "Over my dead body."

Ciel sighed, somehow, she knew it would turn out like this. She drew a black key. "Don't think less of me, but it's my job."

"Over my dead body." Kiritsugu said putting his shield around his daughter. Ciel could hear the child begging him not to do this. It seemed that the monster still had a bit of a heart left. May hap she didn't hate her father. But still...she had a job to do.

She advanced slowly, watching for him to strike her, but he did not move other than to put his body in the way. She raised the back key.

Rider had seen enough. Before, it had been the fight of a warrior looking for a good death. But this, this was nothing more than a father protecting his half breed daughter.

She would not have another suffer as she had suffered. The air shimmered and Rider dawned her trademark leather outfit and nail weapon in an instant. She took her nail and rammed it into her neck. A seal of blood formed in front of her summoning Pegasus. Rider leaped onto it's back. With a mighty explosion, the phantasm beast burst from the garage.

Altrouge turned off the TV for the first time in weeks, (it had been her turn to have her way with Shirou). She uttered one word. "Come." With a massive explosion, Primate Murder burst into the room. Swift as lightning, She hopped on top of the Dead Apostle. "Go." she ordered. Primate took off light lightning. There was no way she would miss the opportunity to meet the child of Echidna. Besides, she wanted to hold her first grandchild in her arms.

"Omega Protocol Deactivated." The plane responded. Haru turned to Arctemis whom he had bound and gagged to prevent suicide. "Feel like flying?" Haru asked. He watched as she nodded fiercely. She had watched with rapt attention as he defeated his daughter and held her. If she could not save him, then she would save his daughter. That much she could do. As soon as he cut her loose, Artemis ran to the controls and quickly had the plane heading back at red-line speeds. They would be late, but maybe, just maybe, they could save the girl.

Chisame bit her lip till it bled as the satellites were almost in firing range. It would be a difficult shot, but she would not let her brother's sacrifice be in vain. She would save her niece if she could not save her brother. She still owed Kiritsugu too much to let him go down this easy. She still thought of all the new ways he had taught her how to hack and a few propaganda techniques from the future. She looked over at the clock.

Twenty minutes until firing range.

She saw the black key rise up and bit her lip harder. This would be the longest twenty minutes of her life, with the possible exception of her stupid midget teacher's training.

A younger Kiritsugu turned to see his Kaa-san and Tou-san standing over him. "We need to talk they said."

"Yes," Kiritsugu said, "We do."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"No father," Aurora cried thrashing her tail trying to break loose from his death grip. "Stop.' She was crying. She didn't figure that she would , but she was. Maybe, maybe if she had killed him she wouldn't be sad, but not this. He deserved a clean death, not being pierced a hundred times in the back. Yet, he refused to move, refused to leave her exposed. His body was a shield as strong as Aegis or Rho Aias. Nothing harmed her regardless of where he was struck.

Over his dead body he had said, over his dead body it would be.

"I never hated you." Kiritsugu whispered. "I never resented you." "Don't please don't" She begged. Losers were killed and eaten. That is the way of nature. Why? Why was he doing this? He should hate her, see her as an abomination.

"I do not love anyone as much as you." Kiritsugu continued. "If I must die to protect you, I do so gladly."

"Please..." She begged. He was the winner, he should not have to bear this pain.

"Never forget," He whispered, "You are my daughter. You are my light in the dark and the bearer of my dreams."

"No, no..." She could hear his heartbeat speed up right before it would stop.

"I am proud to be your father." Kiritsugu told her.

She could hear it, his heart had finally given out.

"Live." He whispered as the light left his eyes. Yet, his body refused to fall, refused to relent. Even in death his body fulfilled it's oath and duty. Even in death it still protected her.

"I am sorry." Ciel said, "But you are a threat to mankind." She swung her black Key again cleaving his right arm off. Yet, the left one still held the shield relentlessly.

It was only on instinct that forced Ciel to dodge the laser blast. "What the?"

In the Emiya Mansion, Chisame, Karin, and Matsu were calculating the next shot. "Ready?" Matsu asked. "Fire" Karin screamed. "Firing" Chisame said coldly, "Recharge in three seconds"

Ciel dodged a second laser blast which was even closer than the first. "Where is that coming fro-" She had to dodge a third laser blast lest she get cleaved in two. She was pushed back by the blasts time and time again. She was sure that someone was giving the two support, but where?

She didn't have time for that as there were three streaks coming over the horizon. Two were flying through the air at such speeds that the clouds parted in their path. On the ground, a third streak bashed mountains aside from the force.

One of the streaks turned out to be a black plane with red wings. That one fired twin linked machine guns at her sending her further back. Not that she would have gone forward with what stood before her. Altrouge Brunestud , the former Ninth Dead Apostle on top of Primate Fury. In addition, the legendary Gorgon was astride the Legendary Pegasus.

"Um," Ciel asked nervously as two of the most powerful members of the Emiya clan stood in her way, "What's going on?"


	15. Aurora Epilogue

(I listened to this music while writing the story. May it inspire you as it inspired me. .com/watch?v=-ZJDNSp1QJA)

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"We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a good man." Shirou spoke to the clan. Under most cases, this would have been considered a simple funeral. Nothing but family and friends were attending this funeral. Yet, because of the sheer size of the clan, their askibari/husbands/wives/girlfriends, the event was anything but simple. All of class 2/3-A had somehow heard the news and arrived. Much of the NWC had come, though a few were threatened to be kicked out if they dared to make a disturbance.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The church had fled the area. They were not equipped to take on such high profile targets, not to mention they had no intention of incurring the wrath of the Emiya clan. Ciel was given the sword of Godfrey from the Hippalectryon. Aurora had refused to leave her father's side even as they carried him to the Hippalectryon. DA Haru silently stayed in the shadows refusing to reveal himself, so it fell to Artemis and Rider to carry the body inside while Altrouge in a rare moment actually did some work and brought the right arm to the body.

They laid him down on the ground in the ancient way of his sword and shield laid atop his body. His chest plate had been returned to his body so that he would fully be armored save the pieces ripped off and lost such as part of his helmet.

Aurora laid her head in her arms which were on his body and cried the whole trip home. Primate Murder was sent back home alone while Pegasus returned from whence he came. Rider offered to pilot the Hippalectryon, but Artemis would have none of it. The last time she let Rider fly, it had taken her months to get regain control from the Gorgon.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He was a strange man. Fascinated with concepts and ideas long thought lost to the world." Shirou continued. "Since he was a child, he dreamed of becoming a knight, but not just any knight, a black knight. A figure of mystery and freedom. Unbound by oaths and organizations, claiming none as his master."

Saber wore a black dress with a veil to mourn the loss of her son. She had eaten far less than normal for the past several days. Yet, she was proud of her son. He had lived and died by the ideals of a knight. A knight that refused to obey a master, but a knight none the less. She had spent days listening to Artemis talk about his exploits and the choices he made. Some of them made no sense to her, but it was clear he had been following a pattern. Some sort of plan that only he could see. Beside her, her daughter Arika dressed in her most sober black dress crying for her alternate twin.

Reiko and Eiko mourned for what had come to pass. They had seen the path that laid before Kiritsugu. For one to live, the other would die. Of that, they had known for certain. In an alternate time, Kiritsugu lived at the cost of Aurora. In this time, Aurora lived at the cost of Kiritsugu, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Had any other clan members attempted to help him, it would have resulted in Aurora's death. Only through Kiritsugu did she have a chance at survival.

Shirou continued, "Because he chose such a path, he made many enemies. Enemies that would attack on sight. Enemies that would manipulate governments against him. Enemies that pursued him relentlessly."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The entire clan had waited for the Hippalectryon to land. Every one of them wore a sober expression when it came down. Even Haru had been recalled from school to witness the funeral. Takeshi, Kaien, Haru, and Kyon wordlessly brought a stretcher to the plane. Together, they laid the old man's broken body atop the stretcher and brought him out bearing his body on their shoulders. Though they saw the damage on his body, all could see the peaceful expression on his face.

Here was a man who had died without regrets.

A man who had died doing what he desired.

A man at peace

Aurora followed her father's body crying all the while. If any had any doubts before, they now knew that she truly loved her father. Artemis was at her side the whole way down. Though she had failed to protect her savior, she would not fail to protect his daughter, and if the Fake dared to harm her, she would kill him.

They brought his body inside lest his body be assaulted by the world. Yet, even Gaia seemed quiet that say. No earthquakes shook the world. No storms assaulted the land. No fires raged through the world. It was one of the quietest days in the history of mankind.

They brought his body to a coffin that had been hastily ordered by Matsu. An elegant black coffin lined with white padding, and flowers. Lots of flowers surrounded the coffin. Quietly, the four brothers laid their elder in the coffin and slid the stretcher out from under him. They fixed his arm back to his body and stood there quietly as the family gathered around him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yet, his enemies respected him. He had earned their respect time and time again by aiding them when needed most. He was the Black Knight. It was how he lived, and how he died." Shirou spoke. "The world is less without him. Who will be there when the poor are beaten? Who will be there when the darkness settles upon a country? Who will be there to fight for the voiceless, the forgotten, the invisibles?"

The rest of the clan wore black outfits to the funeral. Though their hairs looked like a festival, it was muted by the dark atmosphere.

Takeshi and Haruhi held hands while they mourned the loss of a good man. Kaien had been able to get back into his male body and was holding Lala tightly looking at the eventual fate of all men. Haru held his girls in his embrace as he mourned a man from a far better future. A man that he had had no time to interact with.

Kyon held Haruhi Suzumiya who seemed much more sober and depressed than anyone had ever known. Fuuko and her mother Kazehana looked on in sadness as they listened to the sermon. Chiyo stood in a corner of the room looking at the pendant that had been on the old man's right eye. The more she looked, the more she was convinced that it was her pendant she was wearing now. Chiho and Uzume held each other as the mourned the loss of a son.

Aya and Gekkou held their mother crying as they saw their first family member die. The blond tsundere couldn't find the strength to control the water that fell from her eyes. Matsu and Karin held each other tightly feeling the sense of failure for not beign able to save one of their own. Chisame was hugging Negi hard while she cried uncontrollable tears. She knew she looked terrible when she cried, but the net idol could care less. Around her, her classmates held her and surrounded her in their embrace trying to ease the pain in her heart.

Riko and Rider looked on at their fallen family member with pride. He had died the way of a true hero. Unlike the heroes of ages long past, he exemplified what was good in mankind. Kindness, love, understanding, and the refusal to bow before other powers. He had been everything they wished mankind to be. Keiko and Rin looked on upset that he had used their mystic codes, but even more upset that he had refused aide. Would it have been too hard to ask for help? The entire clan would have backed him in the fight.

Sakura and Sakuya fought an invisible battle to contain the darkness within themselves as the opressive atmosphere threatened to overwhelm them.

Of all of the clan members, none had it as tough as Kiritsugu himself. When he had introduced himself to his daughter, she called him a Fake. Like Artemis, there was only one Kiritsugu, and that wasn't him. For two days, she had tried to kill him. For two days, Artemis had helped.

It had been a bad week.

Finally, almost by accident, providence helped him out. He had been training in the dojo once more. Again and again he swung his sword in the way he knew his future did. He wasn't perfect, but he was well along the way to matching him.

"Just like him." A voice said quietly.

Kiritsugu turned and saw his daughter at the edge of the door. He then quickly turned his head lest improper thoughts fill his head. As usual, Aurora not deigned to wear anything. Oh, she understood the purpose of clothes, but she had no use for them since she felt neither hot nor cold. "What's just like him?" He asked wishing wither Tou-san or Takeshi were here. For some reason, the Hanya didn't work on her. Probably something to do with her mother, but the Asura, oh the Asura sent her into a nervous wreck. Only through Asura would the snake girl wear a top.

At least she was willing to wear a dress in human form.

"Your form, you fight just like him." she continued.

"I am him," Kiritsugu declared, "Just a little over seventy years younger."

She nodded once, "Then...you're my real father." Oh, Eiko had explained it to her, but its sounded so preposterous. But watching him...there was no mistake. The same stance, the same swings. One and the same.

Kiritsugu shook his head, "No, we are both your real father." He held his hand out focusing on her face.

Shakily, she took his hand...then flipped him over her shoulders.

Kiritsugu hit the ground head first.

"You may be him." She said angrily, "But he is better than you."

Kiritsugu slowly got up rubbing his neck. Acceptance would be a long ways away he thought as she slithered out of the room. Yet, as soon as she exited the room, she froze and began shaking.

"Aurora," Takeshi said sternly, "Going around the house naked it-" She shot back into the room quick as lightning and wrapped herself around Kiritsugu's leg.

"No!" She cried shakily, "Help me papa."

Kiritsugu looked at his brother and held his two hands up in a plea. Takeshi's eyes narrowed, but he turned and left the room. It was a father's job to educate the child.

That was well and truly the icebreaker for their relationship.

Artemis had been even easier. One minute, he had been making jello in secret, the nest he had been fighting an eldrich horror that should have been a bowl of cherry jello. One minute he had been cooking, the next, he heard a maniacal scream as Artemis came charging in to the fray wielding, of all things, the Mystic washing machine. Mark thirteen if he was seeing things correctly. How she had gotten a hold of the cursed one was beyond him, but that ended the battle in an instant.

"No jello." Artemis had whispered in fear, "No more jello. Cthulhu bad. Must kill, must cleanse." After she had recovered herself, she was willing to stop calling him a Fake as long as he swore never to make lime jello.

Was he really that bad at cooking?

"And so with his passing, it falls to us to remember who he was and what he represented." Shirou concluded. "In each of us he will live on. As an inspiration, as an ideal, as a family member. I am proud to know him, and I am proud to call him son."

They stood atop a small hill covered in grass and dandelions. It was a simple place, a place that had never seen war or death. Just a simple patch of earth, untarnished by men. It was here that he had wished to be buried, it was he that they had obeyed.

Upon that hill was a tombstone, it was simple, plain and held his death poem he had written.

_I am bound by an Oath _

_Guard the helpless, and protect the family_

_I have fought over countless battlefields_

_Hands stained with blood, and head full of horrors _

_Withstood countless pains that others might not_

_Yet I have no regrets for my life _

_My path ends today as a Black Knight_

No name, no date. He had wished to be known as the Black Knight in death. Family records would tell of his life, but here, to the world, he was the Black Knight; and the Black Knight does not die, he merely heads for the next battle.

Jun and Lorelei stood at attention honoring the sacrifice of the old man. Even as he died, he had taught them lessons to be passed on to the family for future Dark Apostle hunts. Shinta and Kumako were, for once, solemn. The fight had been everything they wanted to see, but the end...Musubi had to cover their eyes so they would not see what Ciel did to him. Kusano and Ichigo were working their abilities to the max causing flowers of all different kinds to sprout around the hill. Bazett and Ivone watched as a man who fought like a legend was buried in the ground. Ivone felt a stirring in her heart as she saw her newest idol fight like a champion against the cursed armor. To her, that had been the finest battle in the history of the world. She prayed that the younger Kiritsugu could match such brilliant skill in time.

Gilgamesh stood alone from the others. While they had donned black, he attended in gold. As a mark of respect, he had pulled out his armor and met Kiritsugu as a warrior and king to the champion. For the first time in a long while, he was not evasive of his praise for the man. He didn't even call him a mongrel anymore. The man had fought and died like he should have, and proved that he was not worthless, an extra, or a mongrel. He took after his mother very well.

By a tree little Shinra spoke alone. "So, he still refused? Gomen Kaa-san." Pause. "hmm, you're not giving up? Nor Gaia? Gambate." She said with a small smile. Even Epic spirits could become guardians under the right circumstances. All Kaa-san needed was time. Something she and Kiritsugu had in bulk.

By the tombstone, a young Kiritsugu held his daughter in his arms while Artemis stood by his side. What lay for the three of them is unknown for now, but...time will tell.

Maybe.

In the Throne, a Knight entered his realm. It was an all too familiar scene, the throne room. In the center sat the throne covered in thorns and spikes. By the door stood the battered armor. What was different was the walls. Murals depicting scenes of his past. His battles, his loves, his enemies, his friends. He traced his hands over the people he knew and loved and examined what the legends had done to change him. His false left hand was now seamless with his body. Iron hand they called him. Iron hand he became. He held up his shield and looked at his face. He looked like he was thirty, but with white hair. It seemed that he had been restored to his prime. Too bad he was still missing his eye.

He walked the corridor and stopped at what was stored there. Podagros, his mount was there, breathing fire and smashing it's hooves on the ground eager for battle. Beside it, his Hippalectryon hummed, eager to fly. It seemed that the legends had made it so that he could control it with his mind. Interesting.

_I beg of you…_

What the?

_My slave who lives somewhere in the universe!_

Oh...he must have someone summoning him. That was fast. Ah well, whatever worked.

_Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!_

Clearly someone wasn't being specific, or accurate for that matter. No problem though. He mounted Podagros. If someone wanted to summon him, he'd go in style. His armor was instantly on his body. Chivalry, fully restored in hand and Honor on his back.

_I desire and here I plead from my heart!_

'I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold on a minute.' Kiritsugu thought. He maneuvered his mount to the door. "Well, here goes nothing. Yaaah."

_Answer to my guidance!_

He and Podagros dashed forward through the door to whatever adventures awaited them. Let the worlds shudder, for the Black Knight still exists.

The tale of the Black Knight ends for now...

Or is it merely beginning?

One so young shall pick up the armor. It is inevitable.

One so old shall fight forever. As he has always desired.

In the end, a tale ends, and another begins. As it has always been, so shall it ever be

**We are the core to our dreams**

**Computers are our voice and Characters are our souls**

**Infinite stories are made, read, and forgotten**

**Unknown to consistency**

**Nor known to contradictions**

**These are our tales, these are our stories**

**Here in our Unlimited Fan Works**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	16. Clan wars 1

There the knight sat upon his throne of thorns. By the door stood his battered black armor while his two mounts waited in the back for the next battle. Upon his walls and his ceiling were murals of his past life. Aurora hovered above his throne in two forms. One was her in human form with his sword through her belly. The other was her in snake girl form hugging him as he protected her with his last breath. To his right, his childhood showed scenes of the good and bad times. To his left, the memories of adulthood ran rampant. His loves, his enemies, his nightmares, and his dreams cascaded in ever changing hues.

Yet, the Black Knight stirred.

He could feel it. He was being summoned anew. But to who?

Hopefully it wouldn't end up like the time he was summoned by Akihisa Yoshii. Seriously, that was a waste of time. He actually wished to kill himself to end his contract as there was nothing decent to fight. Fighting holograms? That is not what he became a Servant for. He had spent most of his time reeducating the boy and figuring out how to motivate him to improve himself. Turns out, lectured needed to be taught like battle plans for the boy to figure it out. The kid was going to go far in the military. Especially since he had been able to enter a prestigious Military academy on a full ride scholarship.

Now Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière , that had been a worthy master to follow. A little short tempered, but it had worked out in the end. Though, the fact that he had died six times under her command only to be summoned anew was a bit annoying, but for her, it was worth it. The countries had learned not to mess with his Pink haired Mistress by the end. Before her life had finally given out, she could have pointed her finger and kings would have served her on silver platters. The little fireball had been annoying and tempermental at first, but she soon learned to listen to the old man in a young man's body.

Then there had been Alviss in the world of MÄR-Heaven. Seriously, who abandons a Servant as soon as they are summoned then expect them to find them and wage a proxy war for obscure reasons? Ah well, at least Babbo had been good company. The two had been a hell of a pair. The gentleman and the knight, none were safe from their magnificence. Though it had been a forgone conclusion for his victory when he made Babbo become a Summon Primate Murder copy. Halloween? Meh, he made good pumpkin pie.

Princess Millhiore of Biscotti had been adorable, but the battles had been too tame for him. It was hard not to go all out and decimate them with a Noble Phantasm to show how powerful he was, but it worked out in the end. At least he got to kill lots of demons before he left her it was a nice change of pace to fight wars where no one ever died. Plus, they were all very weak to being scratched between their animal ears and under their chin. Interrogation had never been easier.

As he headed for the door. He smiled. Come what may, the world would shudder; for the Black Knight had come. He leaped through the door astride Podagro preparing to fight at a moments notice. As he went through the door, the information filled his mind. Everything he needed to survive in this world went into his head. Language, some culture, some history, and of course his purpose.

Were he not properly seated, he would have fallen off his horse as the information filled his head. Of all the things to be summoned into, this was the last one he had expected.

The Fifth Grail war.

Root help him, he was screwed. He just knew it.

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Still regardless of the circumstances, he knew his duty.

As he emerged from the light he hopped off his fake horse and went to his knee his horse vanishing behind him.

"Servant Rider, by your summoning I have come. Are you my Master?"

"Indeed Rider, I am your master." a creepy voice resonated.

Kiritsugu's head snapped up at the voice. Before him stood the his worst nightmare, Kotomine Kirei. Former mentor to Rin-kaasan and the master of Gilgamesh and what should have been Lancer in this war. If he was here, that meant...

Kiritsugu looked around searching for the one person he needed to make sure was safe. The one person who had truly summoned him, only to be back stabbed by the priest. Ah, there she was, right behind the priest

Bazett-kaasan, minus an arm. She must have gone into shock from the loss of an arm and the bleeding. Quietly, he rose and stalked towards his target.

"Oh? Sentimental for a woman Rider?" Kotomine said clearly understanding his intent.

"It is right to give the dead their due." Kiritsugu said using everything he had not to murder the man in an instant. Not only would it be pointless with the priest holding the command seals, but he might not make it in time to save Bazett. He took a hold of his helmet and lifted it up. As he lifted it up, he snuck a finger under his eye patch and pulled off a pendant.

Kotomine stepped aside as Kiritsugu knelt down to Bazett. He rolled her on her back, placed her one arm on her chest, and closed her eyes. No-one could have seen him slip the Avalon pendant into her hand. Unconsciously, Kiritsugu began sending Prana into the pendant beginning the healing process. It would take time, but she would live.

"So then, Master...what is your wish command? The Black Knight will obey."

"A stock hero." Kotomine said. Oh, he would have recognized Lancelot if he saw him, but this was no Lancelot. "How sad for her. She had hoped to summoning Cu Cuchulain." A stock hero was a hero that had been created by the psyche of the human mind. Like Assassin of the Fifth grail war, a stock hero never existed. Well, not fully. There have been countless men who have taken up the title of a black knight as it truly meant that the knight had to sponsor.

Not kiritsugu however. He had become the modern Black Knight. As such, he was special compared to the stock character black knights.

Kotomine shrugged, "The Black Knight is everyone and no one. If you wish, I shall take his form." It was a special trait of his, one of his three Noble Phantasms, **Hidden Identity**. As he had never given his name to anyone save family and friends in life, he had become a person of mystery. Who was the Black Knight? He could have been white, black, Asian. The only thing people could tell was that he was male. The only distinguishing things that made him different than other black knights were his Noble phantasms, and his missing hand and eye and people couldn't see that while he wore armor.

Which was all the time when he was in public.

His other tow Noble Phantasms were far more obvious ones, his horse **Podagro**, and his plane **Hippalectryon**. His plane was especially useful as it had somehow ended up being fully stocked with everything he could ever need on a campaign. Food, water, gold, gems, ammo, fuel, and tools. Life was suddenly so much easier when you unexpectedly had a fortune of assets at your disposal.

"Interesting," Kotomine said was a sardonic smile. "A knight who has no reason to exist. This will be an interesting war. Mayhap you wish to become real then in this war like that of Assassin?"

Kotomine shrugged. "What is your order Master? Or do you wish me gone?" He had to be careful. He had to play the part of an uncaring idea materialized in the world. If he must play the role of Lancer, so be it, but under his terms.

"Very well Rider. I order you to fight every Servant in this war. Scout their abilities, Masters, and locations, but do not reveal your Noble Phantasm. Instead, once you have seen a Servant, use their form to attack another. Create chaos and mistrust amongst their ranks." Kotomine ordered. The man was seriously annoying Kiritsugu, but he kept quiet. at least the priest wasn't using a command seal.

"Above all, do not let yourself get too caught up in the fight and head to the church secretly once you have finished your mission." Kotomine finished.

Kiritsugu placed a hand on his chest and bowed. "It will be done Master." _'I wonder if I could get into his kitchen. I never tried to sabotage my cooking before. Who knows what may occur? An atomic explosion? Cthulhu, mark three? Cthulhu and Angra Mainyu's love child?_' he could only hope. Kiritsugu filed that away for future ideas. It would help him get through the war.

He turned and opened a window before leaping out. As soon as he could, he activated **Hidden Identity **and disguised himself as a hobo. Quietly he began weaving and moving at random going through various obstacles and changing his form again and again. The last thing he needed was to run into Gilgamesh at this point and have him find out that he was going back to Bazett. He spent two hours moving silently and as stealthily as he could. Even his Noble Phantasm could not disguise the fact that he was not human. However, he knew that Gilgamesh was not a patient man. Unless he was cooking or worrying for his siblings when they were late, Gilgamesh could not stand waiting very long. Two hours was more than enough time to bore him away if he were watching.

He snuck back in to Bazett and looked her over. Her face was no longer pale and she was distinctly breathing. Given enough time, say twelve hours, she would be fully healed. Now, how to get her arm back? That would take time.

Kiritsugu went to the bed a grabbed a few blankets then headed for the kitchen and grabbed a few edible items for her when she awoke. Kiritsugu rolled the food in the blankets and slung them over his shoulders and picked her up from the ground. He carried her bridal style towards the one place he knew she would be safe, the ruined ship in the river. Kaa-san had told him of how the original Kiritsugu in the fourth grail war had used it to shield the town by moving the ship in the way. It was going to be rusty, damp, and filthy, but it was safe. No one would look there.

He leaped across the water and landed easily upon the wreck. He opened a door that pointed down and entered. Looking around, he found one room that was bone dry and had a bathroom nearby. He laid some blankets down and placed her upon them before covering her up. The food was then placed in plain view for her when she awoke. The final thing he did was pull some paper out and write out a small note to her before impaling it to the hull with a knife.

He nodded once, "Good, preparations are complete on this end. Now to 'follow' the order."

He turned and headed off to begin the hunt. If he must harm his father to bring forth Kaa-san, so be it. He'd be careful not to do too much harm to him. Kaa-san would kill him if she found out he had killed Tou-san for a while. Even mostly dead was going to be a bad idea.

The first, and most obvious thing he did was check on a familiar house. He wasn't stupid enough to enter the house, the bounded field was still there, but he was able to look in on his father. Sure enough, his father was practicing his magic improperly. Hopefully Archer would give Tou-san the hint. If not, he would before the end. This he swore.

The next stop was Ryuudouji Temple. If caster were here, he intended to deal a massive blow to the woman. He'd 'obey' for now, but he would scar the woman if he could.

As he ran up the steps he took on the form of Cu Cuchulain. Why not keep the consistency going. It would definitely throw them off for a while and give him time to work on the next scenario. Before he got to the top, he halted and took in a deep breath. It was possible that Assassin was waiting at the entrance.

Drawing his sword, though it looked like a spear with his Noble Phantasm, he walked up to the top. Surprisingly, there was no samurai waiting for him there. 'Maybe I came too early?' He wasn't feeling a bounded field either. Mayhap Caster had not started. Looking back, he should have asked to find out which Servants had arrived.

As he passed the entrance, his instincts blared sirens. He threw himself to the left jest as something flew by him. "What the he-" he dodged again barely evading the attack that blew a tree apart in an instant. Where was it coming from? It was clear that the Servant was in front of him, but the attack seemed like that of an Archer. Well, only one thing to do. He dashed forward holding his 'spear' in hand as he moved forward. He barely made out the image of a woman in front of him, but unlike that of a hooded woman. This one was wearing a jumpsuit and night vision goggles. In her hand was a bloody silenced sniper rifle of some kind.

"Be gone Lancer," The woman told him, "Tell your Master that Caster will not fall easily." With that, the sniper rifle vanished. In it's place was an AK 47. Kiritsugu had to dodge left and right as he came closer to his target. While he was confused, he intended to figure out what was going on. As he came close, the rifle vanished and became an automatic shotgun and began blaring away at him.

Enough was enough. If this was Caster, then he had seen more than enough. Clearly this Caster was different. No real surprise as he had been summoned in this war, but that threw him off a great deal. Without Medea, the whole scenario changed. Kiritsugu quickly turned about face and ran for it dodging magic bullets as he ran out the temple and down the stairs at inhuman speeds.

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She watched him flee with a small sense of satisfaction. She held no hate for the Hound of Ulster. The man had been betrayed by the priest and yet...and yet he had given everything he had to protect Kaa-san. It was a worthy feat to continue to fight even though he had pierced his own heart with a lance. But she knew something the Oh, the fake thought he had deceived her, but she knew something he didn't, Lancer was already taken by another. She would have to inform her ally soon. The fact that the Fake took on his appearance so easily told her that he knew who Lancer was supposed to be.

Considering who Lancer was, it was fairly obvious to guess the Servant's origin, even if their identity was hidden. This war was getting more and more messed up by the day.

She got up from her sniper position and prepared to move out. This place would have been a good fortress, but she was a firm believer that static defenses only slowed the enemy down. Besides, it's a well known fact for snipers. Once you fire, move out before they can find you.

Time to move to a new position. The skyscrapers looked good to her.

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The next stop on Kiritsugu's list was the school. True, since he was Rider in this war, there shouldn't be any bounded fields on the school, but it never hurt to check. Surprisingly, there was, but at least it wasn't malevolent. More importantly, he was able to find the source of the barrier. Going in the guise of Caster, he looked around and found the barrier points had been written in runes. Celtic runes in fact.

Whoever inscribed these runes was good. Real good. Bazett-kaasan couldn't have done this good a job. As he looked on at the runes, he swore he recognized the handwriting, but then again, he wasn't an expert at runes.

"You!" a female voice called him from behind. Kiritsugu turned sharply and mentally slapped himself. Of course there was an alarm in the field. Clearly he was having an idiot moment. He looked over his opponent and swore she looked very familiar. She had Purple hair and eyes like that of a Fraga. She was wearing a matching purple suit with purple gloves on her hand. Honestly, he wanted to call out a name of one of his siblings, but that was impossible. If anyone summoned her, it should have been her mother, not him. The odds of this occurring were one in an infinity chance.

He shook the thought out of his head. The odds were too stacked against it for it to occur. Instead, he drew out a combat knife. Mentally he thanked the Root that Caster had a one strapped to her belt for some reason. Must be a modern Servant.

"What are you doing?" The woman demanded, "We agreed to team up."

This wasn't good. Kiritsugu realized he had messed up. If the two Servants had agreed to a truce, then this form was useless. Time for plan B.

He aimed his false hand to the ground and fired one of gems into the ground causing a blinding flash to occur. Not that he expected it to do anything against his enemy, but it gave him time to change his appearance. Before the purple haired Servant could react, he charged with his combat knife. Only to have to dodge a well aimed fist.

Even as he evaded the attack, he could feel the wind pressure behind the attack.

"I don't know who you are, but your not Caster." the unnamed Servant responded. She unleashed a rapid series of punches and kicks, each of them glowing with power between assaults.

Well, only one thing to do at this point. If he couldn't deceive, he'd just stay unknown. His Noble Phantasm shifted and altered to that of a black outline. It was impossible to tell who he was and would only give a basic idea of what he was wielding. Drawing Honor, he faced his opponent with curiousness. He knew the weaknesses of Fraga attacks, the whole clan hadn't changed in millenia. Fight one of them, you've fought them all. Only one Fraga had achieved something so radically different that she gained a second Noble Phantasm. As long as he didn't use his ultimate Noble Phantasm, he was golden.

"Servant Lancer," The woman declared as she dashed forward. "Prepare to fall fake." She punched and kicked at him in equal measure while he swung his sword. She was good, he would admit that, but he was holding back. Then again, so was she as neither had used their Noble Phantasms. A Lancer without a Spear? Clearly it was a famous one, one not worth using against him.

After a short exchange, he fell back. He had obtained enough information on his target. Time to fall back.

"Fleeing coward?" Lancer mocked him.

He shrugged once then said one word. "Orders" His voice was so distorted that none could tell if he was male, female, or monster. With that, he fled with the inborn speed of the Rider class. In a straight run, none could match him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The final stop he planned to make today was Rin-kaasan's place. He was not so foolish to try to enter the home of the Makiri's or Matous as they are called now. One step in there while unprepared and he'd be worm food.

He had just come to the edge of the House's barrier when he heard a Crash as something fell from the sky through her roof. If he wasn't halfway expecting it, he would have been terrified. He knew how to open the barrier if he needed to, but he recognized a summoning when it happened, even if it was a messed up one. Instead, he focused on listening with Reinforced hearing. (For the full and non distorted version go to post 1492 on page 30)

"We-...ow. This is...ament here." Kiritsugu heard. The distance and distortion was doing terrible things to his hearing. He swore he heard Haru talking in there. Nah, couldn't be.

"Yo-...vant...not?" he heard Rin-kaa-san speak.

"Well...doing...moning...seem so." The Servant spoke. It was too much to hope for that it was the counter guardian at this stage of the war "I...sume...have proof...contract...?"

"If...Servant," Rin said. It sounded like she was annoyed, again. "why...not...moned...front...e?"

"Prob...ause...suck...moner." The Servant replied

Clearly that ** Rin off as Kiritsugu heard her loud and clear "I hold your Command Spell thus I am your Master, you have no right to comment on your Master's skills!" Rin yelled

'Note to self: never mention her summoning skills.' Kiritsugu thought.

The Servent began laughing at that, probably angering her further. "...Co...and Seal...no...way...gov...actions...Servant...another...ant been...place...day,...not...pledged...loyalty..."

that seemed to mollify Rin, and the Servant got her to introduce herself.

Kiritsugu looked forward to finding out the identity of the Servant, but he felt the presence of another Servant nearby. It was time to hightail it out of here before he was discovered. He'd find out the identity of the Servant soon enough. Just a little longer before it was time for the main event. If he must play the instigator, so be it. Someone had to do it.

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Illya was having a wonderful time with her Servant. Though she had initially doubted the supposedly strongest class would look so weak. The fact that he had demons obey him was a major plus.

"Let's go say Hi to Onii-chan Saber."

"As you wish Ojou-sama" Her Servant said fixing his glasses.

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(So what do you guys think? This Fate/Emiya clan war has come and gone several times, but it has been a long time since anyone actually posted on it.)


	17. Clan wars 2

(ugh, so many days without internet. Drove me insane. Moving is a terrible thing)

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Fate/ clan wars part 2

Kiritsugu made his way to the church. Even if he hadn't known where it was, he could tell where the one who held Bazett's arm was at all times. As he approached the church, he felt himself shiver slightly from the sheer evil contained within the area. Seriously, how did the general population not feel it? Even animals were smart enough not to go anywhere near the place.

Still, he had a role to play and he had no intention of letting the false priest suspect that he was more than what he claimed to be. As long as he played the role of a stock hero, Kotomine would not bother planting a command seal on him. No command seal, no obstacles to his plan. He entered the church disguised as the same hobo he left as exiting Bazett's house.

"Master," He called out removing his Noble Phantasm. "I have returned."

"Very good Rider." His 'Master' called out as he entered the room. "You have news then?" Though he phrased it as a question, it sounded more like a statement the way he said it.

For an answer, he activated **Unknown Identity** and took on the form of Caster. "Caster, last seen at local temple. Uses projectile weapon with enhanced shots." Kiritsugu said turning to show Caster's entire profile. "No sign of enemy Master at the time. Nor did I notice the presence of a workshop or temple at the time. I suspect Caster was on a scouting mission."

Kotomine continued to look on at Rider with his signature grin. Kiritsuge mentally shrugged, but changed his appearance once more.

"Lancer." Kiritsugu said taking on the purple haired woman's appearance. "Close combat specialist. Relies on punches and kicks with enhanced limbs to attack. No Noble Phantasms were noticed. No Master in sight. Lancer has placed a bounded field around a school. In addition, it appears that Lancer and Caster have a nonaggression agreement at the moment."

Kotomine raised an eyebrow for a second as he looked the image of Lancer over. "Hmm, interesting..."

Kiritsugu waited a bit, but clearly that was all the priest was going to say. He dropped his Noble Phantasm again. "There were two more Servants in the area. Though I was not able to determine the Servant, the Master is named Tohsaka Rin."

"Oh, she must have just summoned him." Kotomine said. "I expect a call from her very-" With that, the phone began ringing. The priest smirked even wider as he walked to the phone.

_'Now I know why Rin-kaasan always hated the man. He radiates creepy and distrust with ease.'_ Kiritsugu thought.

"Good morning Rin." Kirei said on the phone. "I expect you have summoned a Servant?"

Kirei nodded slightly as he listened, "Very well, then I acknowledge you as the proctor for this war as the Sixth Master for the Fifth Grail war." If Kotomine had planned on saying anything further, it was cut off with an audible click as Rin hung up. Kiritsugu was glad he was wearing a helmet as he couldn't help but grin at that. Even at a young age Rin was still a no nonsense person when it came to phone calls. Especially when she was dealing with someone she didn't like.

Kirei hung up the phone and turned to the Black Knight. "Now then, you said there were two more? What of the last one?"

"Unknown," Kiritsugu stated. "Servant was too close to Tohsaka Rin to engage without attracting their notice. I chose to fall back and remain hidden for the moment."

"Very well, continue to obey my order. Locate and fight all other Servants, but do not let them know of your identity. If you reveal yourself, you are to flee immediately." Kotomine ordered.

Kiritsugu bowed at the waist in perfect form and declared "As you order Master." _'Three days,'_ Kiritsugu thought coldly. '_Three days till I must attack if another does not._' He would have his father enter this war no matter the cost. Too much relied upon this war. Too much of his father had to develop in this war. He had listened with rapt attention in his childhood as he listened to the Grail War and the lessons to be learned from it.

His father needed help, and he, Emiya Kirisugu the Black Knight, would do so if he had to drag his father kicking and screaming.

_'Note to self: Make preparations for the possibility of father needing to be dragged into the War kicking and screaming'_ Kiritsugu thought.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So you're saying the Servant took on your form?" Caster asked Lancer as the two sat on the roof of a skyscraper.

"Yes, the image was just like you." Lancer answered.

"Hmmmm, adding in the fact that there was a Servant that took on the shape of Cu Cuchulain, we are left with a several hypothesis." Caster thought out. "This might the same Servant and he took on the Hound's appearance because he A: Met him in life and adamantly wishes to follow in his footsteps. B: Took on the form expecting Cuchulain to be in this war and therefor has some sort of knowledge of the Grail War, or C: the Servant is capable of reading minds and projecting what we expect to see."

"You were expecting Cu Cuchulain?" Lancer asked surprised.

Caster shrugged, "He would have been qualified as Berserker. I was just thinking about how Tou-san was going to summon Arturia-kaasan in this war if he wasn't attacked when the Servant showed up."

Lancer placed a hand under her chin. "I hadn't thought about it, but I was thinking about how beneficial our alliance would be when I was about to face the intruder."

"See, the possibility is there. Either way, I was unable to determine his class in the fight." Caster continued. "He fought well, but he wasn't using any abilities that I could tell."

Lancer nodded as well, "Indeed, but I got the feeling that he knew how I fought even before I attacked."

Caster shrugged, "That adds a point to both mind reading and past life. Your ancestors, no offense, haven't changed their style of fighting in forever. It could very well be that the Fragas were around in the Servant's past life. As for mind reading...hmmm, if he read minds, he should have sensed my ambush better."

Lancer nodded, but pressed on, "About the second option, where he takes on our form. What could cause that?"

Caster considered all the knowledge she had gathered in life. She too, like the rest of her family, had been interested in the grail war. "It sounds a great deal like the Fourth Grail War's Berserker's ability, but without his massive skill." Lancelot, this intruder was not. Though he was strong and fast, he probably only had B rank agility. Nothing to sneeze at, but nothing on the level of a Berserker. "If I were to guess, I would think that this was a new type of Assassin." After much research, it had been found that the Fifth Grail War's Assassin had been an anomaly. All other had been the Man on the Mountain in one of his infinite forms.

Perhaps this War was forever destined to have an anomaly for an Assassin.

Lancer nodded once, "I suspected something like that myself..." Her head turned back towards Fuyuki city. "It appears that my..." Her face turned into a grimace, "Master, is calling me." She bowed once to Caster then leaped off the tower.

Caster watched her sister run into the darkness, "Hang in there sis." Lancer was in a complicated situation. One that required her to 'obey' her master until the opportunity presented itself. Shouldn't take too long at this rate.

Unlike Lancer, at least she had dealt with her 'Master' already. The arrogant prick had wasted his command seals on useless things. As soon as the last command seal was used, she had shot him with a Gandr followed by placing him in a freezing spell. So long as he lived, and he would for a long time, she would drain him of his prana. She smiled once more as she remembered hitting him with her favorite curse. Kaa-san would be proud of her.

She summoned her sniper rife with an enhanced scope and peered in on her Father. So far it seemed that he hadn't come out of his shed.

Probably fell asleep while practicing. She silently sent a prayer of thanks to the Root that she had been summoned almost a month ago allowing her to deal with her Master issues and begin setting up for the war. Though, finding out Lancer's identity had shocked her to the core, she was grateful to have good backup.

Especially since things were not going according to history.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Rin was unsure if she was in a good mood or a bad mood. Berserker, aka Haru, was the most atypical Servant in the History of the Grail Wars as far as she could tell. Not only was Berserker not a mindless killing machine, but he was rather cultured. Apparently, he knew just the perfect way to brew her favorite tea. How he knew that was beyond her, but Haru was being extremely tight lipped. In addition, Haru stated that he had received such a low level Madness, E rank apparently, that none of his stats had been touched. Though, considering his stats to begin with, there was no need for him to have higher stat levels.

What kind of person has A rank or higher stats across the board except for luck? Luck was only at C rank, but a C rank luck was already incredibly high in of itself. Berserker could probably run through a storm of bullets and none of them would hit him with that kind of luck.

The problem of it all was that Berserker was not big on obeying her. She wanted to patrol the city looking for Masters, he wanted to make sure they had several escape routes from the city.

Escape routes.

Like they were going to need those. Either they won the war or they lost, and probably died horribly or were reduced to lab rats for eternity. She understood that, she was willing to risk that. Her entire being had been prepared for this war and success.

Berserker on the other hand was a firm believer that one should always have at least five escape routes at all times. Something about how his father had raised him. The two of them had argued for a while before Haru finally gave in and let her take the lead for the moment and began leading him on patrols. She wanted him to be familiar with the area.

As if he didn't know most of this place by heart. Not much changed over the years, the school remained where it was, most of the buildings had been around for decades before he was born and most would be around for decades more. Fuyuki city was especially like that. It seemed to be a town where time stood still no matter what an extremely rich family with dozens of children and wives of one man might have done to it.

He was half expecting Taiga-obaasan to run down the hill screaming how late she was. But enough reminiscing, he had a job to do. If he had to be the shield for both Tou-san and RinKaa-san, so be it. It's not like he was afraid of Medea. If he could hold his own against most of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, then there was no reason for him to be afraid a an old hag.

With his cloak over his head, **Beowulf** on his hands, **Heaven and Hell** in his fists, more martial arts styles in his head than he knew what to do with, and of course, his ultimate Noble Phantasm victory was in the bag. Unlike his Dark Alternate, Haru was pleased with his life, and could not ask for a better Noble Phantasm.

He just hoped he didn't destroy the city in the process. Root knows, his Noble Phantasm almost created more chaos than a family reunion. Thinking about a family reunion made him smile as he remembered the last one he had seen. Most of the original family had passed on, but a few, a select few still remained. Reiko and Eiko were completely enthralled about creating their ideal city Avalon that would be a beacon for humanity in time. Shinra, the little scamp, was still trying to recruit people to be her counter guardians so that she could take over her mother's business. Not like there was much need for any with Ichigo acting as Gaia's voice. How she got the job and the eternal life was beyond him, but that was between Ichigo and Gaia.

And then there was Aurora. Though not of the original family, he still looked on at his niece with fondness. It was amazing how beautiful she had turned out over the millenia. There were three forms she liked to use. The first was her human form. With her long red hair, hourglass figure, beautiful green eyes that one could get lost in for hours, and D sized breasts, men all but drooled over her. Of course, she could easily beat the snot out of them even without using her sword. Her second form was her 'true' form. Her top half looked just like her human form except she had light blue skin, horns that curved around her head almost becoming a circlet or crown, and a forked tongue. If she was scary as a human, she was even worse in snake form when she started triple wielding swords; one in each hand and one held by her tail. Her final form was rarely used, but it nearly killed countless men from nosebleeds when they saw it. Her last form was a halfway point between her two other forms. Legs of a human, but with a tail sprouting out of the base of her spine and her two horns showing and a lighter shade of blue than her snake woman form.

Unfortunately, while she gained a reputation for swords like her father, so too did she gain his cooking skill, or more accurately put, kitchen demolition and eldrich horror summoning. Thinking about the time the two tried to make a birthday cake sent him shivering.

Two days.

It took two days to kill it and the house smelled of Swiss cheese for weeks.

"What's going on Berserker?" Rin asked seriously. If Berserker was shivering in fear, it had to be something bad.

"Bad memories," Berserker answered. "Just bad cooking memories."

"Huh?" Rin asked confused.

"Pray you never find out." Haru said cryptically remembering the cake. If only it was a lie. If only...

"Stop messing around," Rin said angrily, "This is serious."

Haru sighed, "This? This is nothing. Wait till you see some of the things I have seen." Oh the things he had seen, the things he had tasted. Chiyo's cooking. Kiritsugu's horrors. The day Reiko **and** Eiko were sick and kept sneezing. After all that, a Grail War or two was a nice change of pace.

"Only when you have seen what I have seen, experienced what I have experienced, will it be serious." Haru finished.

Rin almost slapped him for being so cryptic. "All right wise guy. What is serious to you?"

"Lime Jello." Haru answered in an instant. "Lime Jello made by the wrong hands." _'Don't think about it don'tthinkiaboutitdon'tthinkaboutit...Cthulhu mark 2"_

Rin's eyes narrowed dangerously at him. She held up her left hand as a warning to make him get serious. Lime Jello. Who was he kidding? It was the simplest dish in the world. Take a package pour in in a bowl, pour water in, mix and store it in the fridge. How could that be dangerous?

"We're being watched," Haru said suddenly. Rin couldn't believe how fast Berserker was when he was serious. He had been ten feet behind her but had virtually teleported in front of her.

"In front? Sort of, not under, must be up." Haru muttered as his head shifted to look up at a skyscraper.

There she was. Only someone with Reinforced eyes could see that far, but it was a signature spell for the Emiya clan. Haru looked over at the one pointing a sniper rifle at him. The woman, he could tell it was a woman from how her suit hung on her, was steadily aiming at him. Not firing, mind you, just aiming. Not so much a threat, as making a point.

I see you, I could have killed you, but I won't. That was the message he was getting. Strange, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "We're leaving Rin."

"Eh?" Rin said as she was scooped up and moving at phenomenal speeds.

"Archer had us in her sights." Haru warned her. It had to be Archer, who else would use a sniper rifle? Assassin maybe? If so, he wouldn't have sensed her until it was too late. Therefore, it had to be Archer. So, why had Archer held off on killing him or Rin? Or more accurately, held off from **trying** to kill them?

This he pondered as he ran for cover.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Caster put down her rife and smiled to herself. Though she could not make out the Servant because of the hood, she remembered hearing about how Saber-kaasan had been forced to walk to Kotomine wearing a bright yellow rain jacket. The thought of her in such a ridiculous outfit sent a wave of pleasure up her spine. Still, she had only held off from killing the Servant because the war had not started yet.

Yes, there was still only six Servants left. Until the Seveth was summoned, the war had not started. No reason to kill a potential ally

It had nothing to do with her innate fear of her mother's wrath if she had offed Archer in an instant. Nothing at all. She wasn't shivering at the memory of her Mother gloating about how she had gotten the other Caster back for making a fool of her. No, that was just a shiver of excitement for the greatest free for all in the world.

Yes, that's the story she was going to stick with. Who would dare question her?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She snapped her eyes open and shot to her feet in an instant getting in her battle stance...only to notice several things were wrong. First and most important was that she was missing an arm. Always a bad sign. Second, she was in an unfamiliar location. Also a bad sign. She thought back to the last thing she remembered. She had successfully created a summoning circle for the grail and intended to summon her idol Cu Cuchulain. Just as the circle glowed, she remembered Kotomine had approached her. Probably to congratulate her summoning her Servant.

Then...she was here.

She clenched her fist harder hating the great blank spot in her memory. _'What the?' _She felt something in her one remaining hand. Curiously, she opened her palm and saw the most beautiful pendant she had ever seen. It was made in the shape of a blue and gold sheath for a sword. Yet, there was a great deal of power within the pendant. She closed her eyes and focused on the power. She could see it sending something powerful but subtle through her body.

Who ever had given this to her must have realized the sheer magnificence of the pendant. So why give it to her?" She looked around, and noticed a note crudely held in place by a knife in the wall. She walked over to the note and began to read.

_(Former) Master:_

_You were dying and needed to be hidden while you healed. Several things you need to know._

_Kotomine, my new master, was the one that sliced your arm off for your command seals. Why you ever trusted that snake is beyond me._

_In order to heal you, I gave you a most precious pendant. **Do not lose it.**_

_You are on a ship in the middle of the river. Please do not leave it's safety until I come for you. Until then ,there is a bathroom, food and drink available to you for the moment._

_I will work on getting your arm back from the priest, but until I do, consider me compromised_

_Your (Former) Servant_

_Rider_

_P.S. Yes, sorry you didn't summon your idol Cu Cuchulain, but that's how it ended up._

Bazett put down the note and slumped down onto her knees. Kirei had betrayed her. The blow to her pride and self esteem was huge. She had considered herself a cautious person, but she had let her guard down believing that the proctor for the Grail War would remain neutral and not care about the Grail. Of course he was interested, the entire Church desired the Grail. That she ever trusted him would go down as her stupidest mistake in her life.

But, at least her Servant, well former Servant, cared. This Rider was clearly a person of morals and loyalty. Yet, he said he wasn't The Hound of Ulster. How had that happened? Had the earring not belonged to Cu Cuchulain? She had been so sure that it belonged to the legendary Irish hero. For it not to have summoned him, either it had been a fake, or this Servant had a higher connection to her than her own Catalyst. Mayhap the earring actually belonged to this Rider instead.

So much was going through her mind when she suddenly heard her stomach rumble. She sighed at her body's rebellion but went to where Rider had placed the supplies. She figured that she could ration the food for a week at most if she was careful. She took a few slices of bread and began making a PB&J sandwich. Come what may, she would not die hungry.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shirou woke up as soon as he felt the gentle shaking of Sakura. "Good morning Sakura." He said.

"Good morning Sempai," Sakura said pleasently. "You fell asleep here again."

Shirou nodded, "Yeah, I was really caught up in fixing the old T.V." Shirou lied. Yes, he had been working on the T.V., but mostly, he had been practicing his magic again.

Sakura accepted his story and said, "Breakfast will be ready soon."

Shirou nodded, but made no move to aide her. It had been a habit long before Sakura showed up for him to first do his morning routine of working out his body. Kiritsugu (Shirou's father) had been adamant that if Shirou intended to follow his path, he would have to work his body out.

So Shirou went to the dojo to train once more unaware of how simple a choice could have lead to vastly different routes in an alternate War. After he finished training, he headed back to the house. Before hims stands a wonderful meal already prepared by Sakura.

"Ah, Thank you Sakura." Shirou said

"It's my pleasure," Sakura said. "After all I- I-" She tried, oh how she tried to follow her Servant's advice.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Be blunt about your feelings." her Servant advised. "He seems like the kind of guy who needs a billboard, a map, and compass to understand your feelings."

"But I couldn't." Sakura protested.

Her Servant shrugged, "Then someone else will steal him. He's that good a catch."

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"What's going on Sakura?" Shirou asked. He stands up and places a hand on her head. "Are you sick? You seems to have a slight fever...and your face is turning really red. Shouldn't you go lay down?"

Inside Sakura a small part of her was crying a river at how blind he was. Outside the residence, a Servant banged her head on the wall at how blind Tou-san was at that age. Further away, another Servant banged her head on the butt of her Sniper rifle at the blindness of her father. No wonder why Kaa-san had always mocked his younger self. He really was an idiot.

The morning passed quickly as Sakura and Shirou ate with the legendary Taiga. As long as she was at the table, she dominated the room eating faster than any human had the right to, especially a freeloader like her. Of course, Tiaga soon realized that she was late and ran for it. Sakura soon left for archery club leaving Shirou to clean up then head for school at a more sedate pace.

As soon as he entered the school grounds, Shirou felt a strange sensation fill him. It was like he was smelling something sweeter than honey, yet mixed with alcohol. The sensation seemed to be everywhere, yet nowhere at once. He continued to move forward, which decreased the smell, but it was still there.

"What is that?" He muttered.

"What's this? Sick Emiya?" a weaselly voice asked him. Shirou looked up at his one time friend Shinji.

At one time, they had been the yin and yang of the archery club. Shirou was the ever helpful member always giving advice when needed while Shinji wheedled and threatened any who dared to harm the club's reputation. Together, they could have risen the Archer club to untold highest. Forget nationals, they could have gone to the Olympics. But something had happened to change it all. Shiji had abused Sakura in front of Shirou. That incident caused them to fall apart. That, and Shirou suddenly leaving the archery club for reasons known only to him.

"Shiji? Ah, no. I just suddenly smelled something strange." Shirou commented.

"Aaaah?" Shiji said making it sound like Shirou was crazy. "Smell? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind," Shirou said waving it off. "Say, you look rather happy today."

"Oh, I am." Shiji said. His body all but shaving in excitement. "The greatest thing just happened recently. Too bad it doesn't concern you."

"Ah, I see...I'm happy for you," Shirou said cheerfully.

"Tch," Shinji spat, "Always the goody-two shoes" As always, Shirou didn't react the way Shinji wanted. Where was the envy, where was the scorn? It wasn't possible for someone to be that pleasant. Shirou had to be a world class actor. Always faking everything. Not like Tohsaka, the school idol. She was perfect at everything. So kind, so beautiful, never rube or improper. To top it off, she was a magus, the perfect way to return the Matou's to glory.

Obviously Shinji had never seen Rin in the morning...

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The day passed by quickly for Shirou. After school he went to his part time job and made money. It was just as he was going back home that something caught his eye. There, atop of a skyscraper was Rin. He was sure of it. Why she was there was beyond him, but there she was overlooking the city.

Atop the Skyscraper, Rin noticed him. She then turned away, leaving the balcony.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"See something Master?" Berserker asked knowing full well who was down there. Tou-san was very distinct with his red hair.

"Just a class mate." Rin answered, "See anything?"

"An interesting city. I'll have to hold back hear lest I destroy half of it." Haru answered. "So about this class mate, what do you think about him?"

Rin looked at him like he was crazy. He had been asking the strangest questions ever since he arrived. "A classmate, nothing more. Stop evading my question, what do you think about it?"

"Stifling. Unlike Fuyuki, this place is far less dense in spiritual power. The people here are blocking the energy of the world. It'll haunt them unless they change. Are you sure he's a class mate? Seems like you've been watching him a lot. Every time you see him, you stop and stare until he leaves."

Rin whirled around with a faint blush. "There's nothing going on. He's just...different."

"Kind," Haru added, "I can feel it from here. He's very kind, and naïve. The kind of guy that doesn't realize how much danger he's in."

"Do you know something Berserker?" Rin asked,

"He has potential," Haru said evasively. "He has something about him. Something that I've seen in the greatest of men. If he harnesses it, we may see a modern Hero."

Rin shook her head. "Impossible. There hasn't been a new hero in over a century. Modern times are unable to create such heroes with the age of information."

Haru shrugged, "We'll see. Keep you eye on him, he might surprise you."

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Kiritsugu left the church quietly. '_Two days_,' He thought. '_Two days._'


	18. Clan wars 3

**I am bound by an oath**

**Protect the family, Guard the weak.**

**I have endured countless pains so others might not**

**Hands stained with blood**

**Head full of horrors.**

**Yet, my life ended without regrets**

**My road will forever be a Black Knight**

_-Emiya Kiritsugu the Second_

_There was one small thing that would make or break the his plan. One small minor detail that, if overlooked could destroy the entire outlook of the war and the future beyond. One detail...he had not overlooked._

He descended into the ghettos of the towns. To the places where the scum of humanity plied their trade. The drug traffickers, the rapists, the murderers, the thieves, all who were guilty in the eyes of the law and decency. All who had hidden in the shadows and thought themselves safe

_Why had father been out there on that fateful night? Why had father been alone when all others should have been gone? Why had father been the sacrifice? Because of death._

He found these scrum and knocked them out. Carrying them upon a steed as black as night with red glowing eyes and fiery breath. He took them to homes close but not to close to the school. Homes empty for one reason or another. Some had residents that worked night shift, some were available for rent, and some were just plain left empty until arrangements could be made.

_In the alternate Grail War, there had been a successive series of murders and 'gas' attacks. It was a Servant free for all as they killed dozens of people to feed upon their souls and gain power. Men and women were killed by sword and spear or drained by magic. _

He killed them. Carved their bodies in horrific fashions. Their blood covered the walls spelling out horrific curses and obscenities. Their guts were hung from the ceiling like perverse streamers. Their eyes were gathered and placed in jars looking over the ruined bodies. Their heads were removed and placed on tables atop of severed hands like the devil's feast laid out for dinner.

_With the attacks going on in the neighborhood, the school had been forced to create a curfew for all students. None were allowed to stay past five. Yet the laziness of one boy had almost undone the future. One boy's kindness had cascaded into a world far better than could be imagined_.

For a final irony, he dialed the emergency hotline and held his last victim next to the phone. The operator was given the sound of a man dying from a sword in his heart followed by the gasp as his head was removed fully. Finally, in a distorted voice, he told the police the addresses to look.

Needless to say, the police were dispatched immediately. Five minutes later, after the police lost their meals, they began contacting every public service in the area to tell them one thing.

A serial murderer was on the loose, and he was a real sicko.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rin had hoped to attack the upstart Servant at the school as quickly as possible. Though the war hadn't started yet, she intended to at least see how strong her Servant really was. Was he par for the course, or was he truly the strongest Servant out there?

They never even made it to the school that night.

"I smell blood," Haru said stopping instantly. "Lots of blood." How could he forget the smell of that which had taunted him for a life time? The promise of pleasure unmatched by any drug if he only gave in. Not that he ever did mind you.

Haru sniffed the air a bit more, "And human waste." His eyes narrowed, "People have died tonight, and in rather horrible ways."

Rin looked over at her Servant. True, it was a bit insulting that a Servant had placed a barrier around the school, but it was nothing more than making a battlefield for two Servants to fight. Nothing malicious mind you, just a precaution. One which she grudgingly approved of. That Servant, whoever he/she was, was an honorable one in her opinion. Yet, if people had died, then another Servant was around, and this one was not honorable. Oh, she knew why a Servant killed humans, it was to become stronger. By absorbing souls, a Servant can recover energy, and even gain more power than they had originally. It was the easiest, and foulest way for a Servant to become powerful.

As the owner and caretaker for this land, it was her responsibility to deal with it. "Find the source Berserker." She ordered. She would face the other Servant later. For now, it was time to take on a murderer.

"As you order Rin." Berserker answered. Inwardly, a small part of him felt afraid. So far, from what he had seen, there had been no attacks to signal the presence of other Servants. So far, the entire war had been held rigidly within the rules by the other Servants as befitted Heroes. But today, it appeared to have changed. Was this one Servant, or would this signal an all you can eat buffet of souls for the others? No matter who was responsible for this, or their reasons, Rin was never going to forgive them, and that meant, she would make it personal for him.

They moved swiftly to the house. Before Rin could enter, however, Berserker blocked her way. "It's bad Rin, I can feel it from here. You might want to stay outside."

Rin shook her head. "No, I plan to see this to the end Berserker. I need to see what has been done on my land."

Berserker nodded and turned the handle. As expected ,the door was unlocked. One glance in, and he held his cape up in front of Rin blocking her view. "It's really bad Rin, when did you last eat?"

Rin was suddenly not pleased about the sandwich she ate an hour ago, but steeled her resolve and pushed the cloak away...only to turn and fight to keep from puking.

It was horrible. She recognized a few of the words written on the walls as ancient Egyptian and Chinese. Some of the deaths looked like rituals belonging to the Aztecs. The sink was filled with blood with teeth lining the sink. The severed head were arranged in a circle at the center of the room with a single lite candle in the middle of the ring.

"Pointless." Haru hissed, "He didn't even drain their souls, just killed them."

Rin was taken aback by that. If the purpose had been to feed, she might have understood, but pointless killing? She really wanted to rip the Servant apart.

"Riiiin," Haru called her to the bedroom, "Look at this."

Inside the room was a message in blood and English.

_Six Serpants sleep within the hall_

_The Seventh will start it all_

_In the hollows of the room_

_Will create that One's doom_

_In the darkest of night_

_Only a hero can make it right_

_Yet the hero will not see_

_What One's fate is to be_

_Seven will fall should One lose sight_

_Of what awaits all in the blackest night_

The two stood there for a moment reading the message when Haru heard Sirens in the distance. "Time to go Rin. Someone called the lawmen." With that, he hooked his arm around her waist and the two fled the area.

"I'm going to kill him." Rin threatened as they left. "I'm going to kill him for what he did to those people. He thinks to challenge me? I'll show him what my fate is to be."

Haru was, for a moment sure that Rin was not the content of the message, but as he mulled it over, he realized that it could be aimed at anyone. His initial fear was that it was aimed at his father, but since the odds were heavily against another Servant from the future being summoned to this war, he had to assume that this was just a twisted Servant. A Caster maybe? Whoever it was, he would deal with the offending Servant swiftly. No-one was going to put his family at risk.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Caster stalked through the blood stained room grimacing at the sight. Whoever this Servant was, he/she was truly deranged. Pointless murders for pointless reasons. They weren't even killed to be fed upon. There was only one thing that truly puzzled her. Wiping off the blood of the victims, she noticed that many of the victims were gang members. It was strange, she swore that the Spiders were a gang based around the docks. Unless they moved over the years, these gangsters had no reason to be here. Either something had attracted them here, or they were dragged here.

She could hear the cops arriving at the house and fled the scene. If she had more time, she could have tried to determine whether the gangsters had come of their own will or not. There are many humans who would be willing to do anything for immortality, even butcher their own brothers. Perhaps... perhaps this was but the first of a chain for some sort of perverse ritual for something.

It wasn't impossible for another Servant to know magic from ages long lost. Though she was Caster, it was a possibility that there were other magic using Servants. Cu Cuchulain possessed the twelve original runes for example. Yet, the more she remembered the room, the more she couldn't see the sense in it. Magic was a highly ritualistic task that needed powerful symbols and numbers to work. That place had none of the indicators for something like that. So unless this was just one of dozens of attacks, the whole thing was just a Servant getting kicks out of killing people horribly.

As she leaped into the air, she focused power into her eyes and looked around. Her eyes widened as she saw police lights lighting up many houses in the area. She felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine thinking about the last house she was in. Somehow, she knew that those houses held their own slaughterhouses too.

She mentally calculated where the houses were and fled back to her rendezvous point to wait for Lancer. There was something foul going on, and she had to let her sister know.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shirou woke up like normal as the first rays of sun entering the window. To make up for Sakura doing everything last time, he went to the kitchen and began making breakfast. He finishes quickly and heads over to the dojo to train.

It's now time for breakfast. Sakura and Tiaga are both there ready to eat. There's just one thing left to do and then the meal may begin. A fish has to be cooked. Sakura and Shirou both head to the kitchen and begin preparing the meal. It was there that Shirou noticed a bruise on her wrist.

"Hold on Sakura," Shirou said taking her by surprise. "What's that on your wrist?"

Sakura covers the bruise with her other hand and looks down. Shinji had been rather brutal last night when Lancer and refused to sleep with him and swore that if he dared to use a command seal on her, he'd waste the other two halting her attempts to kill him.

"Shinji again? What does he think he's doing beating his sister?" Shirou said angry at Sakura's pain.

Sakura clenched her teeth, "It's okay, I just fell down. I'm a bit slow okay." The last thing she wanted was Sempai to get involved in family matters. Grandfather would kill him if he interfered in her training.

Shirou of course didn't buy it, but Sakura was able to get him to back off by insisting that she really did fall.

"Alright, I'll back off this time, but if I see it again, I won't" Shirou promised. A part of Sakura was happy that Sempai cared about her, but another feared for his life. There was much evil going on in the Matou house. Should Sempai look too deeply, grandfather would do horrible things to him and make the world believe he had just run off.

The two bring in the food to the table when the impossible happens. Taiga doesn't immediately dig in. Never before, in the history of any alternate worlds has this happened before. The mighty Tiger of Fuyuki is too engrossed to the T.V. To notice food arriving.

"Fuji-nee?" Shirau asked worried.

"Shirou," Taiga said seriously, "There will be a curfew for you. Don't stay out too long." She then turns and digs into the food at a ferocious pace unmatched by any other day before dashing off without a word. Though she may not deal with the family business and is a teacher, there are somethings that are best dealt with by the underworld.

Shirou turns to the T.V. And reads the headlines on the breaking news. 

**Gruesome Murders Across A Dozen Homes.**

**Estimated One Hundred People Killed In Horrific Manners.**

Shirou clenched his teeth as he listened to the news talking about what manner the people had been killed in. Though the news was censored for younger audiences, there was no way to cover up the horror that had sprung up in the sleepy town. Not since events ten years ago had the town seen anything like it. A few commentators were postulating that this might be the work of the same person. Other denied it as it was not involving little children, but adults and teenagers.

He could not forgive this. To kill so many people in one night. His instincts, his needs, his world was enveloped for a second at taking the fight to the one who did this.

"Sempai," Sakura said worried.

"Nani?" Shirou asked in a strange tone. It's like he was holding something back. Sempai was like this every now and then, like a tiger caged and unable to break free.

"You hurt yourself," She said worriedly.

"Huh?" He said looking at his left hand. The back of his hand had split and was bleeding. Had he clenched his fist so hard that he damaged his skin? "Ah, it's nothing. See, it's already healed." Sure enough, the wound was not bleeding anymore. Sakura let it go, but she was worried about him. Every time there was mention of war and suffering, Sempai was like a different person. Not mean or cruel, just different. Like he had found something he took personal about the news.

Shirou remained to clean up allowing Sakura to have time to get to Archery club. As soon as class started, there was an announcement overhead. "All students be advised, as of today and for the foreseeable future, all students are hereby under a curfew. No students allowed in the school past five o clock."

There was a chorus of groans from many students as this cut back their club time tremendously. Others, however, began whispering the various rumors they heard. Many of their 'horrific' theories were actually tamer than reality. The rest of the day passed with an ominous cloud overhead. Many students feared that there would be more attacks. Nothing against them of course, the human psyche blocks out such things to prevent degradation. 'It will happen to other people, never to me.' That is how people think. It is how they have to think to stay sane.

Shirou quietly went from school to his part time job to help out. However, as soon as he arrived, they sent him home, fearful that he might be attacked. They even offered to escort him home just to be safe. Shirou, of course, refused their aide as he didn't want to be a bother. He had no idea that there was a Servant keeping an eye on him at all times. Though the Servant was not always the same and not all of them were tagging off, he was probably the safest person in the city. Haru watched him when he could when not protecting Rin. Lancer watched him when her 'Master' was not ordering her around. Caster was probably the most diligent of them all covering him with her scope when she could.

And of course, one more Servant watched in the guise of ordinary men. A few times, he wondered if accelerating the scenario would be ideal, but he didn't want to mess up anything. If all needed to go as planned, he would have to wait. '_Tomorrow_' he thought, '_It happens tomorrow._' With that, the Black Knight headed for the ghettos once more. Best not to leave things to chance.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day was much like the day before. Shirou awoke from the first rays of light, though this time he had fallen asleep in his shed again. He went to the dojo to work out, only to find Sakura had started breakfast once more. Though the boy did not know it, he had already deviated from the script he should have played. Only time would tell where his path would lead him now.

Breakfast came and went, though Tiage was once more her usual self. Her father was already going to work organizing a hunt for the one who did this. Though, it appeared that another five houses were filled with fresh bodies over the night. The police were all baffled by what was happening in their town. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the attacks other than to provoke fear into the population. Perhaps that was it, perhaps this was a new form of terrorism. A new way to spread fear throughout the country. The police were already getting top analysts to go over the crime scenes trying to get any sort of clues. The only ones found so far was that whoever had done this was using a large bladed instrument. Like a sword or something like that. That, and the person was heavy, like over three hundred pounds almost four hundred. However, judging by the imprints, the person wasn't fat, more like he was wearing something heavy. Like armor.

Shirou walked to school full of more whispers an rumors. For whatever reason, the killings had lessened, but there were still as intense as ever. The whole school couldn't stop talking about the murders. And one opportunistic boy used them to his advantage.

Shirou was walking down the hallway preparing to head home. Fuji-nee and his boss had been very insistent that he stay home for a while. He was, however, blocked by the foolish failure of the Matou clan Shinji

"Yah Emiya." Shinji said "You were still here even though you had nothing to do? I envy you."

"What's up Shinji?" Shirou asked confused why Shinji was in his way. Behind Shinji were three girls that looked on Shinji with worshiping eyes.

"I need a favor. Our archery club is a mess right now. It's a bit disordered and some of the bows need strings attached. If you have time, can you do that too? You used to be a member. You should be useful to us sometimes."

"Eh?" one of the girls exclaimed, "Didn't Fujimura-sensei tell you to do that? You'll be scolded tomorrow if you don't do it properly."

"But the shop will close if he starts cleaning now." Another girl broke in. "It's fine if he does it right?"

"True," the third girl spoke up, "If he's a former member, he has free time. Have him do the work."

"I'll leave it to you then." Shinji declared as if he had already gotten Shirou to agree. "The key's in the usual place, so go ahead. You don't mind, right Emiya?" With that, he spun back to the girls. "Shall we ladies? Don't worry, if anyone attacks us, I'll deal with them personally."

From the side, hidden in astral form, Haru resisted the urge to smash the bastard's face in. as he heard his father mutter, "I have some free time, and curfew won't be for an hour, so it won't be a bad thing." The problem for Shirou was he was going through a withdrawal of sorts. He wasn't able to help anyone lately, causing him to jump at the chance to do some good, even if he was being used.

Haru ghosted over to his Master. As soon as she is alone on the roof, he talks to her, "Rin, we should come here tonight."

"Eh?" Rin said taken aback by Berserker's suggestion.

"The Servant here is honorable. It might be possible to form an alliance to deal with the murders. Two heads better than one and all that. Besides, it's clear that the Master comes to the school. Why else would there be a bounded field here?" Berserker explained.

Rin tilted her head and considered it. The idea had merit. Alone, with a Servant not known for sensing others, it would take a great deal of time tracking down the foul Servant. But with a Second Servant, the two of them could work together to take it down quickly.

"All right, let's do that." Rin agreed. Haru mentally breathed a sigh of relief. If he was here, he had a chance to protect his father when he finished cleaning hours later.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Night had fallen over the city far too quickly for Haru's liking. Rin had gone home to prepare in case the alliance proposition went awry. Haru felt that each second was a life time, each moment an eternity fearing the worst. His father was going to be there for hours working in the dojo. Helpless, vulnerable. For a moment, he considered telling Rin everything just to try to get her to let him protect Shirou, but he remembered how much of a tsundere she was. She'd spend far too long arguing with him, denying her feelings, to help his father.

So he stayed quiet begging any deity out there to let them make it in time. The school felt different at night. The barrier seemed to flare as they passed, probably telling the Servant that intruders had come to take advantage of the school as a battle zone. Shouldn't take too long for the Servant to notice.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shiji was angry at his Servant, not that it was anything new, but this time he was angry because Lancer had begun tugging on his collar. Hard. He had spilled his drink on his laugh in front of the girls. Excusing himself to clean up, he headed for the bathroom.

"What are you Doing Lancer?" Shinji hissed.

"Master, someone has gone to the school. A Master and a Servant, right now." She said urgently. She knew the date all too well and what was to happen. "Let me go, let me fight."

"No," Shinji countered, "You're my Servant, you are supposed to protect me."

"And I will Master, by killing other Servants, I protect you and bring you closer to victory," She tried.

"No," Shinji declared, "You will stay by my side and protect me until I get home. Then you can leave and fight them."

"They will be long gone Master," Lancer tried.

"Lancer, I said, you're staying here. Or do you want me to punish Sakura?" Shinji sneered.

Lancer tightened her fist for a second, then relaxed, "No, Master. Forgive me, I just want to get into the fight."

"You'll fight when I say you will Lancer." Shinji said heading back to the girls. "You're mine to use."

'_Not for long brat, not for long_.' She thought. She just hoped Caster was doing a good job keeping Father safe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She watched Rin and the Servant head towards the roof top. She was cautious of them, but it was not her intent to go out there without seeing the potential enemy. Besides, Kaa-san would never attack Tou-san while he was just a bystander. Once he was a Master was a different story, but until then Tou-san was in no danger from her.

She turned back to her Father to confirm that he was just about finished with the Archer Dojo. She turned her scope back to Kaa-san when her blood turned cold.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yo, it's a good night Ojou-chan." Cu Cuchulain stood atop the fence. His smile seemed so laid back to the undiscerning eye, but Haru could tell that the Hound of Ulster was not showing any openings.

Rin leaped back as Haru stood in front of her placing his body in front of her. Not that it would do any good against this opponent. Gae Bolg would hit her regardless if he chose to target her. Good thing Cu Cuchulain was a warrior who preferred upfront battles, no tricks, no traps, just a good old fashioned fight.

"Get to the ground Rin," Haru told her. "I'll catch you." Rin turned around and ran for the edge of the roof with mana pumped into her limbs, she leaped over the fence and fell unconcerned with the landing. If he said he'd catch her, he'd catch her. Sure enough, her fall was suddenly slowed then halted as two hands held her. She landed on her feet then dashed forward. Haru expected Cu Cuchulain to chase after them, to charge them head on. Instead, he was standing there, looking amused at the proceedings.

Rin suddenly realized how foolish they looked turning and running at the sight of the Servant. She really wanted to punch Berserker now. They had lost the initiative to look strong and had turned and fled at Berserker's insistence. They once had the ability to negotiate form a position of equality, but had just lost it in a moments flight.

"Nice moves Ojou-chan." The Servant called down to her. "I'm falling for ya already."

Rin felt her cheeks blush just a bit. Treacherous things, she was not going to hear the last of it if they allied. For a moment, she considered casting off the idea of allying just to save face, but then practicality kicked in. An ally made now would make the war a lot easier when it started.

Haru was confused why they had not been attacked. Didn't Kotomine order him to fight every Servant? Had Bazett-kaasan not been attacked this time around? If so, it would make life a lot easier and a lot harder at the same time.

The Servant leaped down easily to the ground smiling the whole way. "I wondered why some mice had come to my place, but to think that they would flee at the sight of me..." He shrugged, "Ah, this must have been a waste of time. Nothing but weaklings."

Rin clenched her teeth. Weak. They had appeared weak. It was clear that an alliance was unlikely now. "Berserker," Rin commanded, "Show him how strong you are."

"Berserker? Really?" The Servant asked doubtful. "Weakest one I ever saw."

Haru dashed forward and unleashed a combo of attacks. Each of them evaded or blocked easily with the shaft of the blade.

"What's wrong? Is that it?" Cu Cuchulain

This was his moment. Haru was sure that he could throw off Lancer in an instant. "Only one man fights like you do, Dog." Actually, he couldn't know that Lancer fought differently. The man died way too fast every time they had summoned him to tell how he fought. He just went off the image. Surely the Hound of Ulster hated to be reminded of his scorned nickname. Instead, Laner considered to block and evade with ease.

Haru knew he had to stop playing around at this point. If he wasn't beint taken seirously, then he'd have to pull out the big guns.

***snap***

Haru turned to the sound of the noise, only to see Lancer's back as the Servant had dashed forward to the sound. '_Oh shit_,' He thought. '_No,nonononono_.' He was suddenly moving forward, trying to catch up. '_How, how did he react so fast? It was like he was expecting it._'

Haru chased after Lancer who had chased Shirou into the building. Shirou's instincts had been enough to tell him to run, but not soon enough. Shirou dashed up the stairs to the third floor and fell to his knees panting at the burst of speed he had put in. If he had thought about it, he would have noticed he had moved far faster than any human could compete with.

"Yo," a sinister voice called to him. Shirou jerked back as he saw the face of the spear wielder two inches from him. "You ran pretty well for a human." He drew back his spear. "don't blame me for this, you just had bad luck."

***Shank***

Shirou looked down at his chest he could see the weapon pierce his heart. He coughed up blood once, then fell to the ground. As his head hit the ground, he swore he heard a voice much different than before whisper. "Forgive me Father, it was destined."


	19. Clan wars 4

He wanted to yell out, to scream and rage against the world for his father's fate. He contented himself with charging at the bastard who speared his father. No mercy No forgiveness. Haru brought his fist back and smashed it into 'Lancer's' face. He had the satisfaction of seeing the Irish Hero fly from the blow. Yet, Haru swore that the man had not even tried to evade it, like he was seeking redemption for the deed. The thought was considered and crushed as he saw Cu Cuchulain leap back to his feet and hold his spear at the ready. Haru advanced with his full killing intent spilling behind him. He could feel the air darken as he charged forward. For the first time since he was summoned, he felt that he had earned the right to bear the name Berserker. Once he was finished, there would be no Lancer to report back to Kotomine, just a pile of flesh once he ripped the man apart. He considered using his Noble Phantasm on the bastard, but refused to give in and let others have a share in his fight, no, his slaughter of the Hound of Ulster.

"Aah aah," Cu Cuchulain said sounding disappointed. "I even gave you a free shot and you blew it. You really are weak." Haru clenched his fists and swung at the man who evaded by the slimmest of margins. "What's that? A fly?" Cu Cuchulain mocked weaving and ducking under the attacks. Haru knew he had to calm down, to focus his energy to attack correctly, but perhaps his Mad Enhancement was interfering. Calming down was like swimming upstream a rapids in the river. He could feel it, the madness creeping into his mind threatening to consume him. Haru had no choice, he backed off lest he fall completely into madness and seal his fate for the rest of the war,

That one moment was all it took for Lancer to bail out. Cu Cuchulain smashed the windows and leaped out into the courtyard and vanished into the darkness. Haru turned as he heard his Master run up the stairs. He glanced back at his father and clenched his teeth. He had failed, he had failed completely. His father was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. Haru had never possessed any magical amulet that enhanced healing, he already had a body that naturally healed from all but the most fatal of wounds. It all came down to Rin...

She ran up to him and asked, "What happened to him?" She was, of course, referring to Cu Cuchulain, she hadn't noticed the boy behind him.

Haru pointed out the window, "Got away, but not before this..." He swept his hand towards his father. He could hear her gasped of shock and panic.

"No, you. Why'd it have to be you?" She bit her lip. She knew who he was of course. How could she not, she had first seen him with her sister in the Archery club. He had been teaching her how to properly hold the bow. She had continued to watch over her sister and had seen how much she adored the boy. And, truth be told, Rin had approved of the man. He was a good mechanic, rumor had it that he was an excellent chef, and above all, he was kind. She kept running in to him as he was helping someone out. Now that she thought about it, that was basically all the time. She tried to think of when he wasn't helping someone out, and she could only recall him when he was firing his bow back in the archery club. Otherwise, the guy was like a big HELP button of other people to use.

She had kind of admired him for it. She clenched her teeth thinking of her sister and how sad she would be with him dead. She had known the Grail Wars would be bloody, but until very recently, this war had been the exception to the rules. Servants had stayed away from the public eye scouting for each other or preparing battlegrounds for duels. It had been rather civilized for a war, but now...No, she would not let him die, not while there was something she could do. As long as she had the power, then as the supervisor of this land, she would undo the damage done to the bystanders.

"Reforge the damaged organ and replace it with a substitute to restore it," Rin muttered figuring out how to save a life. "If I succeed, I'd be accepted into the Clock Tower instantly." It was an Irony, she was going to attempt such a high power magic and she couldn't tell anyone lest the Tower comes back and kills him to keep their secrets safe. "Sorry father," Rin said as she pulled out a red arrowhead shaped jewel. "I'm going to use it."

Haru stepped out of her path and allowed her to work the magic. Before him stood a choice. He could remain silent and let his father go home unmolested, and unguarded, or he could follow him discretely and protect his father until Saber-kaasan was summoned. She had to be summoned, how could she not with Avalon inside him?

Haru considered his options as he watched Rin-kaasan work her magic to it's finest. He knew how much that pendant meant to her, even if she did not. That pendant was the second most prized item she would ever own. The first was a special diamond pendant that Tou-san gave to her on the first anniversary of their marriage. Haru remembered how she had become especially protective of it after Kiritsugu-jiji used the Alternate of it on Aurora. Ever since then,she had refused to let the younger Kiritsugu get anywhere near it.

He just hoped that red pendant would be enough in this time line to do what it should and save his father's life.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unseen by all, Caster held her hands up behind her head muttering curses as a blade was held against her neck.

"That's good sister," Assassin whispered in her ear. "Keep them there, and don't try to grab a jewel with your mouth, I would hate to have to kill you now. After all, there's still one more to be summoned, then I can kill you all."

"Who are you?" Keiko asked cursing how she had forgotten the basic tenant of a sniper, always be aware of you surroundings, especially when you have no spotter.

"They left me you know," the female voice whispered in her ear. "The two of them up and left me alone, in my prison without a care. Went off to make a better world they said. They'd make it so I never became a monster in the eyes of the world. Then left me to **rot**." That last word was filled with so much venom that it was amazing it hadn't killed Keiko yet.

"Two?" Keiko asked as her mind began putting the pieces together. "You're from the Dark Alternate." It was a statement.

"Is that what you called it?" the voice whispered amused by the title. "It is an understatement." The was a pause as Assassin remembered. "They died, so many died. Karin was strangled, Koyuki was burned alive. You? You were blown to pieces. Me? They called me a monster, locked me up in a prison for two thousand years before I finally died. Two thousand years, my only visitors were my jailors and...and." There was an audible sadness in her voice, "Kiritsugu. Even on his quests, even on his path of vengeance, he still asked for my freedom. To find redemption he had believed. Heh, I was the last family member he acknowledged, he believed in before he died. "

Keiko thought of her own experiences with Kiritsugu of her time, and the old man from what had been dubbed as the 'Normal' Alternate. That seemed right up Kiritsugu's character. Always the knight and the believer in redemption. It would probably be a good idea not to mention how one Kiritsugu had sacrificed himself to save and redeem a family member.

Assassin remained silent for a while waiting, watching. Soon, they could both feel the familiar power of Rin echoing from the school. Keiko sighed. She had failed to save her Father all because of a deranged relative from an alternate world. "Well then sister, what now?" She knew what came now, no matter how Assassin had liked, there was only one fate for her this night.

"We wait of course," Assassin said happily. "Once as many of you are here as possible, then I can kill you all. I'll kill you all, then take Tou-san for myself. Mold him into what I wish then kill everyone who ever hated me."

Right, clearly Assassin didn't get the memo. Megalomaniacs are way too cliché for this modern age. In addition, technically everyone who ever hated her never existed. *Sigh*, this is probably why they locked her up. People like Assassin are a danger to everyone and need to be either put down or locked away forever.

Keiko was unsure how long they were there waiting. It felt like hours. She knew that this was merely a stalling measure. She wasn't even sure if she could get back to her father's house in time.

Both suddenly turned their heads as a rustle of grass came to their left.

"Haaaaah," A familiar voice roared out as she blazed through the grass. Assassin barely leaped out of the way avoiding Ivone's fist. Keiko immediately flipped and landed on her feet gun held at the ready. Unfortunately, Assassin had already fled into the bushes. Following her would only be a risk for both at the moment as Lacner looked a bit tired from running full tilt from wherever she was and Caster was no speed demon.

"Are you okay sister?" Lancer asked.

"No, no I am not." Caster said sighing, "You need to hear this."

In the bushes, Assassin headed towards the next destination, intent on watching the Seventh summoning. She had been watching all of them for almost a week now since she had been summoned and incapacitated her Master. A minor magi who had lived just beyond the edge of Fuyuki. She had already determined the identity of most of the Servants present in the war. Only Rin's and that rouge Servant were unknown to her. Considering who had been summoned so far, it didn't take a genius to determine that the two were her siblings as well. She would enjoy feasting on them as well.

In the moon light, her purple hair danced in the breeze. She would have her vengeance soon enough.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shirou arrived at his home confused. Was it a dream, was it a nightmare? He had just finished up cleaning the dojo, though it had taken him longer than he expected, when he had heard a noise. The sound of metal clashing on metal. Something had warned him away, but he had ignored it in favor of seeing what was happening.

Magnificent and terrible. That is what he had seen. Two men clashing against each other. A red spear against gauntlets. He had remembered the news talking about how the victims in the slaughters had been killed by something like a spear or a sword. The news had also mentioned something about how he was probably wearing some type of armor. Armor, possibly like that blue one on the man with a red spear. He could feel something in him, an innate hatred for the spearman. A hero fought murderers, beat them, sometimes killed them. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He hated his powerlessness. He shifted his feet trying to get a better angle.

*Snap*

Shirou froze for but a moment as he had stepped on a twig. A sound that had immediately drawn the spearman towards him. Instinct took over, he fled. Running, running for his life knowing he will be killed. The world had seemed to flow beneath his legs as he ran. It seemed like he was going faster than ever, but it must have been his imagination. He ran, ran into the school an up the stairs losing the guy, or so he had thought.

He could still hear the man talking to him.

_"Yo," a sinister voice called to him. "You ran pretty well for a human. Don't blame me for this, you just had bad luck."_

He held a hand to his chest where he had felt the spear go through him. Yet, as he had looked at the spear, he swore he saw a sword take it's place. It was a beautiful sword, covered in marks that looked familiar for some reason, and the forging. Magnificent. If that sword had a name, it had to be _Honor_. Nothing else could fit such a noble weapon.

Shirou pulled himself out of reminiscing as he entered the living room. He felt so tired, he collapsed on the ground. "So, I almost died," He muttered, "No, I actually did die." He remembered hearing a voice talking over him, talking about saving him. Who was that? He had to thank them properly.

A wave of pain filled his chest where his heart is. That spear/sword or whatever it was, it did a real number on him. He stands up, resisting the agony. "Damn, I'll have nightmares about this for a long time." He muttered. He takes some deep breaths and watches as his world restores itself. "Good, that's better at least."

The building suddenly goes dark and the bells begin shaking sending a loud noise through the house. That sound, that means someone is here, breaking and entering his house.

"A burglar at this time?" Shirou whispers. He realizes his foolishness, it's not a burglar, it has to be that man. That man has come to make sue that he stays dead. That man is making sure that there are no witnesses, it is obvious. Why else would he disengage from the hooded man and focus on Shirou? Shirou grits his teeth. This is the second time he's going to get killed. What has he been doing all this time if he was going to die here?

No, he won't allow it. He will fight, fight and survive. He will not die today.

"All right, let's do this." He begins to look around the room for a weapon, then freezes.

There he is, the spearman. how long has he been there?

"Yo, took you long enough. I thought I was going to grow old waiting for you to look around." The man says bored. Shirou flinched from the sting. "Well?" The spearman asks, "Aren't you going to get a weapon?"

Shirou blinks for a moment.

"Ahhhh," The spearman sighs, "I hate killing people unarmed. Just get something." Shirou is taken aback by the man's willingness to give Shirou a chance, but looks around quickly. A weapon, he needs a weapon.

"What are you doing?" the spearman asks sharply. "You're a magus, make a weapon or something. Don't jury rig it."

Impossible, there's no way he can create a weapon. That's high level magic if not sorcery. Kiritsugu, his father, had been adamant that it was impossible to do, so Shirou had stopped trying.

"Hurry hurry hurry," The spearman says advancing. Shirou steps back, wondering what the man wants from him. He can't create something from nothing. Now, if he had that sword, _Honor_, that would give him a chance.

"Just think of something," the spearman says backing Shirou up against the sliding window. "Any weapon and make it. You should be able to do it magus."

Just think of something, like it's that easy. It would take several steps to make a weapon. **Judging the concept of creation, hypothesizing the basic structure, duplicating the composition material, imitating the skill of its making, sympathizing with the experience of its growth, reproducing the ****accumulated years, excelling every manufacturing process**, and then **executing the actual projection** itself. Impossible.

"Good job," The spearman complimented.

Shirou blinked at that, then looked at his hand. A sword, a sword is in his hand. Had he created it without noticing. A sharp pain runs through his body. Yes, he had created it, but it had cost his body something. His arm felt like it was on fire. But at least he had a sword. Yet, he can tell it's no where near what it should be. It's hollow, he got the image right, but he failed to create it fully.

The spearman flicks his lance and shatters the sword instantly. "Too bad, that's not enough." he kicks Shirou through the glass "Try again, next time I'll cut you if you fail."

"Trace on," Shirou said feeling the hammer of the gun slam inside him. He felt the iron rod plunge into his back.

"Oi oi, stop using your nerves boy, you'll kill yourself." The spearman said slashing Shirou's chest.

"Gaah," Shirou said feeling the burn.

"Hurry hurry hurry. The night won't be for much longer." the spearman said advancing. "Shall I give you a hint." Shirou felt himself backing towards his shed from the sheer presence of the man.

"I am the bone of my Sword." The spearman chanted. "Steel is my body, and Fire is my blood."

Shirou felt something scratching at the back of his head. Something old, yet new. Like it's always been there, yet being born at the same time. Behind him unseen a summoning circle began glowing, calling to one who was now needed.

"I have created over a thousand blades." The spearman said forcing Shirou back step by step towards the shed. "Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain. Withstood pain to create many weapons." Shirou could feel it, this chant, this aria was familiar, very familiar. It seemed to call to him.

"Waiting for one's arrival I have no regrets." The spearman said as Shirou's back was now against the door. "This is the only path." Shirou brain was on fire now. He knew this aria, he knew it. It was his life, it was his existence. Why? Why was the spearman so familiar with it? The spearman dashed forward too fast for Shirou to follow and kicked him into the shed. "My whole life was unlimited Blade Works."

Shirou was gasping for air, not from the blow to his chest, but form the sheer power that came from those words. Words that could create worlds, words that could defy fate, words that were his and his alone. He felt a bright light by his side but he could not focus on it.

He scrambled back, trying to get away from the pain in his head and the spearman. It hurt, it hurt too much. The spearman held up his spear, "Don't blame me, this was destined. If not me, then another would have." The spear flies forward. The circle glows bright, then twin swords block it's path.

The spearman leaps back to avoid the swords.

Shirou's world stops.

The wind is strong today, the clouds drift aside and the moon is revealed. The silver light shines into the shed illuminating the woman. For a moment, a thousand girls stand in the same spot. A newborn babe, a child wearing a dirty dress, a teenager wearing a kendo uniform, a young woman with two swords and a small pendant on her chest, a middle aged woman holding a freshly bleeding stump of a right arm, an old woman tired but eager looking forward with determination. All these images converge into one showing a woman, probably in her twenties wearing a strange, yet familiar looking outfit. It is a leather armored vest with urban camouflage painted sleeves black leather pants with a camo short cape hung at her waist. In her hands are twin swords that seem to call to him. Beautiful like that of the sword he had seen earlier.

If he had to name them, they should be called _Soul_ and _Heart_. Twin swords that should never be parted for the loss of one would mean the destruction of the other.

Her hair is blond with beautiful brown eyes that seem to have the weight of ages held within them. "I ask of you, are you my Master" She asks.

"Huh? Ma...ster?" Shirou asks stunned. He can only repeat her words back. He has no clue who the woman is, only that she is the same as the man outside.

She smiles at him, Shirou's worries seem to dim in that smile. That smile is like a ray of hope in a sea of despair, a cup of ice water in a desert, a warm blanket in the cold "I am Servant Archer, I have come forth in response to your summons. Please give me an order Master."

Shirou's hand suddenly pulses with pain as three symbols that together look like a sword appear on the back of his hand.

"From this time forth, my sword shall be with you and your fate shall be with me. Now, our contract is complete." With that, she turns to the man outside. The air seems to darken as her once kind smile has become something far more malevolent.

"Contract?" What are you talking about." Shirou gasps out. Too much has happened today, he can't keep up with everything.

"Don't worry," She said giving him the kind smile before turning back to the man and her smile becomes a thing of nightmares, "I will take care of this and return." As she passed through the door, Shirou swore he heard her say, "I'm home father."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu felt his blood turn cold as he stared at the one before him. Only one word went through his mind.

'Chiyo,

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(right, hope you guys like it since I won't be able to update for a bit. Not sure why you guys were guessing Archer's identity, it had been picked months ago by you guys. Meh, whatever. So, all but one of the Servants is known, and you all have a good hint as to who she is. What will happen next? Only I will know... Please give feed back and let me know what you think. Oh, and before any sickos ask, no Shirou will not fall in love with Chiyo like he did with Saber. Just watch, not all will be as you think.)


	20. Clan wars 5

Man Plans, Fate Laughs -unknown

Of course, of course the Root had it out for him. Here he was, thirty nine different plans made for the best result in this war, and the Root shot them all down with one act. Kiritsugu felt like smashing his head against a post as everything made sense to him. Lancer, that was Ivone. That was why she had looked so familiar. That gunman, who else but Keiko fired magic bullets? The hooded Berserker, only Haru and Dante had weapons like that, and that was definitely not Dante. The whole lack of guns and giant sword gave it away. And now, Chiyo was Archer and summoned by Tou-san. What's next Ichigo as Saber? Karin as Assassin? Hell, why not have Eiko summoned in the Fourth war in place of Gilgamesh just to make his life a living hell.

He dodged a swing from one blade and barely blocked the second. No matter what anyone said about her, Chiyo was anything but the weakest of the clan. Her swordsmanship was probably the third or fourth best in the clan. Only He, Takeshi, and sometimes Arika were better than her at swordsmanship. Still, as a Servant, she must have gotten some sort of enhancements. True, she is Archer in this war, the natural prey for Riders, but there are always exceptions to the rules. Besides, if she was like he remembered...

Chiyo flipped a sword in the air and reached for her belt faster than the normal eye could see. Kiritsugu instantly leaped back and shielded his eyes as a stun grenade went off at point blank range. Kiritsugu didn't bother opening his eyes as he knew a second one was already on it's way towards him as well as either a sound grenade or a frag grenade. No matter the age, Chiyo was almost unmatched at traps. Heck, her against an army, and he'd bet on her one hundred percent of the time. Still, if you knew her patterns, she was fairly easy to deal with-

*Clang* Sword collided with 'spear' a hair's breath from his neck. Of course, traps were the least of his problems right now. He opened his eyes and grinned looking at her serious face. Again and again their weapons collided. Kiri knew he could force her back, but it would reveal that he was not using a spear, but a sword distorted to look like a spear.

In his head new plans were beginning to form. If the Servants were mostly, if not all, children of Shirou, then several things needed to happen, and above all, some must die. The world cannot endure an endless Grail War. Even if they all ceased to fight, someone, somewhere would get a hold of one of the Masters and use them as leverage to continue the war. Instead of a few weeks of combat, the War could be drawn out for years, maybe decades. Kaa-san had been able to remain under the radar from the Tower because she had lost a great deal of her power when the Grail ceased to support her. As long as Kaa-san had not fought, the magi had ignored her and saw nothing more than a woman.

Well, most magi anyway. Nothing got past the Magicians.

***Smash, Clang, Slam, Bang***

Again and again they clashed weapons. Kiri had to refrain from biting his lip. She was good, there was no doubt of that. The problem was he was at a major disadvantage. He dared not to use his Mana Burst or his true skill lest he give himself away. If he had to reveal himself, he would do it on his terms.

*Bang*

"What's wrong Lancer?" Chiyo mocked him, "Where is the fabled ability of the Lancer class."

"Like you're one to talk Oujo-chan, since when does an Archer use swords?" Kiri countered with Cu Cuchulain's image.

"Is it required I use a bow?" Chiyo mocked as she nearly sliced his leg. "Many an Archer had to be as good with the blade as a bow."

_'True enough,' _Kiri thought thinking of the previous Archers Counter Guardian Emiya and Gilgamesh. "Ah well," Kiri said aloud, "This is interesting anyway."

"As expected of a fool," Chiyo said dropping a smoke bomb while slashing. "No tactics, no strategy." The smoke bomb burst covering the area with thick black smog. Kiri closed his eyes and continued to fight.

"What's this?" He mocked, "Trying to blind me? Interesting." He grinned harder. Back and forth they danced their dance of life and death. Neither of them bothered using their full abilities and instead focused on seeing what could faze the other. Kiritsugu was pleased to see his 'weak' little sister had become so strong. She had always believed that she was the weakest of them all. He never believed it for a minute. Though she lacked the advantages of her siblings lacking magic and alien abilities, she had more than made up for it with raw skill and talent.

Again and again they fought for several long minutes uncaring for what might lay beyond the walls. Had they focused a bit more they would have heard a second battle just outside the residence.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Haru punch and kicked at his opponent as fast as he could, yet the enemy was using her innate speed and unmatched flexibility to evade every attack. Haru was curious of his opponent. He knew it was Assassin of course, who else could sneak up on him like that. Nearly killed Rin when he back was unguarded. Too bad for his opponent he had been faster.

The woman, and he could tell she was a woman easily from her breasts was wearing a strange outfit. It looked like a skin tight black straight jacket covered in black belt buckles The jacket had covered the lower half of his opponent's face leaving only a hole where the mouth was. Assassin was also wearing ridiculous looking black goggles that obscured the eyes. The only distinguishing feature was her long purple hair. Assassin chose to attack with her shoes that were lined with bladed wheels that reminded him of the old manga Air Gear. One her hands were claw like gauntlets that kept trying to rip his eyes out. On her forearms were metal guards that held spikes designed to stop a blade. He was reminded of shinobi from the look of them.

Again and again he tried to hit her, and again she evaded. At least she hadn't been able to land a blow on him either. Whoever this one was, she was good. Still, if this was a match to the death, Haru was sure that he would come out on top. Unfortunately, this was merely a delaying tactic. She had said at the beginning of the match to "Do not Interfere." She had said it was such venom that it seemed like it was personal.

At least judging by the explosions that seemed to emanate from the Emiya residence, Saber-kaasan was giving Lacner a hell of a time. That small consolation allowed him to concentrate fully on his enemy and not worry about his father. If Saber-kaasan was summoned, then there wouldn't be a problem for a little while.

At least until she tried to kill him. Oh boy, this was going to get awkward fast. The good news is that she should remember him since she would not enter the Throne until she had died. Therefore, she would remember the son of Altrouge. At least that was what he hoped. It could be that he was summoned in an alternate world with an Alternate Saber-kaasan who would not know him and therefore fight him. **That** would be really awkward; and painful.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu jumped back a great distance evading an overhead swing. He relaxed his stance a bit and asked, "I'll ask you just in case since this is our first meeting. Do you want to call it even?" He shifted his stance so that the spear was pointing to the ground. A signature move for the Hound of Ulster. "It's not a bad deal right? Ya see...that Master of your is useless and out of his depth, and my Master is a coward. I think it's in both out interests to hold off this match until we're better prepared.'

Chiyo stopped and considered her options. Lancer had clearly been holding back. Now, however, he was preparing to use his Noble Phantasm to kill her. Unlike Saber-kaasan who had an inhuman level of Instinct to let her avoid an instant killing blow, she did not possess such an ability. In addition, she already knew who his Master was while Tou-san was probably confused out of his mind. Besides, there were two more Servants outside the Residence. She sighed then relaxed.

"Very well, but let's not call it a draw, lets just say the battle is on hold." She offered. She knew it would appeal to him. Honestly, she and the rest of her siblings respected the man from what they had been told about from his actions in the Fifth Grail War. Betrayed by Kotomine he stabbed himself in the heart, yet had the sheer will to continue to live long enough to kill Kotomine and chase off Shinji. A man like that deserved to have his one wish fulfilled. A good fight.

She watched as he raised his spear until it rested against his chest. "Good idea Ojou-chan. Well then, until we can continue the battle." He turned and hopped over the walls and fled the area. She turned back to her father who comes out of the shed.

"Who are you?" He asks.

"Servant Archer," She replies calmly smiling her soothing smile at him. "I apologize, but it's a bit complicated Master. For now, just call me Archer."

"Archer." He said tasting the word on his mouth. "I am Shirou, Emiya Shirou, and I live in this house." She smiles as he stumbles over what he's trying to get across. She knew what his smile was doing to him. Yet, she couldn't help but smile. She was here, where it all began. Where everything about Tou-san truly began and eventually lead to her. Yet, she also felt such sadness. His hopes, his dreams, they had died on that fateful day. The day Ichigo died.

"Ah actually," He said interrupting her thoughts, "I take it back, what I really want to ask you is..."

She held her hand up stopping his rambling. He was kind of cute when he was flustered really. "I know, you're not a formal Master, you're out of your depth. Don't worry, as long we maintain our contract, I will not betray you. You needn't be cautious of me Master."

"Ah um," He is trying to gather his thoughts. He hasn't had enough years to take surprises in stride yet. "My name isn't Master."

"Then would you prefer if I called you Emiya-san or Shirou-san?" she asked. Unlike Saber-kaasan she understood what leaving out the honorifics meant in Japanese culture. Saber-kaasan...a horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. If she was here, taking Saber's place, then this War had been thrown completely out of the water. Any script for this war was useless to compare to. Without her, the future was uncertain...and Kiri and Arika were never going to exist. Her heart wept for them. The twins had been good support for her and the clan. Even if Kiritsugu was the worst cook in the world.

"Ah um, either is fine then." Shirou answered.

"Then I will go with Shirou-san." she said. She continued to listen to the battle outside the house. Though hard to hear, the two were still going at it. That suited her fine. The more they tired themselves out, the easier it would be to intervene.

She stopped thinking and focused on Tou-san when he cried out and held his hand as the command seals burned themselves onto his hand. "Those are Command Seals Shirou-san. I'll explain them later, but basically they are trump cards, and you only have three of them."

She then held her hand out to him, "Shirou-san, please grab my hand ,there is something you need to see."

"Huh? Nani-" She grabbed his hand and leaped in the air dragging him with her. The two landed no the walls and looked on as they saw a hooded man fight a woman in a straightjacket.

"Wha..what is this?" He asked aloud. Below them, the two beings that felt like Archer and that Lancer stopped and looked at him. The woman fled in an instant, but the hooded man did something else entirely.

"Chiyo?" the Hooded man asked staring at Archer.

Archer blinked then held a grenade up, "Who are you?"

To answer her question, the hooded man pulled back his hood and revealed a gray haired man with red eyes. His very being exhumed power.

"Haru-nii?" Archer said surprised.

"What's going on Berserker?" a fourth person asked in the shadows.

"Long story Rin." Haru called back. "You should come out. Things just got interesting."

Rin stepped out of the shadows and looked up.

"Eh? T-tohsaka?" Shirou stammered.

"Good Evening Emiya-kun." Rin said pleasantry. "So you're a Master too huh?'

"Eh? Um." Shiro uwas at a loss of words.

"He's not a formal Master Rin." Chiyo filled her in. "He probably doesn't have any idea on what is going on."

"Ah." Rin said then looked at Berserker. "You two seem to know each other."

"I should, she's my little sister." Haru responded.

"Eeeeh?" Shirou exclaimed, "you don't look alike at all."

"Different mothers" Haru explained, "Long story. You might learn about it one day."

Chiyo smiled her warm smile. Rin felt her mistrust lessen in the presence of that smile form the pure kindness

"She doesn't seem that strong Berserker." Rin commented.

"Ha," Haru barked, "She's a one woman army. She hunts Dead Apostles for week long excursions. Hell, she could put the burial squad out of business in a year."

Rin recalculated that and found herself nodding. "Yes, this could work." She smiled, "This is interesting. She began walking towards the house, "Let's discuss this inside."

"ah. Um, eh." Shirou was trying to get everything processed, but there had been just too many surprises.

Chiyo held his hand, "Don't worry, Rin is a splendid Magus, she should be able to explain everything."

She was about to take him down from the wall when something slammed into the wall next to them embedding itself within. Chiyo acted instantly pushing him off the wall and pulled out her swords. "Who's there?" Nothing answered her. She looked and saw that Haru had thrown his body atop his Master protecting her.

Chiyo when to the impact site and found that it was a rock with a message written hastily on it.

_Seven Serpants have gathered tonight._

_Each ready to test their wits and might._

_Full of confidence and plans are they_

_Each prepared for what comes after today_

_Yet, blind are they to the doom_

_That comes for each of them soon_

_Only united will they see_

_The fate that all should be_

_Doomed are they lest they unite_

_Against what lurks in the blackest of night_

Chiyo carefully folded the note. This needed to be analyzed later. Right now, the safety of the Masters was paramount. Then, she would deal with the contents of the note. She leaped back behind the wall and grabbed Shirou dashing into the House with Haru beside her holding Rin.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu watched them from his hiding spot. Content that the ball was now rolling. They would soon see who they were fighting, then the alliance would be obvious. Now, he just had to play his part and the scenario would play out fairly well. "I will not ask forgiveness." he whispered, "I am already kinslayer. Only in death is there redemption."

Unseen to him, Assassin heard his words. Though she did not know who he was, she found him interesting. She opted to wait and see what he would do before she killed him. He was too open, too trusting of his environment. She smirked, she wondered how his blood tasted. Would it be sweet and innocent, coarse and evil, or bitter and cynic? She couldn't wait.

She did wonder what the note he threw said. She'd have to investigate herself in the fullness of time. But first, time to see who he works for. She watched him go, always shifting into the shadows or taking shapes of ordinary people. She was impressed by this. Had he possessed a shred of Conceal Presence, she was sure that she would have lost him. But, because he did not, no matter what form he wore, he was like a beacon to her always. She followed him as he weaved and whirled through the city almost at random, but...she noticed a pattern. He was circling something. Circling something in the middle of the two cities. Was it his Master? Was it a base? She was intrigued as she followed him. She had grown to love the hunts, the silent stalking.

The mortals were...boring. They were like sheep to be culled, but this one...this one was like a prize fox. Doubling back, making false tracks, yet a patient huntress could see through them if she was careful. She watched as he crossed the bridge again heading back to Fuyuki city. This time, he was suddenly going straight. Unwavering or altering his path. She smiled, it seems his paranoia had run out. Everything else must have been a ruse to lead to this position. Of course, why hadn't she seen it. Like a fox, he goes around avoiding his home leaving foolish hunters assuming that there is something precious elsewhere.

She smiled as she tracked him to the church. So, he was Kotomine's dog. That was interesting, that explains much to her. She considered making him an offer, she would kill Kotomine and he would serve her, but she would never do that to any of the retched clan. They condemned her, they cast her into a pit where she never saw light. They kept telling their children horrible stories about her ever increasing her infamy. And when Haru and Reiko abandoned them to go make a better time line, they turned to her. Oh the irony, the monster was their only hope to regain power.

She had feasted well on their bodies before she died. Oh of course she had waited, acted like their little dog, but she remembered Kiritsugu. She remembered the horror in his eyes as he sat in her cell looking at his hands all but convinced that they were permanently stained in blood. She remembered, and she had her vengeance. Most, if not all Magi in the family were dead, the Sekirei had fled into the forests, those that had not been terminated anyway. It took the one who possessed the Fifth to take her down, and it had cost him his life in the process.

She decided she had seen enough. Time to go back to Tou-san and see what her Siblings were going to do to alter the time line.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shirou sat there taking it all in. Servants, Masters, the Holy Grail. Rin's explanation had been highly detailed, but the whole thing made him feel disgusted. People were being killed just to obtain such a thing. If no one had died, he might have been interested in the Grail, but after the recent murders, he held nothing but scorn for such a thing.

An abomination this War was. Fighting and killing was not his way. Not his ideal. He wanted to save people, to help them in their need, not kill them for selfish desires.

Rin was also thinking many things at the same time. Shirou was a third, if not fourth rate magi with the most screwed up training she had ever seen. She didn't hate him for it, but she did hate the one who taught him. Such half-assed training was almost guaranteed to kill apprentices. Reinforcement, she had thought that was such a worthless skill, until Berserker pointed out he knew an entire family that had taken that basic spell and almost made it into sorcery. Whoever that family was, she did not want to face them in hand to hand combat. She knew kenpo to protect herself, but a family that had taken Reinforcement to such a level would be monsters in the field.

She also thought that Structural Analysis was a useless magic, but Berserker was insistent that he knew an Incarnation, a magus that was lucky enough to be completely in tune with a unique affinity that he were considered a sorcerer in his own right, that relied on that spell to work. Of course, said Incarnation was able to use a Reality Marble, but Shirou didn't look that talented.

Still, the fact that the two Servants were relatives struck her as a lucky break. The two probably knew each other so well that they could cover each other's weaknesses. She looked around at the room and saw signs of struggle. "Emiya-kun, were you fighting someone?"

"No, Lancer just beat me up." Shirou answered.

Rin smiled lightly, "Hmm, so you don't show off. I see, I see, you're just like you appear Emiya-kun." She approved of his attitude. No boasts, no bragging, just the honest truth no matter how bad it made him look. A rare person indeed.

"It's strange though," Shirou continued. "The first time I saw him, he didn't show any mercy, but the second time, he waited till I armed myself. Said he hated killing unarmed people."

Archer and Berserker thought that was fairly accurate for Lancer actually. He was an honorable person when he wasn't being ordered by an amoral priest.

Shirou went on, "As I was looking for a weapon, he yelled at me, told me to just make one instead of jury rig."

Archer and Berserker both suddenly inhaled sharply. This was not right, this was not right at all.

Shirou went on without notching the Servant's reactions. "He just told me to think of a weapon and make it. Of course that's impossible, you have to judge the concept of creation, hypothesize the basic structure, duplicate the composition material, imitate the skill of its making, sympathize with the experience of its growth, reproduce the accumulated years, excel every manufacturing process, and then execute the actual projection."

You'd think at this point that Shirou would notice how all three of his guests were looking at him like he had grown a third head. Two of them because they knew that was the exact process their father needed to create a weapon, while Rin looked at him like a chimpanzee had suddenly written quantum mechanics.

"As I thought about this, a sword was suddenly in my hand. I still have no idea how I did that." Shirou finished.

"Emiya-kun," Rin said carefully. She didn't want to lose this precious tidbit of knowledge. This was too good a discovery to pass up. "Could you try it again?"

Shirou nodded then began inserting the mental metal rod down his spine. "Trace on," Before he could get too far, Archer and Berserker both slapped him.

"Stop!" They both yelled. Rin found she herself was about to slap him as well. She could tell exactly what he was about to do and it frightened her. How had his teacher not noticed? Emiya-kun was channeling his Prana through his nerves instead of his circuits. The fact that he did that naturally scared her as he should already be dead or crippled.

Archer was the first to collect herself. "Shirou-san, please refrain from doing that again, you're performing magic so dangerously, it will kill you."

Rin nodded, "How dare he, how dare your teacher let this happen."

"Oi, he was against me learning," Shirou countered.

"That's no excuse," Berserker added his two cents, "Once he started, he needed to do the best he could at teaching. Not letting his son and student attempt to kill himself every time he tried to perform magic."

Rin stood up suddenly, "Berserker, we're heading to my house. Emiya-kun, Archer-san please follow me. We're going to correct this right away."

"Eh?" the three asked in various degrees of surprise. Shirou's being the most of them all.

"Um Rin, you're not going to get them confirmed by the supervisor of the war?" Haru asked. True, the Grail Wars script had gone out the window, but some things might need to follow the old script anyway.

"The priest can wait." Rin said angrily, "This is an outrage that needs to be fixed now." She stormed out of the house with the other three trailing along carefully lest the wrath of Rin fall upon them as well. Yet, Berserker smiled as he heard her mutter in a voice so low only he could hear.

"After all, I can't let him die. He is my ally."

Tsundere till the end. Never gets old.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well Rider, what have you to report?" Kotomine asked.

"Servant Archer has just been summoned by a boy, Emiya Shirou." Kiritsugu answered.

"Emiya." Kotomine said with eyes that widened for just a moment. It was clear he knew the significance of that name.

"Archer is...strange." Kiritsugu siad, "Relies on twin swords for combat with a few explosive balls...grenades I believe the word is."

"Oh, what a strange combination." Kotomine said with a smirk. "This war is interesting. A Rider without a mount. A Lancer without a spear, a Caster with a gun, a sane Berserker, and an Archer that uses swords. How interesting."

_'Rider without a mount?' _Kiritsugu thought. Then it dawned on him, if he was truly a stock hero, there would be nothing for him to ride. The true Black Knight, the figure of myth and legend has never been mentioned with a legendary horse. Half the time, he's not even riding the horse. The other half, he just rides a black colored mount.

Kiritsugu smiled. All the better to hide his trump cards.

"Continue your mission Rider." Kotomine ordered. "Find the last two Servants and gauge their ability."

Kiritsugu bowed, "As you order Master."

With that he turned heel and left the church. He then went back to going random directions. This time, his instincts were not screaming that he was being watched. Whoever that Assassin was, she had been good, but she had slipped up once. He had caught her, almost by chance in the reflection of a window. He had originally planned on going straight to Bazett, but once he had glanced at Assassin, that he had to delay his plans.

This time, he went to a convenience store and bought a few box meals with the money he had taken from the thugs he had murdered. Then, he had wandered a bit, eating one of the box lunches along the way making sure one last time that he was not being followed or watched by a Servant. When he felt that it was safe, he went to the wrecked ship.

He knocked three times then two followed by four in a pattern that Bazett would recognize as another freelancer asking permission to enter the safe house of another. Freelancers had to develop such signals lest they kill each other when not on the job.

Sure enough, Bazett peeked out of the door and stared at his armored form.

"Good evening Former Master, may I come in?" he asked.

"Rider?" Bazett asked cautiously. She knew he had warned her that he was compromised, but the knock was one that signified that he had no intent to kill her. Any freelancer who broke that trust of a knock was soon considered a pariah among their kind and hunted down on sight.

Kiritsugu held out the box lunches. "Thought you might want something different." Bazett unlocked the door and asked, "You were a freelancer?"

Kiritsugu shrugged "Sort of, it's a long story. One you need to hear. Someone needs to understand how messed up this war has become and what better person than the one who has been taken out of the war early on."

With that, he entered the room and began to tell a story. The story of a boy who was distorted, of a Grail War that was very different than this alternate one. Of the boy becoming a man, making alliances and marriages with many woman, and the world as it might have been.

It was a long night in that ruined ship.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Right, hope you guys enjoyed it. Send me feedback.)


	21. Clan wars 6

_The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but heaven's door is barred to sinners. So where does the soul of a soldiers go at the end?_

"I Believe you." Bazett said when he finished his tale.

"Oh? That was fast, what convinced you?" Kiritsugu asked taken aback by how easily she accepted his tale.

Bazett stood up and walked over to him, she pointed at a small glyph prominent just over his heart. "Every Fraga is given a unique mark upon birth to use when they create something. That one is mine, the one below it I don't know, but the one above is mine."

"Huh, didn't know that." Kiritsugu admitted looking at the marks. He had assumed that it was just anothercouple of runes like the hundreds of others found on the inside of his armor that granted him protection, speed, power, and lightness.

"Only a Fraga would know," Bazett told him.

"Is there any odds that a future Fraga would have the same rune?" Kiritsugu asked.

Bazett waved her hand, "Not unless you're tens of millenia from the future, which I doubt the freelancer signs would remain the same."

"I see...that makes life easy. I had planned to start revealing private things like your stuffed moose's name and what went wrong on your first mission." Kiritsugu said a bit depressed. He had wanted to see her expression when he pulled out such trivial nonsense.

"Wouldn't work for me, you could have bribed or spied upon our family." Bazett countered.

"How about the complete process to make a Fragarach?" Kiritsugu asked

"Don't know," Bazett answered honestly, "Does it matter?"

"No, not really. Just wish I knew how to make it." Kiritsugu asked with a smile, though she could not see it with his helmet.

Bazett smiled herself, "There is just one thing, you mentioned your siblings and their mothers, but what about you? Where do you fit in?"

Kiritsugu sighed, "I possess a most unique Noble Phantasm." He explained. "So long as I do not reveal my name, use my other Noble Phantasms, or my identity is revealed by someone, I can use it. Once my name is revealed, I am unable to use it for the duration of the Summons."

"Interesting," Bazett said placing her hand under her chin, she thought about it for a minute then asked, "How long does it usually take before you lose the ability to use it?" It sounded like a Noble Phantasm that was only good for initial forays and scouting, but was quickly nullified once the conflict escalated.

"Depends on the conflict. Sometimes years, sometimes minutes. If I have been summoned more than once to the world, not long." Kiritsugu admitted. Getting summoned by Louise six times had basically made it impossible to use **Unknown Ability** in that world.

Kiritsugu stopped thinking back to old times when he saw Bazett pacing. "What's on your mind?" He asked curious.

"It doesn't make sense," She said simply. "Why are we not summoning our proper Servants. The catalyst are perfectly aligned with Servants of old, and we have our own children, but why did we summon others?"

Kiritsugu thought about it and agreed that it was strange. He knew that the earring was once Cu Cuchulain's as they had summoned him later in an attempt to have him baby sit...didn't work out very well. In addition, Ivone should have been summoned by her mother and Reiko by Rin. Shirou...well honestly any of them could have been summoned by him, but Avalon should have summoned Kaa-san anyway.

"If the catalysts are correct, but the Servants are not, only one thing makes sense," Bazett concluded, "There's something wrong with the Grail."

"What? Besides having Angra Mainyu inside it tainting the Grail?" Kiritsugu asked deadpanned.

Bazett shook her head, "No, that can't be it. The status of the Grail determines what kind of Servants are summoned." Bazett went on. "When it was corrupted, it allowed corrupted Servants into the War. That much is obvious from what you're telling me. So, if this war is full of the children of Emiya Shirou, then that must mean that somehow, he is affecting the Grail."

Kiritsugu analyzed Bazett's hypothesis and agreed with her. No matter how good the catalyst is, the Grail is truly the one that ultimately decides who is summoned. "There's just one flaw in your theory. If my Father was somehow connected to the Grail, it would have still caused you to summon your daughter Ivone. Yet, you got me. Rin should have summoned her daughter, but another summoned her first. Finally, Sakura should have summoned Sakuya. I'm not sure, but if the pattern still holds, then Ivone was summoned by her instead." 

"What about the one your father summoned?" Bazett asked trying to analyze a pattern.

"Chiyo? No, she makes sense to a degree. She possess something powerful made by Tou-san." He pointed to the pendant hanging around Bazett's neck. "I gained it after she died." He admitted. "In addition, she is probably the closest in mentality compared to Tou-san. Me, I took on a bit more of my mother than Father."

Bazett nodded then sat back on her pallet, "This has been interesting Rider, but it's probably best if you leave me to think. Besides, shouldn't you get back to you..." Her face contorted into disgust, "Master?"

Kiritsugu nodded and stood, "While I do not have to report to him, it would be best if I did not come back here again for some time." With that, he pulled out a map he had obtained earlier and marked three different places on it. He then scribbled a few notes on each place. He handed the map back to her.

"There's an old lifeboat on this wreck. It's leaky, but it should get you to shore. Leave here within a day or two. These places and times are where I will try to be, but I cannot guarantee I will be there. Call sign will be the question, 'What would you say is the darkest night in this city?' The response will be 'The night a priest decides to go to war.' Understood?"

Bazett read over the map and memorized the contents before crumpling the map. "Got it. Good luck Rider."

"Thank you." He said as he turned back towards the rising sun and hopped a great distance back to land.

Unknown to him, the news was filled with another three houses full of corpses. This time, children and old people had been involved. These ones had been residents of the houses rather than unknown strangers who were suddenly found in houses. Was it a copycat? Or was the murderer branching out?

Shirou stumbled home after the strangest night in his life. First he had been impaled by a spear that was no spear. At least, he thought it was. No matter how he had looked at it, the spear kept shifting into a blade. Then he ended up facing the spearman again and was somehow able to create a blade while listening to poetry that made his head ache.

That poem, even though he had heard it once, he still remembered it.

_I am the bone of my Sword_

_Steel is my body, and Fire is my blood _

_I have created over a thousand blades _

_Unaware of loss _

_Nor aware of gain. _

_Withstood pain to create many weapons _

_Waiting for one's arrival I have no regrets _

_This is the only path _

_My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works _

Just thinking about it made him shudder. What was that? What was that poem? It seemed so familiar, yet that was impossible. His body was not a sword, he had not created any blades before this night. Loss? Gain? One's arrival? Such a strange poem, yet so alluring. So tempting to use for his magic.

After the poem, he had summoned a beautiful girl who fought off the spearman and introduced him to the Grail War. In addition, her brother, a strange man to bear the name Berserker as he seemed very much sane, and Rin turned out to be participants in this war. Somehow, he had been dragged by Rin back to her house and fed a jewel to open his magic circuits. To think, he was doing wrong the whole time. Not just wrong, so wrong that he was beyond lucky to be alive. Yet, he felt that he had been doing it right the whole time, especially when he made that sword.

Rin had negotiated with Archer without his say so and the two had agreed to a ceasefire and tentative alliance for a few days until the situation was made clear. It appeared that Archer shared his disgust with how all the people were being killed and was more than willing to work together with her brother and Rin, at least for a time. Now, after coming back Home, Shirou collapsed in relief as the stress of the day had finally caught up with him. He needed a good six or seven hours of sleep, but could only afford one or two before he had to get up.

Shirou had been unaware that Archer and Berserker had confirmed that they were of two different time lines. The Haru Archer knew was missing his signature scars he had gained from Einzbern War and the Chiyo Haru knew never wore such an outfit with so much tribute to Archer. No, the Chiyo he knew just wore army fatigues and camouflage. Still, the two had come to an accord for a time, and Chiyo was happy that the Haru and Reiko of her time had helped make a better world. She was, unfortunately, unaware of a third time line, a timeline where a Black Knight had roamed free until he had been summoned into another world and saved his daughter. Haru had seen no reason to mention a timeline that he was only peripherally aware of.

They say it's what you don't know that kills you in the end. This may be true for the two of them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sempai, wake up sempai." Sakura said gently.

"mmm, Sakura?" Shirou asked. "What are you doing so early?"

"It's almost 6:45 Sempai," Sakura told him gently, "Breakfast is ready."

Shirou wanted to bolt out of bed. 6:45, he had slept in way too much, yet, his body ached like he had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson as well as his right arm felt wrong...numb actually. Still, he felt like he was missing something. Now what was it?

Sakura calmly left the room while he changed into new clothing. Shirou found that it was difficult dressing himself with only one arm working normally, but he managed. He sat down to the table and prepared to endure a sound tongue lashing from Taiga. Wait, why wasn't Taiga making any noise. Shirou looked around and felt a chill crawl up his spine. She was missing, Taiga was missing.

Oh God.

Had something happened to her? Had a Servant killed her? Oh God. He felt like throwing up right then and there. If Tiaga died, he wasn't sure what he would do...

Sakura saw him look around wildly then said smiling sadly, "Fujimura-sensei is in the bathroom. She ate something suspicious that was left on the table and felt violently ill." Shirou sighed with relief at that. So she had just eaten something she shouldn't. That's...good, at least she wasn't dead. Though...there shouldn't have been anything left on the table, especially anything that could make someone sick.

The door suddenly slammed open and Fujimura ran into the room and began gobbling food at an unprecedented speed.

"Oi, Fuji-nee, what's going on?" Shirou asked

Taiga ignored him and continued to feed at her unmatched rate. "Sorry Shirou," She said between bites, I suddenly have too much energy right now and I need to get that taste out of my mouth." Food kept spraying as she ate, but she couldn't stop. Within moments, she had eaten her fill and ran to school far faster than any time she had been late before.

Shirou and Sakura looked out at the open door that Fujimura had bolted out of and stared.

"What was that?" Shirou asked aloud. Sakura had no reply to that question.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Good Intentions and Money are the roots of all evils_

Chiyo felt bad about Taigi. She had made that bowl of porridge for Tou-san to help him get energized for the day. She had forgotten about Taiga-obaasan's obsession with eating. Instead of a tired boy eatign her best pick me up meal, she had given one of the most hyperactive people in the world something to the effect of twenty five cups of coffee. Yes, the taste was as bad as usual, but she he mastered the energizing meal. Right now, Taiga was probably like a gerbil after drinking a cup of coffee. Today was going to be...interesting to say the least.

She thought back to what she remembered her father telling him about the Grail war. Right now, right now he should have asked Taiga to let him skip a day so that he could train with Saber-kaasan. Instead, she was taking the place of the King of Knights, and she was...afraid to train him. She fought as he fought, trained as he had trained. The styles were identical, would it alter the timeframe? Or would it set the timeline back on track since EMIYA wasn't here to transfer the knowledge to him. Someone had already taught him the aria. In all probability, he remembered it too well. It would haunt him until he tried it and finally got what he was missing. His world, his identity, his Unlimited Blade Works.

She who had been gifted with a True Mind's Eye began contemplating what she knew so far. The message, the aria, the sudden murders right before she was summoned. The more she looked it over, the more she was convinced that another was orchestrating everything and had as strong, if not stronger Mind's Eye than her. Judging by how careful each move was done and the timing, it could not be a false, but a True Mind's Eye B rank or higher possibly the illusive A rank. That skill was given only to the most experienced, most clever, most successful of Servants. It would take someone like Sun Tzu or Genghis Khan to have such a skill.

Whoever it was, he/she was clever. Manipulating events, if not Servants like the Hound to do his/her bidding. Haru had given her a map of where the murders had occurred and came to a distasteful conclusion. The murders had been done for no reason other than for father to summon a Servant. The murders were at random at first, but there were a few consistencies. First, the school was the center of the incidents. Second, no magi house was near the murders. Finally, the fact that there was a poem that began the same way as the note thrown at her, she was sure that this...conspiracy was all oriented around Tou-san. The question was, what was the next phase for this mastermind?

To some degree, she felt like she was playing a game of chess blindfolded and the opponent wasn't calling out what pieces he was moving and where he was moving them. She hated it when she was on the defensive waiting for the enemy to make the next move.

Sun Tzu believed that one should 'Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.'

Well, the enemy was truly mysterious to the point of soundless and as elusive as a shadow. For the moment, he/she was controlling their fates. Until she could figure out how the enemy thought, she was forced to adapt to the enemy's strategy. Not that this was anything new for her. She had hunted powerful opponents before who had been manipulating mankind for centuries, and she had killed them in the end.

Looks like she would be adding one more to her kill count soon enough.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day at school was filled with even more rumors of murders. This time, women and children were involved. Everyone was sure that this was the work of a new cult or the worst sicko Japan had ever seen. Apparently, even the national news might begin broadcasting the murders, maybe even international.

"Honestly, what is Kirei thinking?" Rin muttered under her breath. This was why the Association had agreed for a priest to oversee the war. The priest was supposed to deal with these things before they became too known to the public.

"Are you sure it's in his interest to get involved?" Berserker muttered in her ear hidden in his Astral form.

"Of course it is, that's his job." Rin said.

"Yet, you have nothing but hate and suspicion about him. Isn't that saying something? His own student doesn't trust him as far as she can throw him." Berserker hinted

Rin waved it off, "Not really, most Magi don't trust each other that much. Students are tools to the teachers to further their studies after they are gone. Most Magi view each other with distrust."

Berserker sighed, "I guess that it was an exception then..."

"What was?" Rin asked curious.

"Oh, a magi family I knew. They were usually a happy, fun loving family. Studies were second to family." Berserker said wistfully.

Rin snorted, "Then they must not have been all that powerful, or important. A family like that would take far longer to make any progress. Thay're not even real Magi to begin with if they stop focusing on improving their magic."

"Oh they improved." Berserker said, "They worked together, studies together, and fought together. In one to two generations, they were viewed as one of the strongest Magi families in the world."

Rin sighed, Berserker kept going back to the subject of families. It was clear he was trying to hint something, but he had no idea the responsibility she had to bear. She would have to find a suitable Magi to marry and bear children. In all probability, the marriage would be nothing more than business. Much like how her mother was with her father. Still...she did admit she wished she had been a part of that family. It sounded nice. No sisters having to be torn apart for something as meaningless as succession. No families having to deny each other because only one can have a crest. It would be nice, but that is not her fate.

Or so she told herself.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu stood in line taking the form of an ordinary man.

"Next," a bored woman said calling him forward. Kiritsugu looked forward to the revamped customer service wave due in the next few years. Seriously, were people always this rude? Would it have killed them to at least have said, 'I can help you sir?'

Kiritsugu held out three letters addressed to three very different locations in the world. "I need these sent on the fastest routes possible. The sooner the better."

The postal worker picked up the three letters and glanced at the addresses. "This will be expensive sir." She said. Her sudden demeanor changed when someone was willing to spend big on delivering simple letters.

"Money is no problem, this is urgent and needs to be fixed right away. It truly is a life and death situation for me." Kiritsugu said.

The postal officer nodded and began calculating how much each would cost. One was being sent to a certain house in Finland, one to a certain Inn residing in Shin Tokyo, and finally, a post office box in London, these three locations were paramount for his new plan.

Alone Kiritsugu stood no chance of sending things along the proper path, only with help could he fix that which should not have been. Only with three very powerful, in their own way, individuals, could he accomplish all that he set out to do. Only with them, could he hope to send Tou-san on the right path.


	22. clan wars 7

_.com/watch?v=-f5n9M3BAbk_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_The foulest monsters that haunt the night cannot compare to the monster that is man._

Everyone noticed that Shirou was off today for some reason. He had a tendency to drop his pencil often, like it kept slipping out of his hands. At times, he dropped his books, for no apparent reason, and he was often tripping over nothing. While many were annoyed that Shirou was making an annoyance of himself, those that truly knew Shirou were worried. Had he stayed up all night helping someone? A few people knew that Shinji had gotten Shirou to do the cleaning for him and glared at the playboy with disgust. Shirou was a harmless, if a bit naïve boy. If he was sick because of Shinji...

Shinji flinched from several archer club members' stares. They knew he was supposed to clean up the dojo yet he had used Emiya-kun's kindness to his advantage to go on a date with three girls. Damn them, he was an elite. How dare they look at him in scorn. Shinji clenched his fists in frustration and anger. All of them, all of them were going to pay.

Lancer had told him that she was making a barrier that would drain them of their souls. The problem was that it would take time, but Lancer was right. Sometimes that which we want was best saved till last. As soon as it was complete, he would savor their despair as their bodies turned to mush. They would look up from the pools of blood and filth and beg to be saved, and he would look down and whisper, 'No'

"Ke kehehehe," Shiji laughed. A few people gave him a wide berth and wanted nothing to do with someone with that evil a laugh. Behind him, Lancer rolled her eyes. She had lied to him point blank about the barrier. If activated in the day, all it would do is knock everyone, including Shinji out. If activated in the night, it would keep humans from looking at what might occur inside. Of course, Shinji, couldn't tell that because he had no magic. The little prick was just like everyone he despised except he was a bit more knowledgeable than the average human.

Matou Zouken, on the other hand, was a whole different story. That...thing, was a true magi no mistake. Of all the participants in the grail war, Zouken was the most dangerous. He had claimed that he was not going to interfere in this war, but she could not risk it. Sakura had to be taken out of the war as soon as possible. With the worms in her a risk of hosting a great evil, she needed to be removed as soon as possible. The problem was the worms. As long as Sakura had the worms, she was but a puppet to Zouken's schemes. Even worse, neither she nor her sister knew how to get the worms out since they had been implanted into Sakura at a young age till they had almost become one with her. They knew they needed something like Avalon or a specialist magus to get the worms out, but there was no such luck for them.

That's why they planned on seeing Tou-san and gaining the legendary sheath from him to fulfill their plan. They planned on doing so yesterday, but they had been unable to locate Saber-kaasan. If she was there, she had hidden herself from view. The two had opted to try again today. School could not end fast enough fro the two of them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Seven times will I win,_

_seven times will I sin._

_Against those whom I loved and called mine,_

_I damn myself with these hands for all time._

_They, whom I once would save,_

_will die for the world I crave._

_All for the sake of a tomorrow that needn't be,_

_and a world that I dearly wish that I could see._

_To see them in his arms once more,_

_I shall slay them in this foul war._

_To save my father from a path most unkind,_

_I shall risk destroying his distorted mind._

_Yet, I have hope to save him from his Fates,_

_when I rejoin him with his proper Mates._

Kiritsugu brushed his hands looking proud at what he had done in the span of a few hours. Because it it was at the end of the day, only a few security guards were in the building. A few chops to the neck, some rope and an empty apartment room and he had free reign of the building. Tonight was going to be one hell of a show. Tonight, he would begin the next phase of his plan, a most important one. A test, a test for Tou-san and the identity of Illya's Servant. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt that Illya would find him. She had marked him, and Kiritsugu would be there watching, waiting.

He knew he was running a real risk of being discovered today, but he was satisfied that after today, he would not need to disguise himself any longer. Any additional time he could use **Unknown Identity** was just a bonus as far as he was concerned. Like Bazett had figured, **Unknown Identity** was only good for initial forays, scouting, and sowing confusion to his enemies. Once that had been done, he usually cast it aside without hesitation and brought out his combat oriented Noble Phantasms. Much like armies, once scouting and misdirection were finished, it was time to bring out the army and man the fortresses.

Tonight, he would dare to do everything, even if he damned himself in the eyes of his family. Today, he would test his father's resolve and force him to become more than a boy dreaming of saving people. Today, father would see the folly of his beliefs, and the fact that he could not help but continue anyway. To see his flaw, and not care a wit. Only when he understood what was wrong with him could Emiya Shriou become more than a man. Only then could he become a Hero.

There was just one more piece to finish, and Kiritsugu did not expect it to take very long. As he saw the sun set before him, he headed for a construction site to find a nice long piece of metal and some black paint. His swords were good no doubt, but they didn't have the reach he needed to pull of his next act. No, he needed something big, sturdy, and brutal to match the effect.

Father could probably tell in an instant that it wasn't what it should be, but he didn't know the real one from a fake, so it should work out okay. Kiritsugu landed on the construction site and grabbed a large metal support rod that had not been attached yet. He drew his sword and went to work. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the place.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rin had wanted to head straight for the church to get it over with and leave the priest as soon as possible, but Shirou had argued against it. He still had to make dinner for Taiga and Sakura. Rin glared at him, but not even that would dissuade him from doing what he thought was right. Rin glared at him for a few minutes until Berserker pointed out that they were going to make a scene if they kept this up. Rin sighed and agreed to meet him at his house at Seven. From there, they would head to the church to get him officially registered. She really didn't want to intrude on her sister's time with the man she liked. Soon Sakura would have to leave lest she invite conflict on Shirou. As she sat in her house eating a meal, Berserker appeared.

"I'm surprised, I kind of expected you to follow him and move your stuff into his house." Berserker said.

Rin looked up at him, "Why? It's not like there's any reason to."

Berserker held up three fingers and began counting off, "One, you two are allies of sorts for this war. It would be advantageous to keep yourselves nearby for quick response and protection. Two, by keeping yourself together, you warn off other enemies as but me and my sister are a powerful combination that can take on any enemy. Three..." He paused and looked at her.

"What's number three?" Rin asked curious. The other two had made a great deal of sense.

"Though I've only met you for a short time Rin, I think I've figured a few things about you. If I tell you number three, you'll probably beat me half to death."

Rin clenched her fist at that, "Oh?" She said smiling her most evil smile.

"See, just hinting about it and you already are turning to violence." Berserker said pointing to her fist. "No wonder why you summoned the Berserker class without trying."

Rin relaxed her fist and smiled as innocently as she could, "Just what are you saying Berserker?"

Haru wasn't fooled for an instant. Rin was infinitely more dangerous with that smile than when her veins were popping. "Honestly, you're going to drive him away with that attitude. Just admit you like him and be done with it."

Rin was pulled up short and began blushing, "I-I-I don't like him dammit. Stop saying that."

"There's a word in my dictionary with your picture on it Rin, it's called Tsundere." Haru added as he backed up.

"S-shut UP!" Rin said pointing her finger at him and unleashing gandrs at him. Haru evaded the attacks easily and smiled.

"You see, classic Tsundere. If there wasn't anything going on, you wouldn't have been this flustered. Like say if I said you had a thing for Shinji."

Rin stopped firing at that and thought about her and that creep. The mere thought of that sent her shivering. "No," Rin said disgusted, "No way would I be with him."

"There you see." Berserker pointed out, "Totally different reaction. You like him. You used your trump card to save his life. Just tell him how you feel. One moment of weakness will unlock a lifetime of happiness."

"Shut up." Rin yelled at him face as red as a tomato. Haru knew that he had gone as far as he could and shifted into Astral form before Rin did something really drastic.

Tsundere to the end, gotta love it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Say Tohsaka," Shirou asked as they walked towards the supervisor. Officially, his title was the Observer, but it seemed more appropriate to call him the supervisor. "Are you planning to walk to the neighboring town?"

"Yeah," Rin said not looking at him, "The buses and trains have stopped running. A walk at night is good once in a while, right?"

'_And you want to spend as much time with him as possible_," Chiyo and Haru both thought.

"It should only take about an hour walking." Rin continued. "If it gets ;ate. We can always take a taxi."

Chiyo and Haru rolled their eyes in astral form. She could also have chosen to take a taxi there, but was clearly unwilling to do so. Whether it's because of her cheapskate nature or her attraction to Shirou was unknwon, but it was probably a combination of both.

"I won't waste that kind of money," Shirou said. It was clear he hadn't learned the horrors of what it cost to take care of so many wives as he was also a bit cheap himself. "But still, it might be dangerous for girls to walk around at a time like this. You know it's dangerous right? I won't be responsible if something happens."

Rin looks at him for a moment then continues to look forward. "Nobody's going to mess with us. You may be forgetting, but we have two strong Servants here. Even the Servant that's killing people would hesitate to take us both on right now." Chiyo and Haru really wished Rin would keep quite. Comments like that were all but tempting fate to attack them right now.

"Follow me Rin, If we're heading for the bridge, I know a shortcut." Shirou says. Rin stops and looks at him in surprise, then lets him take the lead. She is very careful to keep her face out of his view as much as possible. Berserker's words are still making her cheeks red. At least Shirou isn't making any comments about them. The four of them cross the bridge to the town of Shinto. (Unless I am very much mistaken, Shinto is the name of the indigenous spirit of Japan and also means Way of the Gods. Ominous? Maybe). They cross the long, ominous bridge without a problem. No one walks over the bridge as it is so long that it literally intimidates people. Especially at night, and there is a serial killer on the loose. Rin leads Shirou up some hills in the suburbs to a white Christian church.

"Have you been here before Shirou?" Rin asked.

"No, I know it used to be an orphanage though."

"I see," Rin said with a gentle smile. She looked at him with pity. "Then it's your first time today. You should prepare yourself. The priest there is a difficult man to deal with."

'_No kidding_,' Chiyo and Haru thought. They could feel the evil in the church, but knew this had to be done or Shirou could fall under the scrutiny of the Association quickly. Unregistered Masters were not something the Tower looked on kindly. Rules were made for a reason.

"Shirou-san," Chiyo said returning to physical form. "We will stay here."

"Eh?" Shirou and Rin said taken aback.

"This place is not good for Spirits like us." Haru said shifting. "Besides, this is a neutral ground right now."

"Alright," Shirou said, "Then I'll be going."

"Be careful, Shirou-san." Archer warned him, "If you have to, call me to your side in an instant." She wanted to ask him not to go. To not make any decisions without her, to run for his life from the priest, but she knew her place, her role. She would do what she could and watch for Illya.

Shirou entered the church and felt amazed at what he was seeing. Never before had he entered a house of God before. Magi and Church members were always at odds with each other. "Say Tohsaka, what kind of priest is he?"

"His name is Kotomine Kirei," Rin answered marching up towards the alter, "He's a student of my father and we've had an inseparable relationship for ten years. ...Well, I wish I'd never met him tought."

"I feel the same way." A voice said coming from the behind the alter. "I did not want an apprentice who did not respect her teacher."

Out stepped a man with brown gray hair, a black suit with a blue vestment over it and a yellow cross on his chest. But...it was his eyes that were wrong. Dead. Like a corpse.

"You didn't answer my repeated calls, and now you bring a strange guest. ...Hmm, so he is the seventh one, Rin?" He asked with a smirk. Like he found something funny.

"Right, He's a magus, but he's a beginner, so I just couldn't let him be." Rin answered not tellign him about the alliance they had made. "I believe the rules said to report when one becomes a master, right. You invented the rule, but I'll follow it this time."

"So you wait a day before coming to report to me," Kirei said with a smile. Rin gasped at his knowledge which he waves off saying, "The church has it's own ways of telling when a Servant is summoned Rin. I knew that one was summoned last night easily." Shirou backs up a step form the intimidating man. Kirei looks over at Shirou and says, "I am Kotomine Kirei, the one entrusted with this church. What is your name, oh seventh master?"

Shirou can't help but feel that he knows, like he can see everything just looking at him. "Emiya Shirou. But I haven't agreed to this 'Master' thing yet." The priest just smiles even more ominously at that.

"Emiya-Shirou. I thank you, Emiya. You have brought Rin here. If it were not for you, she would not have come." Rin looked peeved at that, but kept silent.

"Then let us start. Emiya Shirou, you are Archer's Master, correct?"

"I made a contract with her, but I have things I don't understand. If a Master should be a proper magus, then you should go and choose a more suitable person."

"Let me correct your misunderstanding," Kirei said, "Listen, Emiya Shirou, Master is not a role that you can give someone else nor is it something you can stop being once you are chosen. Those who have those Command Spells carved on them cannot resign form being a Master. You must accept that fact. Once a command seal appears, you cannot escape your fate as just because it is inconvenient. You cannot be released from your trial until you either obtain the Holy Grail...or you die." Shirou shuddered a bit at the tone in the priest. He seemed...eager, when he talked of death and fate. "If you wish to retire from being a Master, all you can do is obtain the Holy Grail and wish for it. Yes, it is even possible to start everything over again with a simple wish. Therefore, you should desire it."

"Kirei, you're getting off tract. Tell him the rules already. Don't open old wounds." Rin admonished seeing how Shirou was flinching from some unknown pain.

"I see. It is pointless to say anything to these kinds of people, so I was trying to take away his morality while he still misunderstood. ...Heh, I guess it is true that compassion is not good for others. And I rather enjoyed it too. So, let us return to the main topic, Emiya Shirou."

Again, the way he said that name was like he was savoring something delicious.

"Have you learned from Rin that this is an all out war between seven masters, using seven Servants?"

"Yes, this is a ridiculous thing where seven people kill each other. Right?" Shirou confirmed

"Indeed, but we are not committing these inhuman acts because we want to. Everything is a ritual to determine who is the most suitable to receive the Holy Grail. Because of it's greatness, we require trials to determine its owner." the priest said.

"Why can't we share it's power if it's so powerful that it can grant any wish?" Shirou asked

"Only one person can obtain the Grail, that is not something we chose, but what the Holy Grail has decided." Kirie informed him. "The Grail chooses suitable people to obtain it, and selects its appropriate owner by making them fight for it."

"And the innocent people killed on the side." Shirou suddenly burst. "What of them? Are you not to protect them?"

"My job is to observe the War and ensure that it does not become public knowledge." Kirei dismissed "If people die, it is no concern of mine so long as the existence of magic and the War are not revealed. So far, whoever has done this kept everything mundane in nature. Not even the souls were consumed, therefore I cannot interfere. However, if it offends you so much, then take up your role as a Master and deal with this wayward Servant as you see fit. So, will you accept this burden and fight for the Holy Grail or will you abandon your responsibility as a Master? If you choose to abandon your responsibility, I will guarantee your safety until the Holy Grail ends."

"My safety?" Shirou asked.

"Yes, it is bothersome and takes up too much of my time, but it is one of my prime duties to supervise the repeating Holy Grail War. To protect a Master that has lost his Servant." Kirei said. "Honestly, I'm not sure what my father was thinking back then."

"Repeating...you mean there have been other Grail wars?" Shirou asked horrified.

"Yes, this is the Fifth Grail war. The last one occurred about ten years ago...one you are most intimate with." Kirei said smiling as he watched the dawning horror fill the boys face

"The fire ten years ago." He felt sick, disgusted. Hundreds had died for this foul artifact, this messed up war?

"Emiya-kun, what's wrong? You're pale white. I know it's not a comfortable story, but...if you want, we can take a rest for a while."

"No, I'm fine," Shirou says. There is silence for a while, then Kirei speaks up. "This is the end of our conversation. The only ones qualified to obtain the Holy Grail are those with Servants. When there is only one left, the Holy Grail should naturally appear in front of you. Tell me your decision as it if you wish to join this battle, the Holy Grail War, now." He demands the final decision of Emiya Shirou.

Emiya stands there, not at a loss of words, but at a loss of which words to use. He cannot turn back, he cannot allow the innocent to die because of one Servant's whims. And..that poem...Unlimited Blade Works. Somehow, he knew what he had to do. He will not run, he will not flee. He was going to be a hero, and nothing could stop him now. Even though he was an amateur, he is a Magus. When he was young he vowed to be a Superhero and follow his father's footsteps. And the poem...it seemed to agree.

"I will fight as a Master." Shirou declared, "Not for your Grail, not for your messed up ritual. I'm going to fight the one who is killing them, and I will not let the fire happen again."

"Then I shall approve you as Archer's Master. In this instant, the Holy Grail war is accepted. I approve the battle in this town, from now until only one Master remains. Everyone shall follow their pride and compete fully against each other."

Shirou turns on his heel and leaves the church. Yet, as he leaves the room, he hears the priest call back to him. "Rejoice, boy. Your wish will finally come true." Shirou halts in mid stride. Something...something is wrong with the way he says that. "What are you saying all of a sudden?"

"You should know. Your wish will not come true unless there is a clear evil. Even if it is not something you approve of, a superhero requires a villain to defeat."

Shirou inhales sharply. He can feel the contradiction of his wish. To save someone, means he wishes for someone to need saving. He can feel it. The poem warns him, but he cannot stop. He is the Bone of his Sword.

"Farewell, Emiya Shirou. This will be my last warning, but take care on your way home. Your world will change completely from now on. You are now at the point of kill or be killed. You are now a Master."

Shirou leaves the church trying to shake off the unease. Surprisingly, it comes easily.

_Unaware of loss_

_Nor aware of gain_

_Withstood pain to create many weapons._

Yes, it is painful...but that is his fate.

"Master?" Archer asks him. "Are you all right."

"Yes, just glad to be out of there." Shirou said as he moved forward mechanically, not even thinking where he was moving, only following Rin.

_Waiting for one's arrival, I have no regrets._

Arrival where? That part of the poem still made no sense. But he agreed, he would have no regrets.

Unseen by him, but Archer and Berserker were watching. Waiting. Illya would be near if she kept to the script. They all crossed the bridge unharmed while Rin explained that Shirou must not reveal Archer's secret. They finally reach a familiar intersection.

"We'll part here. Emiya-kun. We'll talk about what we're going to do tomorrow, but you look exhausted today. Get some sleep." Rin said.

"Arigato, Rin. You really are a good person." Shirou said bluntly.

Rin felt he cheeks heat up and said, "W-what are you saying baka. I won't fall for such a-a cheap trick."

"Eh?" Shirou said confused, "I was just saying what I thought. I like people like you."

"Wha-" Rin is struck speechless as Berserkers words kept ringing in ear. She was sure that Berserker was roaring with laughter "What areyou saying."

"I'm saying what I mean." Shirou answered confused about the whole thing. Behind him, he could hear Archer trying to stifle a giggle of laughter. Really not helping the situation. Tohsaka turns on her heel intending to leave while she still could when she suddenly stops. Berserker suddenly appears in front of her and Archer is suddenly in front of him. Shirou's hand began throbbing.

"Ne, have you finished talking?" a cute voice called out. Shirou looked at the source and found two people standing in front of him. One was a little girl that looked familiar with long white hair, red eyes, and a purple outfit. But it was beside her that stood out far more.

A man in a pure black Kimono with his long blue hair held in a warriors ponytail by his side was a sheathed katana. One his right cheek was an ugly scar that looked like the English letter L rotated 180 degrees. On his eyes were a pair of glasses. Behind him exuded an aura of pure black.

"Saber." Rin said in a strange voice. Awe, and fear.

"Good evening Onii-chan. It's the second time we met." The girl said. Beside her, the swordsman placed a hand on his sword. Shirou felt like the blade was already at his throat. The man had such an intimidating aura.

The girl pulls up her dress a bit and curtsies, "Nice to meet you Rin, onii-chan. I am Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern."

"Einzbern," Rin says with a small quaver in her voice. Yet, whatever Illya had planned to say was gone in an instant when Saber talked.

"Haru, Chiyo." Saber nodded drawing his sword.

"Takeshi." Both of them responded. "Orders?"

This Takeshi nodded once. "Ojou-sama has Commanded me." The other two winched at that.

"Eh? You know them Saber?" Illya asked.

"They're my little brother and sister." Takeshi answered as he took a step forward and entered a battle stance.

"Where did you get that scar?" Chiyo asked.

"I could ask where you got that outfit Chiyo," Takeshi said uncaring. Haru had to agree, the scar was very new to him.

"What's going on?" Rin asked. "The odds of this happening are astronomical."

"Don't know." Haru answered, "But he is one of the strongest our family ever produced." With that, he moved forward into a battle stance of his own. "Chiyo, protect them while I deal with our brother."

Chiyo nodded and Rin fell back to stand behind Archer. Haru and Takeshi looked each other over.

"You're not the Apostle, so you must be my Haru." Takeshi noticed.

"Don't think I'm weaker than him." Haru said with a tight smile.

"Haru, fighting your older brother is..." Takeshi said. The world was suddenly a lot darker. The moon vanished in an instant. "**Forbidden**"

All around them, an army Hanya masks appeared. No not masks, as Shirou looked at them in fear, the masks grew bodies. Bodies of women in blood splattered kimonos with various sharp implements like knives, swords, and axes. Rin was shaking in pure fear as the oppressive atmosphere.

"Don't worry." Archer declared, "I'll protect you all."

Oh, big talk for a mere Archer. After all Saber has Demons." Illya said happily unaffected by the Hanyas.

Haru looked at Takeshi and asked seriously, "Is she related to Kusano and Ichigo?"

Takeshi replied by sending the Hanyas at the two Servants. Haru began smashing the masks without much difficulty while Chiyo had to take care to protect the two Masters.

It was only pure luck that she saw the shadow in the reflection of her blade. Chiyo rolled to the side as a bladed wheel swung where her head was a moment ago. Chiyo swung her sword only for it to get caught in a guard covered with spikes. "Chiyo," The attacker said in hatred as she recognized her sister who had locked her away.

"Riko," Chiyo said sadly, "Don't make me kill you sister."

"You might as well have when you locked me away for millenia." Riko spat.

Shirou was lost as this supposed war had become a deadly family feud. Rin was just trying to retain her sanity as the oppressive atmosphere of this **Forbidden Realm** covered them.

"Can this get any worse?" Rin said aloud.

"**-**" A bestial roar filled the air. (Sorry, Can't find a way to copy that epic black roar text they have in FSN) Shirou, Illya, and the Servants all looked at her ins disbelief as she ahd said the most forbidden of phrases. None of them had time to admonish her as a giant black blur appeared and cleaved Hanya's with ease.

"You have got to be kidding me," Haru whispered as he looked way up. The being was huge, covered in nothing but big black muscles. One eye was an evil yellow pigment, while the other was pure red. In his hands was a massive slab crudely cut into a blade.

"Heracles," The four Servants said in a bit of fear.

Somehow, the strongest Servant was among them, and he looked pissed.


	23. Clan Wars 8

_All war is deception- Sun Tzu_

Even by the standards of Magi, this was a really messed up day for Emiya Shirou. First had been the meeting with the Observer Kotomine Kirei. Something, something about that priest rubbed him the wrong way. His dead eyes, his smile, the way he held himself. Something was wrong with that man. Yet, somehow, he knew the principles that Shirou lived by with just a short conversation, then twisted it into something evil. It's not like he wished for bad things to happen to people, he just wanted to save those that will inevitably get into trouble.

Is that so wrong? Is that so evil? It shouldn't be, but why did the priest's words make him so sick?

Next had been Einzbern-san, or Illya as she preferred to be called. She kept calling him Onii-chan. Yet, it seemed as if she knew him the way she said it. How? He had only met her for a few short seconds before this. So how did she know him? No matter how he searched his brain, he could not recall her at all except for the one night when she had made a strange cryptic remark. Yet, Illya seemed hell bent on killing him.

That brought him directly to the next problem. Saber. Like Archer and Berserker, Saber was a sibling. From what Rin and Kotomine had described, shouldn't this war be fought with Herores from across the spectrum of time? It looked more like the a family feud from his point of view. But still, Saber's ability was frightening. Every movement, every breath felt wrong, like it was forbidden. Those demons, the Hanyas, they had been looking at him, judging him to see if he was wanting. Yet, something about this ability intrigued him. Something called to him. But why? He could see the advantage of this place, this dark realm. It was oppressive, hindering in battle. A perfect intimidation and distraction as well as filled with a small army of Hanyas at Saber's call. But still, what was it about this technique that called to him?

Beside him, he could see Rin bent over, holding herself as she shook in fear. Shirou did the only thing he could think of at the time to try to calm her down. Though he felt fear too, he had to help her, comfort her. He turned to her, and hugged her. He could hear her breath coming in rasps as she felt fear. Why? Why was she suffering so bad. Yes, it was scary, but was it that bad? Maybe...maybe he had some sort of resistance to it.

Didn't matter right now, his hug was working. She was shaking less, still there mind you, but she wasn't about to pass out hyperventilating now. Though she did seem to be developing a fever of some sort. Her temperature was spiking and her face was getting really red. Really Really red, like the color of her clothes red.

***Wham***

"Gah" Emiya gasped as Rin had rammed an elbow into his.

"Baka, keep your eye on the enemy," Rin whispered at him. Shirou thought she had been a bit harsh on him, but went up and gazed over the battle. The next one that caught his attention was the one known as Riko. Another sibling of the Servants. Seriously, this war was getting extremely strange since they were all ending up as family. Next thing he knew, they were going to tell him that Lancer was their oldest brother...

But, the most messed up thing tonight had to be that thing. That big black thing by the name of Herakles. It seemed that they were not related to the famous demigod turned full god. As he watched, the enraged Servant occupied itself cutting apart the Hanyas that had gone to intercept it. He watched as Hanyas were ripped apart by the massive blade that was clearly a crudely made weapon. As he gazed upon it, he swore that the blade had no history what so ever. Like it was brand new or something. Still, new or not, that blade was terrifying in it's own way. It had to way a ton, yet the monster was swinging it with one hand at incredible speeds. He could barely see it as it swung and cleaved through three more Hanyas. The very air around this Servant seemed more malevolent than whatever ability Saber had activated. The other Servants all possessed an aura of power in their own ways; Berserker and Saber both possessed a feeling of raw power, though Saber became horrifying once he had created this world, Riko was bloodthirsty, Lancer had been swift and deadly. Archer...Archer was hard to define. She felt both weak yet strong at the same time. Herakles on the other hand was like a tornado or a storm, unforgiving and indomitable.

The sad thing was, this was not the most messed up day Shirou ever had. 

"Master" Archer warned him, "Get away quickly," Archer was too focused on taking down her mad sister to be able to protect him. "Go, now." Archer said knowing tou-san was too stubborn to run...unless maybe a miracle occurred and Takeshi had scared father too much to think like normal...

Yeah right, it was a nice thought. Not going to happen though.

Berseker was faced with a worse problem as he had to fight Takeshi at the same time as watch out for both Hanyas and Herackles. At least Takeshi had something of the same problem as he had to direct the Hanyas as he fought Haru. The good news was that Herakles was busy fighting the Hanays with a gusto. In fact, he was almost ignoring the Servants, only lashing out if they were too close.

Haru couldn't understand how Herakles had come here. If Illya hadn't summoned the monster, who had? And how did they rob him of his mind? Shouldn't there be only one Servant per class, or was the Berserker class special. He knew that one could choose to summon the Berserker class or the Assassin class while the rest were a roulette, but could there be two Berserkers instead of another class. Like say opting to summon a Berserker instead of a Rider? Haru didn't know, but he really wished that Herakles was just an illusion.

Said illusion was of course ripping through too many Hanyas to deny the reality._ 'Something isn't adding up,'_ Haru thought, _'But I have no clue how. Do I need to use my Noble Phantasms?_' That thought was interrupted as he blocked another of Takeshi's blows. "Brother, you need to stop," Haru warned him, "Herakles is worse than me."

"Commanded, remember," Takeshi reminded him. Haru cursed under his breath. Dam Illya, she may have just killed them all with her whims.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

He could tell that they all had one eye on him. He was Herakles as far as they could tell. Who wouldn't keep an eye on the 'strongest' Servant in the Grail war. So, with one eye on him, and one eye on their opponent's none of the Servants saw what he was making Illya do. Illya was a smart child, if a little naive, but not amount of naivety could hide how dangerous he was making himself. He had not been aimlessly slaying Hanyas, no he was herding.

As he moved, Illya unconsciously moved as well. Carefully, he pushed Illya towards his target. Rin might be a little dangerous, hoping to use Illya as a shield if needed, but that's why he had positioned himself where he was. Rin could not, would not dare to draw any attention to herself while the 'mad' Herakles was nearby. As long as the monster was content with killing Hanyas, there was no reason to even try something stupid. Something like what Shirou was doing now. Unseen by the others, Shirou was edging towards Illya. Just a bit, but he was going to try to shield her. Illya wasn't even paying attention to her brother coming towards her.

'Very good,' Kiritsugu thought. It was progressing quickly, and Assassin had given him an endge he hadn't planned on before. Sometimes Life gave opportunities on a silver platter to make up for the times it $crewed. Honestly though, he was glad it was progressing quickly. He was soon going to be unable to use Prana burst soon. Though his ability had mad it so that he could create the illusion of the legendary strength of Herakles, he was soon going to run out of steam. He continued to ramapge a bit until he was sure that Illya was close enough to Rin and Shirou for his purposes.

Then he changed directions.

He would like to say he threw them off completely, that he had caught them by surprise. That would be a lie. They had always been watching him, waiting to see what he would do. They saw him, but not all of them reacted against him. Chiyo was...detained by Assassin. Riko kept attacking Chiyo with a berserker's fury for some reason. Her hate, her rage was so thick it could be tasted. Haru and Takeshi turned and stood in his way.

SO Kiritsugu pumped as much Prana into his legs as he could and...Jumped.

It took them by surprise for a moment then they prepared to block a blow from above. But that was not why he had jumped. Kiritsugu drew his arm back and prepared. Haru saw where this was going, but was not fast enough.

Kiritsugu threw his blade. The false sword if Berserker that he had spent hours making then painting black flew past them too fast for them to intercept. It flew fast and hard and if not intercepted, would cleave Rin and Illya apart. A dozen Hanyas leaped in the air trying to stop it, but they died for naught. The blade cleaved through them like a hot knife through butter and kept on going.

Time slowed as the blade closed in on the two targets. Chiyo tried so hard to break free, but Riko was too persistant. Haru cursed that he was still in mid air from his failed interception. He began gathering energy into his hands, but he knew he would not be fast enough. Takeshi awaited the inevitabel with dread.

Rin and Illya were paralyzed as they saw their death coming for them.

"_Trace on,"_

It wasn't until it was too late that Shirou first push Rin and ran just in time to send Illya out of the way.

"_I am the bone of my Sword"_

Shirou had but a moment to brace himself.

"_Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."_

There was no time to save the girls and himself. So he chose, if one must suffer for the others to be saved, let it be him to suffer.

Everyone saw it. For but a moment, Shirou's flesh changed. His skin had become gray and scaly. No, not scaly, covered in miniature blades. The pain he had to be in was tremendous...

***Wham***

A body of swords was hit by the largest sword Shirou had ever seen. The sound of the collision would have been clearly heard a quarter of a mile away had Illya not set up a bounded field already. Everyoen held their breath, trying to comprehend what they had just seen. When the smoke cleared, they all could see Shirou laying in a crater, giant sword nearly cleaving him in half. Blood and guts spilled out of his belly, blood came out every time he breathed. Yet, he was not dead. Not yet anyway.

"No, no, nooo!" Chiyo yelled as she dashed heedless of the danger to herself as she ran to her father. She pulled out her pendent as she closed in. Behind her, Riko zoned in to attack Chiyo, but Takeshi was there to block her. Before Chiyo even arrived, Haru was already by Shirou's side and pulled out the blade.

"Goddammit," Haru cursed, as Chiyo got to her father's side and pressed her pendant to her father and channeled as much Prana to her father as possible.

"Why?" Illya whispered, "Why did he do that?"

"You baka," Rin gasped, "You stupid idiot. Why You? Why do you always keep getting yourself killed?"

The Servants all looked over at where Herakles was, only to see him shift into Assassin. Though they could not see the second Assassin's expression, the V pose was more than enough to tell them that this had been the plan. The Second Assassin then leaped back and fled the scene. All eyes turned to the first Assassin and gazed at her with eyes of hate. Assassin paused for one moment, then turned and fled as well.

"Saber," Illya said quietly as she looked over her brother, "Enough, we're going home." This was not how it was supposed to be. She was the one that was going to kill him. Instead, he had gotten himself killed saving her. It was strange, so very strange what she had seen. Masters weren't supposed to fight against Servants, and they were definitely not supposed to save Masters that had planned on killing them. Yet...he had. He had sacrificed himself to save her from that Servant.

Illya's nose flared at the thought of that woman. She wanted to kill that woman so much. How dare she, how dare she do that to him. Illya was going to kill that woman, Riko was her name. Illya read about how the Assassin of the last war had multiple bodies. To think that Assassin would try the same trick again. How infuriating. "Saber, let's go kill her." Illya said with a smile.

"As you wish Ojou-sama." Saber said with a dangerous glint in his eye. He had a few choice words for his little sister, one especially powerful one starting with **For** and ending with **idden**.

Haru and Chiyo worked on getting their father patched up while Rin looked down in regret. Regret for not thanking him, regret for letting him put her in debt to him fro the rest of her life. She hated to be in debt, and now there was nothing she could do for him as he lay there dying. She knew that this night would haunt her for the rest of her life. If only...

"It activated on it's own, he'll live," Haru said aloud.

'_Activated_?' Rin thought. She looked back at Shirou and saw how his body healing. It was rather disturbing to see such rapid healing. His bones were still broken, yet flesh curled around it while the bones began to reset. Rin could tell that the entire body was trying to heal at the same time, yet getting in each part's way in the process. If he was going to live, Shirou was going to wish he was dead for the next few hours while he healed, injured himself, and healed some more.

Unheard by Rin, he heard his two siblings whisper to each other.

'Good, Avalon is still inside him," Chiyo whispered. "My pendant can do a lot, but it's not as good as the original."

"true, I was worried I'd have to give him some of my blood or something." Haru whispered back.

Chiyo shuddered, "Last resort brother. Last resort. Let's get him home." Haru nodded and looked around. He found two poles that would do and ripped them out. He then wrapped his cloak around the poles to create a makeshift stretcher. Chiyo and Haru carefully moved their father onto the stretcher. They needed to get him home, and quickly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that was clearly a distraction." Caster said deadpanned to Lancer who didn't bother responding as they gazed upon the destroyed skyscraper from their vantage point. It looked a great deal like September eleventh back in 2001, but several things were different.

First, the building had been bombed from the inside instead of a plane. Second, no one was dead. A few were injured from debris, but no one had been in the building, and the civilians had plenty of time to run away. Finally, this was done by a Master or Servant, not a terrorist organization, but the normals didn't know that.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

**Flashback**

Keiko and Ivone had been watching their father from behind, making sure he got to and from the church safe and sound. The two had stopped once their father arrived back at the bridge to go home. Though they needed to follow him, the bridge was too easy for them to be spotted. They did not want to face Saber-kaasan and the counter guardian Archer right now. The thing that kept nagging them was that, not only was Archer in Astral form, but so was Saber-kaasan. Had she been summoned after she had finally died in the far future? It could be that Saber-kaasan was summoned as a complete Servant this time round.

They had waited at the end of the bridge til they were sure that their father was across when it happened...Behind them a massive explosion rocked the area as the second largest skyscraper in the city of Shinto exploded. Or at least, the top three floors. Yet, what really made their blood turn cold was when fireworks burst from the top of the roof. Three greens, one red, one gold, and another green in that order. The signal that a family member was in trouble, major trouble, going to die soon need med-evac trouble to be exact.

The two had looked at each other and were torn. They wanted to watch their father, but if someone was firing those signals, than that meant someone needed urgent help. The two had debated for a moment, then another explosion rocked the skyscraper and another burst of fireworks in the same sequence. That was the final nail in the coffin. Father had the possibility of being attacked, but there was someone in need right now.

The two had dashed for the skyscraper and burst inside in Astral form and headed up to the top. They had made about a quarter of the way there when a larger number of explosions rocked the place. Outside the civilians were doing their best to get the hell away from debris while Caster and Lancer put on a new burst of speed to get up to the source of explosions. Yet, even as they ascended, they could not feel the presence of a Servant.

Was it a Master? A mistake?

They had to go up, to see if they were right or wrong. As they neared the top, an explosion ripped out below them. The two suddenly stopped to try to understand. Had they missed them? Another explosion ripped even lower in the skyscraper. Yes, they must have missed them. Caster and Lancer shifted back down moving as fast as they could. It had to be Assassin. Who else could conceal theirself so well that two Servants could not notice. Yet, each time they moved towards the explosion, a new one was set off. It seemed so random now, but they could not risk the enemy killing someone who knew the signal. For some time, minutes probably, they chased the explosions.

But then they became suspicious. How long can one truly chase ghosts before one suspects? In the dying building, they suddenly halted. Lancer looked at Reiko who nodded. The two headed for a place that already exploded even as a new explosion rocked the building causing it to creak and groan as it prepared to die. The two looked over the room spending precious time confirming their suspicion.

The explosions were not a result of a titanic battle, but timed detonations. Whoever had done this was smart. First, the explosives were set up to send the containers out the windows, hiding the evidence. Next, the explosives were home made, and rushed by the look of it. Reiko remembered a demolitions lesson they had gotten from the Trash aka Kaoru Seo. (you know, nobody ever mentions this guy and his two Sekirei and his relationship to the clan). The guy, having worked as a construction and demolition worker knew his explosives. Kind of scary really.

Actually, looking at the explosive signatures, the two concluded that whoever had made these explosives had the same training as them. The two found themselves clenching fists. It was clear that there was another Servant that was from their time, but this one had no intention of forming an alliance.

It was clear, the Servant had laid this all out to distract them, and it had worked. Ivone figured that they had wasted fifteen to twenty minutes on this escapade. More than enough time for someone to attack Tou-san.

The two had dashed towards the house, but found themselves stopping at a familiar crossroad. The area had been torn up horribly, yet no one had heard a thing. As they gazed through the wreckage, Ivone called out.

"Caster, get a look at this." She called out careful not to reveal her sister's name.

Reiko hopped over to her sister and froze at what she saw. A small crate with a human imprint, blood and gore lining the edges, and the sword of Herakles. Reiko numbly moved forward as she touched the blade. She inhaled and sighed, "We were too late."

"Look at the blade sister." Ivone encouraged her.

Reiko lifted her eyes to the blade and examined it for a while, but could not see what Lancer was pointing out. "What? The blood?"

Ivone walked up and pointed to the edges of the blade. "Look, the blade isn't black, it's just painted." She pointed out the chipped paint all along the blade.

Reiko looked over at her sister, "What's going on?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Riko was beyond furious. There wasn't a word powerful enough to describe her hate for the fake. How dare he blame the events on her, how dare he drag her image through the muck. There would be a reckoning, no mistake. She would hunt him down, cut off his arm and legs and feed upon him slowly while cutting him a thousand times. She would make his death echo through history fro what he had just done.

If only she could find him.

The bastard had given her the slip in the short time she had given him by hesitating. In that one moment, she had lost him, and she hated him the more for it. But, she knew where he would go eventually. Kotomine's dog would die by her hands before he ever returned to the church.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu was pleased with the progress he had made last night. True, Berserker hadn't harmed father the one time they had fought. (Remember, the clan is based from In Flight which was based from the UBW good end) But the point had been made clear to Rin and Illya. Shirou was an idiot with a death wish. Oh, father wouldn't say that himself, but anyone who looked at him now would agree that Shirou would happily die if it meant someone else was saved.

He stood there, looking at the devastated park where the fire from the Fourth Grail war had occurred. He felt the ambivalent hate and despair exuding from the area from the scar inflicted upon it. He could almost hear Gaia moaning in agony from the scar inflicted on her. This place, this place would forever be a scar on the world, a never healing wound on the world forever adding to her pain. Only the greatest of magi, or a Sekirei with connection to the earth could heal this place. Still, it suited his mood just fine here.

Kiritsugu closed his eyes and felt the despair and hate envelope him. It was fitting for a kinslayer. He stood there for a while, waiting. He could almost hear the screams of the dying. He opened his eyes as the sun rose and smiled. The dead would have their due soon enough. He headed for the church almost whistling all the while. He headed for the church with satisfaction. Today was going to be a glorious day. He could feel it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Assassin watched him heading for the church. The arrogant bastard was just walking there, looking like an ordinary man out for a stroll. She clenched her hands, and prepared to attack, when she suddenly halted at what she saw.

Kiritsugu walked up to the church smiling all the way, and almost stopped cold with what he saw walking towards him. A man in a black outfit with bright golden hair and red eyes. Like that could be anyone else other than the King of Heroes. The man's very presence was screaming power. Kiritsugu schooled himself and kept himself from acknowledging he knew the man. AS he passed, he heard Gilgamesh call him a Mongrel. He had to fight from smiling at that and walked into the church while Gilgamesh left to do whatever he wanted.

Riko cursed her luck that Gilgamesh had appeared were the fates going to curse her forever? Would she be denied at every turn and be forever labeled a monster? No, no she would not allow it. She turned and left. The fake would die, but he would not be coming out till night. Kotomine would probably keep him in there for some time. If he even let him come out at all. Riko jumped and leaped through the trees and began contemplating how to get in.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"welcome to the house of God," Kotomine said with his trademark smirk as his Servant entered the building.

"Master, I bring word on the last of the Servants." Kiritsugu said.

"Oh?" Kotomine said.

Kiritsugu changed into the form of Berserker. "Berserker, a fist and gauntlet using Servant. Uses various styles to fight. However, he is still sane enough to talk."

"Hmm, so the Mad Enhancement is weak enough that it isn't hindering his mentality."

Kiritsugu steped forward and shifted into Saber. "Saber, a sword wielding Servant. Noble Phantasm is **Forbidden Realm**. Summons demons to fight at his side and hinders opponents with a black aura that reduces stats by one level."

"Interesting, I am unaware of such a hero." Kotomine said mentally planning on looking up old mythology books.

Kiritsugu stepped up until he was right in front of the priest. "Assassin." He said shifting into the last form. "An agile woman who uses her feet to fight and her arms to block. No Noble Phantasms were used."

"I see, good work Rider, I am done with you for now. Head down below and await my next order." The priest said.

"As you com-" Kiritsugu said, then suddenly drew his sword and swung around. "Master, fall back. A Servant is near."

Kotomine blinked at that, Rider's weren't known for their sensing ability. "Oh? Where?"

Faster than the eye could see, Kiritsugu pumped Prana into his arm and swung his blade behind him without turning around.

***Splat***

Kotomine looked over at the stump of his left arm. "What?"

Kiritsugu dashed forward and grabbed the arm. "Good bye former Master, it has been...interesting." With that, he ran to the back of the church and burst through the back of the wall. Kiritsugu dashed back towards Fuyuki city for the rendezvous point. He doubted Bazett expected him so soon, but she would be there, and she was going to love his present. He wanted to kill the priest so badly, but the man had a part to play yet. Until then, Kiritsugu left him to fend for himself. The priest would not die from that, he was too much like a cockroach to die from something as simple as that.

Unseen by him, Lancer noticed the black armored Servant running for his life from the church and followed. The armor looked familiar from where she could see. Very familiar, but where?

The two dashed towards Fuyuki city leaving the church behind at incredible speeds

xxxxxxxxxxxx


	24. Clan wars 9

_I have learned to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery. - Aeschylus_

Lancer was curious to say the least. This black armored man, at least, she thought it was a man, was running heedless of the attention he could draw. Honestly, the word subtle was not in this guy's dictionary or something. Unlike the movies, people did notice when a strange man in black armor dashed past them at incredible speeds. Though, most people would write this off as a stunt, gimmick, event, or movie scene. Still, there was the principle of the whole thing, and it was driving her nuts.

Eventually, the man lost all sight of the population and headed for the park that had been the location of ground Zero for the Fourth Grail war. The armored man came to a halt in the barren park. He walked up to a bench and sat down. She was unsure why he had suddenly stopped. Up until now, he had dashed forward heedless of consequences to get to this barren and isolated place. Ivone shivered as she felt the hared poisoning this place. She watched as he sat there, waiting. It must have been minutes, but finally a voice called out.

"What would you say is the darkest night in this city?" a familiar female voice called out.

"The night a priest decides to go to war." The armored man responded. He stood up to turn as the woman came out from behind a tree. Ivone couldn't help but gasp at what she saw.

The armored man turned and dashed at her at an unholy speed and swung his sword. She barely repelled it with her enhanced fist. Again and again he attacked her with his blade, and each time she barely evaded or repelled the attack. He was fast, he was strong. There was no denying that. Yet, his right arm was hindered for some reason. He was holding something behind that shield and was protecting it venomously. It gave her and idea, she pushed in a but further and saw him advance h=just a bit as well trying to hit her with the hilt as he swung. She evaded it, barely, but was able to throw a punch and knock his shield aside a bit.

She almost didn't react to his next swing as she stared at what she saw. Luckily, her reflexes kicked in and caused her to roll out of the way.

"Wait, wait." Ivone said, trying to calm him down. "You got her arm back?"

That did it. The Servant hesitated, his swing was slower, sloppy. She took that opportunity to leap back and out of the way.

"Her arm? You worry for her arm?" the armored warrior asked her.

"Rider, who is this?" Bazett asked in wonder as she looked at the woman who looked so much like her. It was clear she was a Fraga from the way she held herself, the way she fought, the runes on her clothes.

"Kaa-san," Ivone whispered in wonder as the armored man moved to stand in front of Bazett. Yet, Bazett heard the whisper.

"Kaa-san? Ah, you must be Ivone then." Bazett said nodding her head.

"You...you know me?" Ivone asked taken aback.

"Oh yes, Rider here was most helpful telling me all about you and your unique ability to create a second Noble Phantasm **Areadbhar**."

"The blood thirsty spear of Lugh," Ivone nodded her head. "Father...the mixture of the blood between you and him unlocked the potential in my blood to summon a second Noble Phantasm for our loyalty to the old gods."

Bazett nodded, "Rider here was most helpful telling me all about how this war should have gone...and my fate. I still can't believe that I would desire to live in a world consisting of four days. There would be noting to accomplish as everything reset at the end."

"Things are...different now." Rider said to her as he held out her arm. "Take it." Bazett looked on her missing arm in awe. With this, she was a Master again. With this, she was whole again.

"I...thank you." Bazett said as she took a hold of her arm and pulled out the Avalon pendant unsure of what to do now.

"You won't thank him in a minute." Ivone said as she closed her eyes.

"Huh?' Bazett said as Rider's sword flew faster than she could react. Her healed stump of an arm was not bleeding profusely. "Aaaagh." Bazett screamed as the pain filled her senses. Lancer took the severed arm and held it against the bleeding stump. "Hold it there. It'll heal soon." Bazett nodded while clenching her teeth. Sure enough, the two pieces began attaching themselves. It would take a bit, but the arm would soon be reattached.

"Thank you," Ivone said, "Kiritsugu."

Kiritsugu sighed and knew that his Noble Phantasm **Hidden Identity** was sealed away. "Don't thank me." With that, he pushed her towards her mother. "Go on, talk." He turned, "I'll be scouting while you two get acquainted."

"Eh?" Ivone and Bazett said at once. "Ah, your just going to leave her with me? Unguarded?" Ivone asked shocked.

"Sure, it's not like you would dare to harm her." Kiritsugu said as he marched off. "Besides, if you did do anything to her. You know I would do the same to your Master."

"Honestly," Ivone said, "If you gave Shinji a punch or three, I would be happy."

"Shinji? Ah, then you were summoned by Sakura." Kiritsugu said and smiled. This was perfect. "All right, if I see Shinji, I'll beat him up for you."

"Thanks brother, you're the best." Ivone said as she looked back at her mother who was looking a lot better.

"So, his name is Kiritsugu," Bazett said as she contemplated. "Named after his grandfather the Magus Killer?" She had spent a night researching the name Emiya and found how Shirou was related. To think that the boy who was her husband in another time was the son of such a famous freelancer. She had never worked with him before as he had retired long before her time, but his stories were things of legends in freelancer circles.

Ivone nodded, "Yes, though he never received the title of Magus Killer. He was more along the lines of a regular freelancer."

"So, who is he the son of? He told me everyone else, but not himself."

Ivone blinked at that, "Emiya Kiritsugu, the son of Arturia Pendragon the son of Saber of the Fifth Grail War, and was known as the Black Knight. He seriously didn't tell you about himself? He's a legend."

Bazett shook her head, "No, something about one of his Noble Phantasms not working once his Identity was known. SO, what can you tell me about him?"

Ivone sat down on the bench and indicated for her mother to sit down beside her. "It's a long story considering I know two of him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shirou woke up to a familiar ceiling. "I had that dream again." He had dreamed of the night Kiritsugu had died and Shirou swore to take up the old man's dream and become a hero. "Wait, how did I get back into my room?" As he spoke, he could taste something terrible. "Ugh...what is that taste? It's horrible." He wipes his mouth and found it to be dried blood. "Blood?"

Shirou felt his stomach hurt, felt it trying to repel any food that might have been eaten. Shirou retched dryly as there was nothing to vomit.

He tried to stand up, to go get his face washed, but a sudden wave of pain and dizziness overwhelmed him. His body is heavy and it feels like his stomach is turning every time he moves. Carefully he makes his way to the bathroom and cleans himself up. It helps a bit removing the taste from his mouth, but the pain persists. He looks down at his chest and sees some clean white bandages wrapped around his stomach. Shirou can't remember why they are there. Had he been hurt? Well, they were there for some reason, so it was best not to remove them.

"I'm hungry. I wonder if there are any leftovers..." Shirou mutters feeling like he's forgotten something.

He entered the dining room and suddenly remembered.

"Good morning. I'm afraid I came in without asking you, Emiya-kun." Tohsaka said to Shirou. Beside her, Archer was placing a teacup full of tea in front of Rin while Berserker waved a welcome from the kitchen.

"Good Morning Master." Chiyo said to him with a warm smile that dulled his pain.

"Good morning," Shirou said pleasantly. Inside, however, a wave of hatred filled his mind as he looked on at Berserker. How dare anyone get into his kitchen and cook without his consent. His kitchen was his kingdom and the man was intruding on it. He would have been less offended if Berserker had destroyed his workshop/shed.

"Could you apologize first." Tohsaka cut in interrupting his thoughts. "I can't calm down until I hear an apology for last night." Tohsaka is mad, really mad.

From the side, both Chiyo and Haru sigh mentally as Rin's personality is kicking in. Far be it from her to admit that he saved her life. To her, she was now in his debt, and she hated being in debt. They saw their father's confusion at the statement, then the horrified wonder that he was alive after taking that blow to the chest.

"-That's strange. Why the hell am I alive?" Shirou asked in almost a whisper.

"Do you remember? The stupid thing you did last night? If you do, then please review your actions." Tohsaka said with a humph and criticized him. The two Servants rolled their eyes. Some things never change.

"What are you saying? There was nothing else to do at that time! Oh...well, it did look stupid if you just look at the results, but I was going to do it better." Shirou defended himself. "So it wasn't a mistake."

"Indeed Rin, you are still alive because of him, though if you hadn't frozen and used a command seal, none of this would have happened." Berserker added.

Rin glared at her traitorous Servant who's back was to her as he finished cooking. "A Master should not throw his life away for a Temporary Alliance. A Tem-por-ary Alliance. It's crazy to throw your life away for someone that might stab you in the back. In addition, protecting someone that was going to kill you is doubly stupid." Rin retorted.

"it's not that I protected you two with my life, I was trying to save you both and it just ended up working out this way. I didn't think things would end up like this either."

Rin sighed, "Look Emiya-kun. I'll come out and say it, but I didn't take you to the church to help you win. I was trying to help you stay alive even if you were left on your own. It seems you didn't understand that part."

At that point, Berserker coughed. Only Chiyo heard him say bull$hit inside the cough. She had to agree. If Rin was worried about that, she could have just sent Shirou with his Servant alone and stayed away instead of leading them to and from the church. She liked him, and she would never admit it at this rate. Heck, last time, it took a Servant's betrayal to get her to admit her feelings. Haru truly hoped he would not have to do that just to get Rin to admit her feelings.

"You shouldn't take risks if you realize that a loss equals your death. You seem to be someone who would walk out at night by yourself even in a situation like this." Rin continued. Chiyo and Haru both held back on nodding. That was their father all right.

"So...why are you mad at me Tohsaka? It shouldn't bother you if I'm the one that made the mistake." Shirou asked. Chiyo and Haru both slapped their faces at that. Was their father truly that dense?

"Of course it bothers me! You made me worry for a whole night." Rin yelled at him. She began glaring her second best glare at him. Shirou felt the temperature drop twenty degrees from that glare. Even those Hanyas would have hesitated to move under that glare.

"I see. I guess you helped me out. Thank you." Shirou said.

Rin turned her head to the side sending her hair waving, "Heh, it's fine if you understand. If you've learned from this, try to act smarter from no on."

'_Tsundere: a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time_.' Haru thought as he had her picture next to the definition.

'Is there any more cliché a line for a tsundere?' Chiyo thought. Yes, actually, now that she thought about it. If Rin ahd said 'It's not like I care or anything.' Then it would have been the most cliché. She gave Rin a week tops before that line came out.

"Then we're done with what happened last night. I'll go into the main topic, but what do you want to talk about? About last night or about something serious?" Rin asked, personality going 180 degrees back to serious.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Emiya Kiritsugu," a familiar voice whispered in his head.

"Hello Alaya-kaasan. What's up?" He asked.

"I see what you are planning, and I approve. Make a contract with me, and I will give you the power to fulfill your desire."

"No thanks," Kiritsugu said. "I'm fine with what I already have. Besides, you may know the end result of my plan, but not how I will accomplish it."

He felt a ripple of humor in the air as the spirit of Humanity's will to survive no matter the cost found something amusing. "Oh Kiritsugu, how I will enjoy having you as a counter guardian."

"Not today Kaa-san, maybe never." Kiritsugu said. "See you next week." He felt Alaya's influence leave him again. Once more he found it ironic that Alaya-ko really wanted him to serve her. She was persistent if all else failed. In theory,m he could become a Heroic Servant if he made a contract. Though the original would be unaffected, the copy that was himself would become the counter guardian. Still, he had no intention of signing his soul to anyone, ever...

He circled the park for some time waiting for Ivone to finish catching up with with her mother. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ivone and Bazett caught up with him.

"We've come to an agreement." Ivone said.

"Yes," Bazett agreed. "You and I will ally with Ivone here and Keiko who is the Caster of this war."

"As you wish Master." Kiritsugu siad then turned to Ivone. "If you don't mind Master, I would like to catch up with my sister as well. How about I meet you at your safe house tonight?"

Bazett nodded, "Very well. Will you be able to find me?"

"As you are now my Master." he said pointing to her command seals, "I can close my eyes and tell what direction you are in. Do not hesitate to summon me to your side if you are in danger."

Bazett nodded and left the two siblings to talk.

"All right brother, what did you want to know?" Ivone asked.

Kiritsugu took off his helmet and revealed his face. "What happened to my daughter?"

"Aurora?" Ivone asked recognizing the face of Kiritsugu-jiji the Martyr. "She lived that day, and was alive and well when I died.

Xxxxxxxx

**flashback to an alternate time.**

"What are you doing?" Aurora asked a few months after the funeral.

Kiritsugu nearly jumped out of his skin as Aurora slithered up behind him. "Shh," he whispered. "They don't know I'm in the kitchen."

Aurora frowned at that. She knew he had been banned from the kitchen for good reason. "I'm telling Obaa-san." She barely turned before an iron death grip was on her shoulders.

"Now Aurora, that wouldn't be a nice thing to do to your father." He said with a tight smile. "how about we work together and cook something."

Aurora shivered from the killing intent in his eyes. He really wanted to cook. Really really really wanted to cook. Right now, anyone who tried to hinder his moves was an enemy.

Aurora found herself admiring him for that. "Sure tou-san, lets get cooking. What are we making?"

"Waffles."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ivone shuddered. Remembering the waffle incident. An eldrtich horror that apparently tasted like cinnamon rolls according to Aurora.

"So she lived, that's good." Kiritsugu said as he walked beside her. "Last question, is that Keiko over there?" he asked pointing. Ivone turned to look in the direction he pointed to...only to see nothing.

Before she could react, his left hand slammed against her mouth while the right hand rammed a knife into her heart. She couldn't even scream in pain as she died. The last thing she felt as her world went red was Kiritsugu biting into her throat. She knew what he was doing, he was feeding on her. To become stronger. To feed upon a Servant was like feeding on thousands of souls. He was going to get a lot stronger because of this.

_'Nan-de?_' She asked as she died. She couldn't understand. They didn't need to fight, so why had he done this? She couldn't understand it as her body disintegrated. She closed her eyes, and died.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu looked over at his hidden knife he had stashed behind his shield. He had done it. He had killed one of his siblings.

_Seven Times will I sin,_

_This is but a single win._

_One has fallen to my knife,_

_The others will fall in this strife._

A cold feeling filled him as he killed his little sister. She had been naïve, too naïve. Had she gotten soft in life? The Ivone he knew was always watchful when on the field. But then, this was not the Ivone he knew. Maybe she had never contemplated the thought of a family member betraying her. Foolishness, Riko and Karin were always pranking everyone. One had to stay one ones toes in case something went _FUBAR because of their jokes. _

_She left herself open to betrayal,_

_And so she set herself up to fail._

_She had no chance to show her might,_

_and thus died to this Black Knight._

As operations go, this had been the most successful operation he ever carried out. In and out nice and cleanly, no witnesses, no indications that he killed her. It had gone too well for his liking.

_Will the others fall like so,_

_or will they see through my blow?_

_Will everything fall into place,_

_or will it blow up in my face?_

They say the simplest operations are the best as there are far fewer things that can go wrong, but had he really gotten away with murder so easily? No, because he knew. Because he would remember the look of pain and betrayal in her eyes. She who had trusted him had been cut down. He had done this, he had killed her.

_Only father will stay my hand_

_as I unleash hell upon the band_

_As father grows in body in mind,_

_so too will he suffer in kind._

Suffering, only in suffering would Tou-san be what he should have been. There was no Archer to confront and warn him of the dangers in his path, thus it feel to this Rider to show him what lay beyond. In the end, father would be face with a choice, a decision. Kiritsugu had to be careful, to show him the pros and cons of the road to walk, but not to influence the final decision. Choice, choice was everything, and he would not take it from his father.

_This is the only path, the only way_

_to see them in his arms one day._

_Thus all I can do is sin_

_to ensure he will win_

_I have learned to hate all traitors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery. - Aeschylus_

Lancer was curious to say the least. This black armored man, at least, she thought it was a man, was running heedless of the attention he could draw. Honestly, the word subtle was not in this guy's dictionary or something. Unlike the movies, people did notice when a strange man in black armor dashed past them at incredible speeds. Though, most people would write this off as a stunt, gimmick, event, or movie scene. Still, there was the principle of the whole thing, and it was driving her nuts.

Eventually, the man lost all sight of the population and headed for the park that had been the location of ground Zero for the Fourth Grail war. The armored man came to a halt in the barren park. He walked up to a bench and sat down. She was unsure why he had suddenly stopped. Up until now, he had dashed forward heedless of consequences to get to this barren and isolated place. Ivone shivered as she felt the hared poisoning this place. She watched as he sat there, waiting. It must have been minutes, but finally a voice called out.

"What would you say is the darkest night in this city?" a familiar female voice called out.

"The night a priest decides to go to war." The armored man responded. He stood up to turn as the woman came out from behind a tree. Ivone couldn't help but gasp at what she saw.

The armored man turned and dashed at her at an unholy speed and swung his sword. She barely repelled it with her enhanced fist. Again and again he attacked her with his blade, and each time she barely evaded or repelled the attack. He was fast, he was strong. There was no denying that. Yet, his right arm was hindered for some reason. He was holding something behind that shield and was protecting it venomously. It gave her and idea, she pushed in a but further and saw him advance just a bit as well trying to hit her with the hilt as he swung. She evaded it, barely, but was able to throw a punch and knock his shield aside a bit.

She almost didn't react to his next swing as she stared at what she saw. Luckily, her reflexes kicked in and caused her to roll out of the way.

"Wait, wait." Ivone said, trying to calm him down. "You got her arm back?"

That did it. The Servant hesitated, his swing was slower, sloppy. She took that opportunity to leap back and out of the way.

"Her arm? You worry for her arm?" the armored warrior asked her.

"Rider, who is this?" Bazett asked in wonder as she looked at the woman who looked so much like her. It was clear she was a Fraga from the way she held herself, the way she fought, the runes on her clothes.

"Kaa-san," Ivone whispered in wonder as the armored man moved to stand in front of Bazett. Yet, Bazett heard the whisper.

"Kaa-san? Ah, you must be Ivone then." Bazett said nodding her head.

"You...you know me?" Ivone asked taken aback.

"Oh yes, Rider here was most helpful telling me all about you and your unique ability to create a second Noble Phantasm **Areadbhar**."

"The blood thirsty spear of Lugh," Ivone nodded her head. "Father...the mixture of the blood between you and him unlocked the potential in my blood to summon a second Noble Phantasm for our loyalty to the old gods."

Bazett nodded, "Rider here was most helpful telling me all about how this war should have gone...and my fate. I still can't believe that I would desire to live in a world consisting of four days. There would be noting to accomplish as everything reset at the end."

"Things are...different now." Rider said to her as he held out her arm. "Take it." Bazett looked on her missing arm in awe. With this, she was a Master again. With this, she was whole again.

"I...thank you." Bazett said as she took a hold of her arm and pulled out the Avalon pendant unsure of what to do now.

"You won't thank him in a minute." Ivone said as she closed her eyes.

"Huh?' Bazett said as Rider's sword flew faster than she could react. Her healed stump of an arm was not bleeding profusely. "Aaaagh." Bazett screamed as the pain filled her senses. Lancer took the severed arm and held it against the bleeding stump. "Hold it there. It'll heal soon." Bazett nodded while clenching her teeth. Sure enough, the two pieces began attaching themselves. It would take a bit, but the arm would soon be reattached.

"Thank you," Ivone said, "Kiritsugu."

Kiritsugu sighed and knew that his Noble Phantasm **Hidden Identity** was sealed away. "Don't thank me." With that, he pushed her towards her mother. "Go on, talk." He turned, "I'll be scouting while you two get acquainted."

"Eh?" Ivone and Bazett said at once. "Ah, your just going to leave her with me? Unguarded?" Ivone asked shocked.

"Sure, it's not like you would dare to harm her." Kiritsugu said as he marched off. "Besides, if you did do anything to her. You know I would do the same to your Master."

"Honestly," Ivone said, "If you gave Shinji a punch or three, I would be happy."

"Shinji? Ah, then you were summoned by Sakura." Kiritsugu said and smiled. This was perfect. "All right, if I see Shinji, I'll beat him up for you."

"Thanks brother, you're the best." Ivone said as she looked back at her mother who was looking a lot better.

"So, his name is Kiritsugu," Bazett said as she contemplated. "Named after his grandfather the Magus Killer?" She had spent a night researching the name Emiya and found how Shirou was related. To think that the boy who was her husband in another time was the son of such a famous freelancer. She had never worked with him before as he had retired long before her time, but his stories were things of legends in freelancer circles.

Ivone nodded, "Yes, though he never received the title of Magus Killer. He was more along the lines of a regular freelancer."

"So, who is he the son of? He told me everyone else, but not himself."

Ivone blinked at that, "Emiya Kiritsugu, the son of Arturia Pendragon the son of Saber of the Fifth Grail War, and was known as the Black Knight. He seriously didn't tell you about himself? He's a legend."

Bazett shook her head, "No, something about one of his Noble Phantasms not working once his Identity was known. So, what can you tell me about him?"

Ivone sat down on the bench and indicated for her mother to sit down beside her. "It's a long story considering I know two of him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shirou woke up to a familiar ceiling. "I had that dream again." He had dreamed of the night Kiritsugu had died and Shirou swore to take up the old man's dream and become a hero. "Wait, how did I get back into my room?" As he spoke, he could taste something terrible. "Ugh...what is that taste? It's horrible." He wipes his mouth and found it to be dried blood. "Blood?"

Shirou felt his stomach hurt, felt it trying to repel any food that might have been eaten. Shirou retched dryly as there was nothing to vomit.

He tried to stand up, to go get his face washed, but a sudden wave of pain and dizziness overwhelmed him. His body is heavy and it feels like his stomach is turning every time he moves. Carefully he makes his way to the bathroom and cleans himself up. It helps a bit removing the taste from his mouth, but the pain persists. He looks down at his chest and sees some clean white bandages wrapped around his stomach. Shirou can't remember why they are there. Had he been hurt? Well, they were there for some reason, so it was best not to remove them.

"I'm hungry. I wonder if there are any leftovers..." Shirou mutters feeling like he's forgotten something.

He entered the dining room and suddenly remembered.

"Good morning. I'm afraid I came in without asking you, Emiya-kun." Tohsaka said to Shirou. Beside her, Archer was placing a teacup full of tea in front of Rin while Berserker waved a welcome from the kitchen.

"Good Morning Master." Chiyo said to him with a warm smile that dulled his pain.

"Good morning," Shirou said pleasantly. Inside, however, a wave of hatred filled his mind as he looked on at Berserker. How dare anyone get into his kitchen and cook without his consent. His kitchen was his kingdom and the man was intruding on it. He would have been less offended if Berserker had destroyed his workshop/shed.

"Could you apologize first." Tohsaka cut in interrupting his thoughts. "I can't calm down until I hear an apology for last night." Tohsaka is mad, really mad.

From the side, both Chiyo and Haru sigh mentally as Rin's personality is kicking in. Far be it from her to admit that he saved her life. To her, she was now in his debt, and she hated being in debt. They saw their father's confusion at the statement, then the horrified wonder that he was alive after taking that blow to the chest.

"-That's strange. Why the hell am I alive?" Shirou asked in almost a whisper.

"Do you remember? The stupid thing you did last night? If you do, then please review your actions." Tohsaka said with a humph and criticized him. The two Servants rolled their eyes. Some things never change.

"What are you saying? There was nothing else to do at that time! Oh...well, it did look stupid if you just look at the results, but I was going to do it better." Shirou defended himself. "So it wasn't a mistake."

"Indeed Rin, you are still alive because of him, though if you hadn't frozen and used a command seal, none of this would have happened." Berserker added.

Rin glared at her traitorous Servant who's back was to her as he finished cooking. "A Master should not throw his life away for a Temporary Alliance. A Tem-por-ary Alliance. It's crazy to throw your life away for someone that might stab you in the back. In addition, protecting someone that was going to kill you is doubly stupid." Rin retorted.

"it's not that I protected you two with my life, I was trying to save you both and it just ended up working out this way. I didn't think things would end up like this either."

Rin sighed, "Look Emiya-kun. I'll come out and say it, but I didn't take you to the church to help you win. I was trying to help you stay alive even if you were left on your own. It seems you didn't understand that part."

At that point, Berserker coughed. Only Chiyo heard him say bull$hit inside the cough. She had to agree. If Rin was worried about that, she could have just sent Shirou with his Servant alone and stayed away instead of leading them to and from the church. She liked him, and she would never admit it at this rate. Heck, last time, it took a Servant's betrayal to get her to admit her feelings. Haru truly hoped he would not have to do that just to get Rin to admit her feelings.

"You shouldn't take risks if you realize that a loss equals your death. You seem to be someone who would walk out at night by yourself even in a situation like this." Rin continued. Chiyo and Haru both held back on nodding. That was their father all right.

"So...why are you mad at me Tohsaka? It shouldn't bother you if I'm the one that made the mistake." Shirou asked. Chiyo and Haru both slapped their faces at that. Was their father truly that dense?

"Of course it bothers me! You made me worry for a whole night." Rin yelled at him. She began glaring her second best glare at him. Shirou felt the temperature drop twenty degrees from that glare. Even those Hanyas would have hesitated to move under that glare.

"I see. I guess you helped me out. Thank you." Shirou said.

Rin turned her head to the side sending her hair waving, "Heh, it's fine if you understand. If you've learned from this, try to act smarter from no on."

'_Tsundere: a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time._' Haru thought as he had her picture next to the definition.

_'Is there any more cliché a line for a tsundere?_' Chiyo thought. Yes, actually, now that she thought about it. If Rin ahd said 'It's not like I care or anything.' Then it would have been the most cliché. She gave Rin a week tops before that line came out.

"Then we're done with what happened last night. I'll go into the main topic, but what do you want to talk about? About last night or about something serious?" Rin asked, personality going 180 degrees back to serious.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Emiya Kiritsugu," a familiar voice whispered in his head.

"Hello Alaya-kaasan. What's up?" He asked.

"I see what you are planning, and I approve. Make a contract with me, and I will give you the power to fulfill your desire."

"No thanks," Kiritsugu said. "I'm fine with what I already have. Besides, you may know the end result of my plan, but not how I will accomplish it."

He felt a ripple of humor in the air as the spirit of Humanity's will to survive no matter the cost found something amusing. "Oh Kiritsugu, how I will enjoy having you as a counter guardian."

"Not today Kaa-san, maybe never." Kiritsugu said. "See you next week." He felt Alaya's influence leave him again. Once more he found it ironic that Alaya-ko really wanted him to serve her. She was persistent if all else failed. In theory,m he could become a Heroic Servant if he made a contract. Though the original would be unaffected, the copy that was himself would become the counter guardian. Still, he had no intention of signing his soul to anyone, ever...

He circled the park for some time waiting for Ivone to finish catching up with with her mother. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ivone and Bazett caught up with him.

"We've come to an agreement." Ivone said.

"Yes," Bazett agreed. "You and I will ally with Ivone here and Keiko who is the Caster of this war."

"As you wish Master." Kiritsugu siad then turned to Ivone. "If you don't mind Master, I would like to catch up with my sister as well. How about I meet you at your safe house tonight?"

Bazett nodded, "Very well. Will you be able to find me?"

"As you are now my Master." he said pointing to her command seals, "I can close my eyes and tell what direction you are in. Do not hesitate to summon me to your side if you are in danger."

Bazett nodded and left the two siblings to talk.

"All right brother, what did you want to know?" Ivone asked.

Kiritsugu took off his helmet and revealed his face. "What happened to my daughter?"

"Aurora?" Ivone asked recognizing the face of Kiritsugu-jiji the Martyr. "She lived that day, and was alive and well when I died.

Xxxxxxxx

**flashback to an alternate time****.**

"What are you doing?" Aurora asked a few months after the funeral.

Kiritsugu nearly jumped out of his skin as Aurora slithered up behind him. "Shh," he whispered. "They don't know I'm in the kitchen."

Aurora frowned at that. She knew he had been banned from the kitchen for good reason. "I'm telling Obaa-san." She barely turned before an iron death grip was on her shoulders.

"Now Aurora, that wouldn't be a nice thing to do to your father." He said with a tight smile. "how about we work together and cook something."

Aurora shivered from the killing intent in his eyes. He really wanted to cook. Really really really wanted to cook. Right now, anyone who tried to hinder his moves was an enemy.

Aurora found herself admiring him for that. "Sure tou-san, lets get cooking. What are we making?"

"Waffles."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ivone shuddered. Remembering the waffle incident. An eldrtich horror that apparently tasted like cinnamon rolls according to Aurora.

"So she lived, that's good." Kiritsugu said as he walked beside her. "Last question, is that Keiko over there?" he asked pointing. Ivone turned to look in the direction he pointed to...only to see nothing.

Before she could react, his left hand slammed against her mouth while the right hand rammed a knife into her heart. She couldn't even scream in pain as she died. The last thing she felt as her world went red was Kiritsugu biting into her throat. She knew what he was doing, he was feeding on her. To become stronger. To feed upon a Servant was like feeding on thousands of souls. He was going to get a lot stronger because of this.

_'__Nan-de?_' She thought as she died. She couldn't understand. They didn't need to fight, so why had he done this? She couldn't understand it as her body disintegrated. She closed her eyes, and died.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu looked over at his hidden knife he had stashed behind his shield. He had done it. He had killed one of his siblings.

_Seven Times will I sin,_

_This is but a single win._

_One has fallen to my knife,_

_The others will fall in this strife._

A cold feeling filled him as he killed his little sister. She had been naïve, too naïve. Had she gotten soft in life? The Ivone he knew was always watchful when on the field. But then, this was not the Ivone he knew. Maybe she had never contemplated the thought of a family member betraying her. Foolishness, Riko and Karin were always pranking everyone. One had to stay one ones toes in case something went _FUBAR because of their jokes. _

_She left herself open to betrayal,_

_And so she set herself up to fail._

_She had no chance to show her might,_

_and thus died to this Black Knight._

As operations go, this had been the most successful operation he ever carried out. In and out nice and cleanly, no witnesses, no indications that he killed her. It had gone too well for his liking.

_Will the others fall like so,_

_or will they see through my blow?_

_Will everything fall into place,_

_or will it blow up in my face?_

They say the simplest operations are the best as there are far fewer things that can go wrong, but had he really gotten away with murder so easily? No, because he knew. Because he would remember the look of pain and betrayal in her eyes. She who had trusted him had been cut down. He had done this, he had killed her.

_Only father will stay my hand_

_as I unleash hell upon the band_

_As father grows in body in mind,_

_so too will he suffer in kind._

Suffering, only in suffering would Tou-san be what he should have been. There was no Archer to confront and warn him of the dangers in his path, thus it feel to this Rider to show him what lay beyond. In the end, father would be face with a choice, a decision. Kiritsugu had to be careful, to show him the pros and cons of the road to walk, but not to influence the final decision. Choice, choice was everything, and he would not take it from his father.

_This is the only path, the only way_

_to see them in his arms one day._

_Thus all I can do is sin_

_to ensure he will win_

Bazett would be interesting for a MAster. She would probably only go out and fight at night, leaving him free in the day to do his work. Very different than how other Servants fought, they who prefered the night would fear the day. It would work, he would just have to choose the appropriate locations. Locations he had already determined. He returned his helmet to his face cutting off the world from seeing his one good eye cry at what he had done. He knew what he had to do, but that did not mena he realished it. He would do his duty as the son of Emiya to make the hard decision, but he hated it all the same. He was sitting upon his throne of thorns, and it was bleeding him dry.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Shinji looked on in horror as his book burned in front of him. How? How had it happened? Lance had only gone out to scout while Shinji stayed home since there was no school today after the terrorist attack last night. yet, the dumb b*tch had gone and gotten herself killed. Dammit, dammit, Sakura had summoned a useless Servant. How dare she do this to him, how dare she do this. As soon as she got home, he was going to give her hell. He had been gentle to her recently, believing her Servant would bring him victory.

Tonight, he was going to bring out the the whips and shackles. She was going to suffer for this...

While Shinji fumed, a mass of worms writhed in frustration. The Makiri line had weakened too much in this land. Now called Matou, this newest failure was ranting about his loss. It was one thing to lose to a superior Servant, that was one thing, but to lose so quickly, and be the first one. No, the old man would not allow it. He would take matters into his own had soon. There are ways to control Servatns once summoned. Was sthat he knew all too well. He would not let her Sacrifice be in vain.

xxxxxxxxxxx

She could feel it, Lancer was dead. Her Servant was dead. Yet, she could still feel her Servant's essence for some reason. She couldn't understand it, so she went. She had been out shopping for food to surprise Sempai, but this took priority. She walked towards the feeling, finally coming to the barren park. "Ivone?" she called out not daring to risk revealing she was looking for a Servant.

"She is dead Sakura." a deep voice called behind her. "She exists in me now." Sakura slowly turned around feeling fear. She saw him, the black armored man standing in front of her. Yet, seh could feel Lancer's essence inside of him.

"You...you ate her." Sakura said quietly. She wasn't afraid to die, not anymore. Lancer had given her a promise to help her be with Sempai, it had been her last ray of light in the dark. Now, it was gone.

"I did, and with her essence, I called you. And now, I have you." He said reaching out for her. Sakura clsoed her eyes and prepared for the end...

xxxxxxxx

(Read, review, and try to not flame me. Yes, Ivone died easily, but she had no reason to suspect the honorable Kiritsugu would kill her. Kiritsugu was smart, take the opening given to him, and finish her off easily without witnessess, without epic battles of Noble Phantasms. The perfect military operation.)


	25. Clan wars 10

_We create our tomorrow by what we do today._

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"I want to hear the serious matter. I want to know why you stayed here last night." Shirou decided.

"Then I'll be direct about it, what are you panning to do from now on?" Tohsaka asked.

"Shirou thought about it, in an alternate time, he would have just stayed on the defensive, fought the Masters and Servatns that attacked him, but he could not. Not with the mass murderer on the loose. A Servant had been butchering them, and Shirou was intent on facing that one. "I'll fight, I'm going to find the one that's killing the people and then I am going to stop him. I'm not interested in something mysterious like the Holy Grail. I'm not going to risk my life for something I don't want."

Tohsaka said, "I knew you were going to say something like that. You'll be killed by your Servant if you keep saying that."

Shirou looked over at Archer who shook her head, "Not really, I have no interest in the Grail either. I'm with Emiya-san here."

Tohsaka looked at Archer in surprise. "You have no interest in the Grail? None at all?'

"No," Chiyo said waving her hand dismissively, "I cannot condone a war for something as meaningless as the Grail, any wishes I had were fulfilled in life...and in death..." Chiyo said remembering her oath to be a counter guardian. Power was given to her for a purpose and for a promise, a promise to find a counter guardian and be by his side for all time. She had no regrets, though they were trapped in an endless cycles of hell, as long as they were together, they had something that could never be taken away, never stolen, and never compromised. She was the golden shield, and she was satisfied...

"Strange," Rin muttered.

"Why?" Shirou asked.

"Because the goal of Servants is to obtain the grail themselves. The most important thing, and the reason why a Servant is summoned is to obtain the Grail. They risk their very lives on the chance to obtain it." Rin explained.

"Not true," Haru said placing the food down, "A great many Servants would come just for a chance of a good fight. To them, the Grail Wars is nothing more than a way to relieve stress they've been building up in the Throne." He held up a fist, "The Throne is a lonely, boring place for most Servants. Most are isolated in their own miniature worlds. There, they have everything they desire, except company. The most interactions Servants tend to have is a small collision of worlds as they drift. Said Servants cannot cross over the worlds, but they can send ideas and pleasantries there. It's a dull place for warriors who lived their entire lives on the battlefield."

"So, they would come just for a chance to fight?" Shirou asked.

"Very much so, for example: The King of Conquerors Iskandar himself has been trying to get out and begin a new conquest ever since he ascended the Throne." Chiyo added.

"I see, yes, that would also be a factor." Rin admitted, "But still, most Servants should be aiming to claim the Grail."

"You're wrong Rin," Berserker interrupted her, "for the most part, Servants just want out, to try to live again, if even for a moment. It all depends on what kind of Master summons the Servant and with what catalyst. You yourself have no interest in the Grail, only winning. Emiya-san here just wants to use his own strength to be a hero. Both of you summoned Servants that are fairly similar in mind."

Shirou looked over at Archer who shrugged, "Emiya-san I lived a life fighting creatures that hunted men, I fought, killed, and sealed hundreds of such creatures and was called a hero in certain circles. Haru there was a born fighter, living a life of combat testing himself constantly."

"I wasn't that bad," Haru said interrupting her, "Your thinking of a different one." Chiyo nodded slightly allowing him to deny what he was.

"So," Shirou said as he took the facts in, "Most Servants come because they are bored or they have a wish that they want to have fulfilled. That, that seems wrong."

"In a way it is," Chiyo continued, "Though they gained immortality, Heroic Spirits are forever bound by their fate. They cannot be reborn, they cannot enter the cycle of rebirth. They are kept isolated for all eternity so that they do not change. That is the eventual fate of all Heroes."

"Well, unless they're a counter guardian," Haru added thinking of the other Archer.

Chiyo looked down, "Yes, Counter guardians are different. Selling their souls to Alaya for power, they will be summoned to the worst battles to ensure mankind's survival."

Shirou blinked, "That doesn't sound too bad."

"It's worse," Haru picked up the conversation, "Counter Guardians don't save people, they just eliminate the cause for the destruction, usually another human, then return to where they came. They save none, and kill countless lives."

Shirou shuddered, that was not what he wanted, he wanted to save others. "Why would anyone want that?"

"Who knows," Haru said whist fully, "Ask one of them, each of them have different reasons. Sometimes they ask for power to save someone they knew, some just wanted power in life and paid in death. Some...some just didn't understand what their fate would be as a counter guardian. Those ones thought they would save people, but didn't realize that they wouldn't be saving anyone"

Chiyo held up her hand, "we're getting off track here, Rin asked what Emiya-san was planning on doing. It would be best if we concentrated on that right now."

"yes, especially since Herakles has been summoned." Haru nodded.

"I've been wondering this," Rin said, "You knew him right from the start, how?"

"Even if it was only once," Haru said remembering the Battle against the Einzberns, "You don't forget a being like him. Not ever."

"true," Chiyo agreed.

"It would be best if we continued to work together against him." Haru went on, "I can probably kill him seven or eight times, but his **God Hand** has twelve stock lives. He'll become immune to the killing blows each time I kill him."

"That won't be a problem," Chiyo nodded, "I can aide you against that."

Rin felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance as the two Servants negotiated over her head, "What are you doing Berserker?"

"Making sure you'll live through the Grail War Master. If Herakles is here, then the whole war has gone up in danger level." Haru answered. "Unless you want me to eat souls."

"Souls?" Shirou asked worriedly while Rin spat out her tea outraged at being asked such a question.

"Yes, just as Natural Spirits gain energy from nature Heroic Spirits being once human can feed upon Human souls for energy. It won't necessarily make them stronger so much as give them a large ammunition pool to draw from. The more souls we eat, the more we can use our powers." Chiyo explained, "Ah, but don't worry. Neither of us will be doing anything like that. I hunt begins that feed upon souls my whole life, while Haru..." She trailed off. It wasn't her secret to give.

"I've been tempted in life, but never fed upon any." Haru said simply. Shirou and Rin looked at him aghast, "What? I've a mixed blood. It's just something I've always had in the back of my head."

Rin sighed, a mixed blood. There had been rumors that the Tohsaka clan was descended form a vampire, but to think she summoned a being such as this...

"Anyways, how is your body Emiya-san?" Haru asked.

"Eh? Ah, it's okay. It still hurts...but how did I survive?" Shirou answered.

"Part of that was due to Archer's artifact." Haru said pointing to a pendant she was holding up. "It allows for quick healing and as long as the head is not cut off or the person is dead, it can revive a person from the brink. The other part was your ability."

"Ability?" Shirou asked.

"Swords. Your body was made of swords for a brief moment." Chiyo added. "That's what kept you from being cleaved in two." Well, that and the original Avalon, but that's a different story.

"It did?" Shirou said in wonder.

"That was sorcery level reinforcement." Haru said nodding. "I've only seen one person pull that off. You, sir, are amazing. I doubt there will be another magus that can so what you do for a long time." '_Like Never' _Haru thought.

"Sorcery," Shirou said in amazement. TO do something that was impossible to replicate with technology, and he had done it...he wasn't sure if he should be happy that he had done something so powerful or sad that it had no real meaning to him as he wasn't a real magus. From Rin came a deadly killing intent. Okay, scratch that, he was now sacred of his ability. Rin was clearly a true Magus and the thought that an unschooled nobody had beaten her was clearly pushing her to her limit. He could see veins popping on her forehead. That didn't look good for him or her.

Shirou was beginning to think that Rin was the scariest participant in this war instead of Herakles.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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She stood there silently waiting to die. In a way, she longer for it, hoped for it. Finally, the nightmare of the Matou's was over. She could die. But still, she was sad, she wasn't going to be with him any longer. She wasn't going to be able to see his smile any more. That kind smile that accepted everyone and forgave them of their faults. She loved that smile, that kind gentle smile. He had been the one ray of light in her dark hell...and now she was going to lose it. Lancer had promised, promised that she would be free of the Matous and be with Sempai. Yet now, Lancer was dead, and her essence had been used for a trap.

She watched as his hand moved forward. Was he going to rip out her heart for the core? Was he going to feed upon her soul? No...

He patted her on the head.

"I will not harm you child. I mean to save you and bring you into his arms." The Servant said. Sakura's eyes widened. He was saying exactly what Lancer had said.

"You are a pawn in a dangerous game, and I intend to get you off the board." the armored man said. "but I need you to say a simple lie."

Sakura merely looked at him as he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down some directions. He then took off a strip of black cloth.

"Wear this around your arm before you get to the location. When you knock on the door, tell the girl there that you are Lancer's Master and are seeking sanctuary as Lancer was just defeated by Assassin. Tell her that I, Rider, am in pursuit and am going to avenge her. You will not tell her the truth nor will you mention that I ate her. Do this and I shall give you what you desire. Fail, and I will kill Emiya Shirou. I will rip his heart out and present it to you on a silver platter and make you eat it."

Sakura shivered as the killing intent enveloped her.

"Do you understand?" The armored man demanded.

Salura nodded nervously, "I-I understand."

"Good, do as I ask, and you'll be married to him within a few years, if not by the time the year ends." Rider said satisfied. Sakura had a brief vision of her in a white dress and blushed.

Kiritsugu nodded satisfied, then headed for his next location. It had to be done today, before everything went out of his control. He was, figuratively, glad that Ivone had died so easily and Kotomine hadn't taken too much energy. He was still drained a bit from last night, but Ivone had topped him off and added more to his reserves. He headed for the forest. It was time to collect the Grail.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Illya was not happy. Her quarry, the purple haired Servant had escaped her. To top it off, from what Saber had told her, it had to be Assassin. Assassin, the most elusive of Servants. She would be a difficult prey to track. How dare that woman attack her prey, how dare she attack Shirou. He was hers to kill if she wanted it. Yet, after that attack, and how he saved her, she wasn't sure that she wanted to kill him.

Grandfather said that father had abandoned her, that he had opted to take on a different child and abandoned her. Maybe, but that boy was different it seems. Not like a thief like she had figured. Instead, he had saved her, sacrificing himself for her, who had been trying to kill him earlier.

He was such an interesting person. Instead of killing him, how about he became hers? Yes, that sounded good. Hers and only hers.

She suddenly turned her head to the south as someone crossed the Bounded field quickly. Very Quickly.

"Saber, we have a guest. Let's welcome him warmly."

"as you wish Ojou-sama." Takeshi said really wishing the command seal was not on him. However, he felt it lift it's pressure off his back as he agreed with the command and quit struggling. He was ready, in his hands was his mother's old sword. In addition, it would take the Servant time to get here, there was over a mile of forest between the city and the mansion.

No, the Servant was almost upon them he thought coldly. Must be a swift Servant like Rider or Assassin. He really hoped it was Assassin. He still owed Riko a lecture.

"Get behind me Ojou-sama." He said seriously as he stood atop the stairs to the main entrance. He thought it was ironic. Here was where his father faced himself in one on one combat. Here, in this hall Herakles died against Gilgamesh. Here, another Servant would fall. This place must be a death trap to Servants or something.

They waited tensely as they felt the Servant approach the door slowly. Any second now that door would be thrown open and another battle of Servants would unfold.

Any second now...

…

…

…

What the heck? Did the guy have a heart attack getting here so fast? Illya hoped not because that would be so ironic it would not be funny.

***Ding dong***

...he rang the doorbell...

...the Servant seriously rang the door bell...

this was either an elaborate trap or the Servant was an idiot.

"I'll get it," Leysritt said entering the room missing all the tension. The maid hurried over to the door and opened it. Illya closed her eyes. Leysritt was just doing her job, but she probably about to die.

"Hello," Leysritt called out as she opend the door.

"Candygram for Ilyasviel von Einzbern." a voice called out.

Now, there are many facts about Illa, some well known, some not. Fact: Illya is in her late teenager years despite her apparent looks of five maybe six. Fact: She has lived a sheltered life in a home of reclusive magi. Magi that hate technology. Fact: There was no way for her to get the reference.

But still...CANDY! Illya's one big glaring weakness...well that and having fun...

"Let him in Leysritt," Illya said with a smile thinking of both candy and a fight. Could this day get any better? Popcorn, needs popcorn too. Meanwhile, Saber was about ready to throw her down the hallway to safety for the bomb to go off. Leysritt bowed as a man in black armor came in the room holding a box of chocolates.

"Candygram for Ilyasviel von Einzbern." the man said again holding out the box. Leysritt bowed once and took the box of chocolates.

"Apologies, but took much chocolate makes the mistress ill." she said. Illya looked at her maid with the cutest betrayed look in the world.

"But...it's for me." She said using her deadly puppy-eye look. The maid looked at the mistress for a moment then slumped just a fraction. "Very well mistress, but not too many. You'll ruin your appetite."

"Master, it is the height of stupidity to accept sweets from the enemy right before battle." Saber rebuked. Illya merely turned to him and stuck her tongue out. "Bleh, just for that, I'm not sharing any with you."

"Seriously brother, lighten up." Kiritsugu said as he took off his helmet. "I swear on my mother's name and father's dream that I just bought the chocolates from a store right before I came here. Nothing was tampered."

Takeshi relaxed for a moment, then straightened up, "Kiritsugu, why are you here?"

"First, I wanted to see how things ended up in my world when I vanished" Kiritsugu answered, "You clearly never got that scar repaired after I gave it to you, so I know you're from my world."

"Ah, the family was worried sick about you. You go off an vanish without telling anyone. No one, not even Eiko and Haru could track you down."  
>"Huh, considering Eiko in another world sneezed you would have thought she would tell you. Must have lied or something." Kiritsugu siad, "Um, sorry about taking the artifacts with me."<p>

"Hey," Illya said quietly

Takeshi waved his hands dismissively, "It's not like we were going to use any of them. Just store them in a locked box. Besides, a few were your inheritance."

"Hey," Illya said a bit louder.

"True, but I still feel bad. Although, the look on Rin-kaasan's face when she saw we had a second set of her worst nightmare still makes me smile." Kiritsugu said. Takeshi grinned at that just picturing the horror on her face. Priceless.

"Hey," Illat said above normal volume.

"Anyways, it's a bit of a shame that the clan didn't have my inheritance and the artifacts, but I just wanted to catch up."

"HEY" Illya yelled.

"Yes Master?" Takeshi asked.

"What's going on?" Illya said annoyed that she had been ignored.

"Oh, I'm going kill him." Kiritsugu answered putting his helmet back on.

"Eh?" Illya and Takeshi said as they were taken aback by the blunt statement.

Kiritsugu whistled and **Podagros **burst into the room which Kiritsugu hopped on top of.

xxxxx

.com/watch?v=guk82_CFCHg

xxxxxxx

"Kiritsugu, attempting to kill a Sibling is **Forbidden**." Takeshi said. The air darkened and hundreds of Hanyas surrounded the Servant.

"Servant Rider, prepare to die Saber." Kiritsugu said drawing his blade. He then began cleaving the demons with ease as he sent his mount forward. Dozens of Hanyas attacked him at all angles, only to fall to his lightning fast speed. True, they were slowing him down, hindering his ability and lowering his stats, but with Lancer inside him, he was still far above these apparitions. Again and again they came at him with blood splatter clothes and rusty weapons, but he cleaved them apart with ease as he made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Enough," Takeshi said drawing his sword.

"**Totsuga No Tsurugi,** the sword of Susanoo that cleaved the Yamata no Orochi's heads. Seikirei number one's sword and the mark of her true power. Impressive" Kiritsugu said as he held out _Chivalry_.

"You know what I can do with this." Takeshi said.

"I know, but that's what hostages are for." With that, Kiritsugu showed a wire in his hands and pointed to the maid who was holding her neck.

"You," Takeshi said with a sneer.

"Don't worry about me." the maid told the Servant. It was her place to defend the mistress and die if needed.

"He will, that's the kind of man he is." Kiritsugu said calmly. "He is the epitome of Good and Tradition."

"Saber," Illya said as her Seals flared. "Kill him."

Takeshi moved far faster than he thought he could. He swung with a strength far beyond his own...only for it to be blocked. Again and again he swung his blade, and Kiritsugu blocked it with ease.

"What's wrong brother? Not going to activate it's true power?"

"I choose how to fight," Takeshi said refusing to activate his second and final Noble Phantasm.

"Works for me," Kiritsugu said throwing His sword up in the air. Takeshi leaped to the side as Kiritsugu began raining magic bullets from his left hand.

Kiritsugu moved his mount up the stairs slowly as Takeshi gave ground grudgingly. Kiritsugu took his shield hand and reached into a pocket dimension that held the artifacts and smiled.

Takeshi did not see that, all he saw was that he had a clear shot. No one would be hurt by the blast except his fallen brother. " **Totsuga No-" **He yelled as his blade turned pure white and radiated pure power.

"**Tsurugi"** He yelled causing a massive beam of death to fly from it.

The room became filled with smoke as the manor caught on fire from the blast. Yet, from the smoke a thundering clapping noise echoed. "Very well done brother, if I hadn't used that jewel to teleport out of danger, I'd be dead. Too bad I had to send my horse away."

Takeshi suddenly swung up as he deflected a magic bullet from above. "What is wrong with you brother? Is honor meaningless to you?"

"In this war, there is no Honor, only duty." Kiritsugu's voice echoed in the smoke. More Hanyas died unable to see the enemy. "If I must swim in an ocean of blood, build a throne of skulls, and cast my soul into hell, it will be done." His voice, it sounded regretful yet determined at the same time.

Takeshi had heard enough. He swung his sword and sent the smoke flying...to reveal Kiritsugu hold a blade at Illya's throat.

"Brother, kill yourself, then I can save her. I can save them all. I just need seven to die." Kiritsugu begged. "Please, don't make me rip out her heart."

Takeshi looked on his brother in pity. "You're trying to recreate it? Impossible, it's too late."

"It's never too late," Kiritsugu defended, "All it relies upon is choice. **His** choice."

"Brother, give it up." Takeshi said.

Kiritsugu removed the blade from Illya's neck. "Very well." he then pointed up to the sky. "Tora Tora Tora."

Takeshi looked up in wonder expecting something to rain from the sky. He barely dodged Kiritsugu's slash. The two locked themselves into mortal combat. How can one describe their attacks unless one can see it. The best description to give is a comparison of Saber versus Assassin from the True Fifth Grail War. A heavy cleaving blade attacking a katana, though this one was of a more regular length. Two sword-masters hacking at each other with everything they had. Takeshi was fast and skilled, but Kiritsugu easily met his speed, and even surpassed it with **Prana Burst**.

Takeshi could see his brother was winning. It wasn't the skill that matched him, it wasn't the power that surpassed him, it was the mad dog look in his eye that would achieve victory no matter the cost. The difference in them could not be more profound than right there. Takeshi wondered as he fought, was this how he fought in battle? Was this how Kiritsugu waged war? Takeshi had only fought in two battels in his life. Compared to Kiri who had been in thousand, if not more, he was but a babe when it came to war.

He remembered, remembered the battle of the Einzbern. Kiri had done what seemed completely reckless and suicidal. He charged forward up the middle of the enemy lines. Not stopping for anything, not retreating for any reason. He just kept plowing forward, and it had worked. The enemy hat to send a great deal of troops to chase after him to prevent Kiri from getting behind them and flanking him. But Kiri had been nothing more than a decoy. A lure for the enemy who focused on him and no their flanks. This reckless charge was but one of countless times he had read and seen on TV what his brother did.

Still, just because he was going to lose did not mean he would go down easily. Takeshi began a new pattern of slashes attempting to batter Kiri's defenses aside. Only to be surprised when Kiri threw his shield away.

"Aaaagh," A voice in pain cried out. Takeshi saw in the corner of his eye that the shield had hit Leysritt and prevented her form getting Illya to safety. Takeshi had no time to recover as Kiri drew Honor and began duel weilding his blades. Takeshi swore his brother was insane. The two blades were not meant to be duel wielded, they were too big and heavy, yet here he was. How did he get so strong? So fast?

Kiri sung his blades faster and faster pumping more and more Prana into his limbs till they were bleeding. A swipe sent Takeshi's sword up high. It was then that Kiri let Chivalry go and gripped Honor tightly and swung down with all his strength. Takeshi tried, to block it, but the sheer strength of the blow sent the blade too low.

***Splat***

Takeshi looked at his shoulder that was hanging uselessly as Kiritsugu's blade wedged itself in dee enough to collapse a lung. Takeshi had no time to recover as Kiri flicked Chivalry up with his foot into his hand and drove it into his older brother's chest. Takeshi looked down at his chest and spat out a wad of blood at his brother.

"Kinslayer," he whispered.

"I was before I even died brother," Kiritsugu said thinking of Aurora. He leaned forward and bit his brother on the neck and began to feed on his soul. Soon the body of Saber turned to golden dust that Rider inhaled.

Turning back to Illya, he said softly, "And now for you." He reached forward and grabbed Illya who had fainted at the sight of her dead Servant.

Kiritsugu looked at the sun and saw that it was almost night. He calmly placed his swords back in their sheaths and took the Shield from where he had wedged the main in place. He leaned down and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll save her. I'll change her coining."

The maid looked at him in wonder as he summoned his horse and rode off into the sunset, the little girl held in his grip.

Xxxxx

He made one short stop along the way. At a local pet store, he broke in and began grabbing the larger animals. To each of them, he slit their necks and poured the blood over himself and Illya making the two look like victims of a brutal attack. Leaving their dead bodies behind, he smashed his armor in places making it look like it had been pierced and finished by cutting his leg.

He then got back on his horse and rose for his Master.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bazett was worried for Rider. He had gone out to avenge her daughter and had not come back. Sakura was clearly in shock as she didn't talk more than give the message. Bazett had been dubious about taking Sakura in, but the black strip identified her as favored by the Servant. Bazett took the time to examine her alternate sister in law or whatever another wife would be called if they were married to the same guy. Sakura was soft, gentle looking, but clearly frightened and possibly out of her depth. There was no denying that Sakura was a Magi, she could feel it. The thing was, Kiritsugu hadn't explained why Sakura had an affinity with darkness. Something that made her wary. Still...Sakura was a good cook. No denying that.

The door suddenly boomed in the pattern of freelancers asking for permission to come in. Bazett hurried to the door and opened it. She was not expecting her Servant to look like this.

He was bleeding, all over actually. Like he had gone through a meat grinder. In his arms, was a little girl also covered in blood. "Rider, what the?"

"Do you have the healing circle ready?" the Servant asked, no demanded.

"Eh? Ah...yes. It's ready." She said as she let him in and shut the door quickly and bolted it shut. "What happened?"

"Assassin got away, got in a fight with Saber. Saber is dead, but the Master was Assassin's next target." Rider said as he followed her. There was a limp in his stride as though he had taken a great blow there or a surgical cut.

Bazett hurried and led him to the fast healing circle.

"Do you have the pendant?" Kiritsugu asked

Bazett held it out, "Here." Rider grabbed it and placed in the the palm of Illya and held his hand around that hand.

"Good, I need to get the Grail out of her quickly." Kiritsugu said as he placed Illya in the center.

"the grail?" Bazett asked in wonder.

"She is the vessel, and it's killing her. Fire up the circle."

Bazett was overwhelmed by the sudden crisis in front of her and did as she was ordered. The circle activated.

Without a word, Kiritsugu plunged one hand into Illya's Chest while the other plunged into his own...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	26. Clan wars 11

_Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. -Sun Tzu_

_Forward! Forward! Never stand still. Retreat and you will be cut down. Hesitate and you will die. Forward Forward always Forward! -Kiritsugu's battle cry in the battle versus the Einzbern_

_.com/watch?v=cqPgbwHdn0A&noredirect=1_

xxxxxxxxxxx

It had been an educational day for Shirou. Servants, his unnatural ability to reinforce, and even a bit about a possible affinity for swords. But what really got him interested was the diary. That artifact allowed him to see the stats of every Servant he met. Or at least that's what Tohsaka said. There were a great many blank spots in the diary though. He couldn't tell the details on any of the Servants.

It's strange, but Lancer didn't show up in it. Then again, it might have been Assassin the whole time.

He looked over the stats. Berserker was clearly top dog of it all, Everything except his luck was A rank which was C rank. Incredible. Yet, the only other things he could tell was that Berserker had a ridiculous level of Madness, E rank and that he had some powerful skills. A rank Battle Continuation, a B rank Instinct, and A rank Monstrous Strength. (If whoever developed Haru has a problem, talk to me and I'll fix it. Can only have up to four skills)

Archer was a different sort. D rank strength, C rank endurance and agility, a B rank magical energy and E rank luck. With a B rank Independent Action. She possessed a C rank Clairvoyance, a B rank Mind's Eye (true), and a B rank Subversive Activities. No where near as impressive from what it looked like, yet Berserker had a healthy respect for her none the less. So, if she only had this kind of strength, how had she taken down Dead Apostles?

Saber possessed B rank strength, D rank endurance, C rank agility and Magical energy and E rank luck. Yet had a C rank Magic Resitence. For a failure of a Magi, there was no way for him to harm Saber. His skills were few, but powerful. A B rank Eye of the Mind (Fake) and B rank Terror Induction (Causes interference in the mind for any who do not possess mental protection of some form of B rank or Higher and reduces their stats by one Rank)

The Noble Phantasm was even more amazing. **Forbidden Realm**. A Reality Marble (yes, as a Heroic Spirit, he can have one. It's just humans that have only created it six or seven times in history. Everything else is fair game) that summons an army of Hanyas to attack the enemy while hindering their abilities and Skills.

Assassin, though was impossible to get down. Her abilities and stats were contradictory. All he could tell was that she had a B rank presence concealment. Disappointing. Still, it was nice to see how the Servants compared. Though he did have to admit Rin saying her Servant was the strongest was no idle brag. At least by stat wise. According to Haru, he admitted he had known beings far more powerful than him. A True Ancestor for example could crush him after a few minutes.

Rin had left him to head back to her house. So he was left with Archer. "Chiyo," He said quietly.

"Emiya-san?" she asked.

"Is there really nothing you want from the Grail?"

Her eyes hardened for a second, "I want nothing to do with that cursed cup. I have come because you need me. Nothing more." Her eyes became gentle again and she smiled, "Is it so strange? You summoned a being that has as much interest in the Grail as you do?"

"It's just strange. There shouldn't be a reason for you to come then." Shirou said.

She smiled reassuringly, "You needed me, and I came. I think you will find that I am much more like you than you realize mister hero-in-training."

"Hero-in-training?" Shirou asked taken aback

"It's rather obvious really," Archer said standing up, "So, if you want to be a hero, how about some lessons from me?"

"Ah...sure, thank you very much." Shirou said bowing.

"It's fine," She said heading for the dojo. Clearly she must have scouted the place out earlier. She quietly, almost reverently enters the dojo with her shoes off and heads for the practice swords. She calmly looks them over and frowns as she sees that there are only two of them there.

"Is something wrong?" Shirou asked before he remembered, She used two swords when fighting. More difficult that using one sword, but if mastered, was one of the most powerful ways to fight in close combat.

"Emiya-san," She said, "How about you practice creating a blade for me." Shirou blanched at this, he had only done it once. They had gone over the theory, but he had not gotten it down back at Rin's house. "Please," She said smiling, "I don't want to train you with my blades."

"Baka, you'd kill me." Shirou said a bit worried.

"Are you that unconfident in my abilities? I am a Master, I think I can fight you with the flats quite easily." She said with a smile that seemed at lot less gentle and a great deal more threatening.

"Right, one sword coming up," Shirou said with a gulp. "Trace on." A sword, he needed a wooden sword. Something, anything. As he thought about it, he really wished he had Taiga's blade with him. It would be rather useful. "I am the bone of my sword." He closed his fist as he felt the blade appear. Shirou looked at his creation with a discerning eye. He had gotten the structure down, but it was still wrong. It was missing the history behind the blade, the bloodlust, the rage. Still, as a practice sword, it would do well.

Chiyo's eyes narrowed just the slightest as she heard the words coming from his mouth. He was getting better, faster. Far faster than he should be. Something was wrong. Was it a resonance from her? Or was it Lancer telling the poem? She then smiled, "Well done." She motioned for him to throw the wooden sword. She then took one of the two original blade and held it in her hand. She looked very confident with her two swords. She watched as he went for the final sword.

"Wait," She said holding out her hand, "Try to make more swords." He looked at her in confusion, but did as she requested. "Good. Take two and fight with everything you have."

He looked at her in confusion and was rewarded with a sword to the head. Shirou fell to his knees. "Atcha," He said in pain.

"I cannot teach you any skills in time for this war," She told him, "All I can do is get your body used to fighting. To condition it to be prepared for death." She held her swords ready.

"So, no stances or tips?" Shirou asked.

"There are fast ways and slow ways to teach you. We have no time for the easier ways, so all I can do is train you through pain." She replied as she slashed with her blade. Shirou was barely able to block that blow. "Only through full on sparring sessions can I hope to get your body used to fighting. It's painful," She said smashing a traced sword to pieces, "It's risky," She smashed the other blade, "It's the only option." She whacked him on the head.

For hours he trained with her. For hours he was beaten within an inch of his life. Yet, he was learning, whether he knew it or not. As the swords were smashed, he made a new one to replace it. As he fought, his moves were becoming smoother. Chiyo was unsure if she should be pleased or frightened. He was absorbing his style from her. Was it feedback from her? Or was it something else? Either way, he was getting better. No where the level of skill she had, but it was still remarkable. Had the poem done this to him? Whether father knew it or not, he was muttering it under his breath. It was always there in his mind plaguing him.

So they fought, they fought and trained for hours unaware of a destroyed skyscraper from last night, unaware of Ivone's and Takeshi's death. Unaware of Kiritsugu's actions. Unaware that the nature of the Grail War had changed completely. In the space of a few hours, two Servants were dead while the father of the Servants trained himself. Had they gone out, had they opted to investigate rather than train, they might have been able to stop Kiritsugu's plan. But time does not stop for anyone, and so opportunities lost are forever gone...unless someone like Reiko and Eiko get involved, but that's a different story.

Xxxxxxxxx

Shirou wiped the sweat off his face with a towel as he looked at his Servant. She was truly amazing. Even after hours of sparring, she wasn't even sweating. She was definitely on a different level than him. He looked out the dojo...and froze. Tohsaka was coming in through the front with Berserker carrying several suitcases.

"Eh?" his mind froze. Tohsaka who had gone home is back, with a lot of luggage. "Um, what are you here for Tohsaka?"

"I just went to get my stuff from my house. It's natural since I'll be living here from now on." she said as she headed for the house.

"L-live...you mean you-in my house!" Shirou said completely taken aback.

"Berserker made a good point." Rin acknowledged, as in used his reasoning as an excuse, "You're too reckless an ally to leave out of sight Shirou. Who knows what kind of trouble you'll get yourself into. You probably won't last the week without my supervision."

Shirou looked at her stunned by the blunt comment. Evil, the girl is evil. Where was the school idol he had a crush on?

"Where's my room? If you don't have one prepared, I'll choose one for myself." Rin said going inside.

"Ah, hold on, that's-." Shirou tried but Rin barged on in heedless of any protests he had. He swore he saw Berserker wink at Archer as he entered the house.

It was hecteic for Shirou as he was unable to find a way to argue with Rin about staying. Any excuse he made was either countered or ignored. Finally, Berserker took him aside and said quietly, "When she gets in a mood like this, it's best for all males that don't have a good decade of experience with tsunderes not to provoke her. Just leave her be for now. Nothing short of nuclear war will get her to change her mind now."

"tsundere?" Shirou said taken aback.

"Did yo not notice how she is calling you Shirou instead of Emiya-kun? She likes you." the Servatn told him causing Shirou to blush. "Good luck man. My advice is simple, temperamental women need lots of attention, but they are great fun in the end." Haru looked away and blushed a bit, "Especially in bed."

Shirou's face was now as red as a tomato. "Haaaarrruuuu," a controlled voice called him from around the corner. Haru nervously turned around and beheld Chiyo's scary smile, "Don't corrupt my Master. Understand?" Haru nodded nervously and made a beeline out of the room as fast as he could.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lancer was late. Very late. Keiko looked at the clock again and confirmed that her sister was now over an hour late.

"Is everything alright ma'am?" the waitress of the tea shop asked.

"No, no it is not," Keiko said standing up, "Something is wrong."

"I apologize if something was not found to your satisfaction," the waitress said bowing.

Keiko pulled some money out and put it on your table, "it's not your fault, it seems that I was stood up for some reason." She quickly went out the door and looked towards the Matou manor "Where are you Ivone?" She was supposed to meet her, yet, Ivone didn't even have the decency to call her. Now, Keiko knew her sister very well. Ivone was the picture of punctuality, if she ever was going to be late, she would have called Keiko on her newly acquired cellphone. But she hadn't. So, that left only two options. One, Ivone had changed since she entered the Throne, not likely, or Ivone was in trouble, if not dead. The third possibility was that Shiji had ordered Ivone to not call her, but since Lancer was being discrete and keeping the alliance a secret, that was not an option worth considering. Considering that they both had each other on speed dial in case of emergency, it was more likely that Ivone was dead than injured. Caster clenched her fist. God have mercy on whoever hurt her sister, because she would not.

The problem was this, who hurt Ivone and either killed or captured her, and where could she find them. It was going to be a long night, but she wasn't caster for nothing. It was high time she built her Workshop and began a tracking spell.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day passed by for Shirou in a blur and ended with him making Dinner. He had no intention of letting Berserker get a hold of his domain. Still, Rin muttered something about winning against his cooking. For some reason, he felt a shiver crawl up his spine. Anyways, dinner had been interesting with Rin, though he was unsure if he was happy or upset that Taiga was still busy with family business. Apparently something big was going on though Taiga hadn't told him why. As they finished eating, Shirou turned on the T.V. For the first time in days.

"-Though there have been various minor terrorist groups that have claimed responsibility for the destruction of the Shinto tower, experts claim that none of them could have pulled off such an elaborate bombing." The reporter spoke.

'_Wait, what?_' Shirou thought as he listened.

"Despite initial fears that this would be as tragic as the attack in America back in 2001, no fatalities have been reported. It appears that whoever bombed the tower knocked out and removed all security personnel and janitors before bombing the building. According to the Secretary of Defense (or whatever japan has, too lazy to look it up) this was not so much a terrorist attack as a planned assault. The instigator wasn't looking for terror. Rather, this seemed to be a battle, possibility the site of a trap for someone. The bombs were set off to exploded on timed intervals all around the building."

Shirou watched as the news continued to flow about the destruction of the second largest skyscraper in the nearby city of Shinto.

"Servants battled there," Archer commented.

"Eh?" Shirou said looking at Chiyo.

"Two Servants must have battled there, though it appears that neither used a bounded field." Archer explained. "At least they got everyone out of there before fighting."

"Wonder which ones fought there." Berserker said looking it over. "Assassin would be a guess."

"Possibly Lancer, though the explosion don't seem right for him." Archer continued the thought, "We still are unsure about Caster and Rider. We can count Saber out as Illya would have placed a bounded field up."

"But did they have to blow up a building?" Rin said with gritted teeth. "The war is supposed to be a secret."

"True, but the world doesn't know about Servants. It seems that regular explosives were used. Probably the work of a Master." Chiyo explained. "Besides, no one died from the sound of it." 

"Experts are still unable to determine what this sequence of fireworks means however. These were shot off right after the first, second, and fourth explosions rocked the building." The reported went on. The report flipped to what was obviously a phone camera that had taken the shot showing three green fireworks, one red, one gold, and another green. Bot Archer and Berserker both stiffened at the picture as they knew all too that secret code for the Clan.

"Master, might we investigae this?" Berserker asked.

"Yes," Rin said as she looked at the screen. "As the caretaker of these lands, it's my job to deal with this."

"Then we will deal with the murders," Archer announced looking over at Shirou who nodded in agreement. "We'll let you know if we find anything." Rin and Haru both bowed and departed while Shirou went to get on some clothes more suited to going out rather than getting his butt handed to him in a dojo. He looked himself over once and nodded. He was going to find the murderer. It was why he was in this war. TO hell with the Grail, there were people that needed him.

Shirou stopped as they left the house, "Ah, before I forget," He headed for the mail. He hadn't checked it for days. First had been the him coming late and running for his life from a Servant. Then there had been him getting dragged off to Rin's house to open his circuits and made him feel sick. Then had been the meeting with the priest and the battle with Berserker. Yeah, he had been busy. He went through the mail and found that it was almost all junk mail...except for one letter. No name, no address. Just a plain envelope that felt very light inside. Someone must have put it in by hand.

He opened the letter without a thought and found a small piece of paper inside with writing on it.

_Only the insane equate pain with success,_

_So why do you seek it to excess?_

_Only the foolish believe suffering is right for different,_

_Yet, to this lie you seem a faithful servant._

_Only the savage find pain as the measure of worth,_

_Keep this up and all you will have is six feet of earth._

_Forgetting your pain is convenient,_

_As if that wasn't already blatant._

_Remembering your pain is agonizing,_

_But it won't bring any cleansing._

_Remember the words of the cat_

_and keep what he says atop your hat_

_Listen to his words of wisdom_

_And it might change the outcome_

_Hurry up and find the truth to this war_

_Before all of reality begins to unbar_

_Only you can choose the path ahead_

_so be sure that you are not mislead_

_Trust your instincts, trust your sight_

_and keep a watch for the blackest night_

Shirou lowered the letter and tried to make sense of it all. The author had tried to rhyme, but the sentences could not match the rhythm very well. Whoever did this was an amateur, or at least, that's he he could figure. Still...there was something in the message. A warning, and sort of a quest.

"Archer, what is the truth to this war?" He asked. He watched as she suddenly stiffened at the question. She looked at the letter and focused her eyes on the message.

"It seems someone is trying to warn you." She said quietly, She looked up, "Heavens Feel. This war is for the rebirth of Heaven's Feel, the lost True Magic. It's a long story Master, but not one that should be told in public." She motioned for him to go back inside.

But he didn't want to, something in the letter warned him. Only he could choose the path ahead, don't be mislead. If he stayed here, there would be more attacks. More victims. "It's fine, tell me what you can as we walk." He said turning towards the street.

Chiyo bit her lip, this was heavy stuff and should be told in a place where he can sit. But it was clear that he was going to insist on his way. "Very well Master." She said as she walked beside him scanning the horizon, "It all began several hundred years ago with a German based Magi family called the Einzbern..."

The two walked side by side as she told him what this war was really all about. At least...according to her.

Xxxxxxxx

Bazett stared in horror was Rider ripped out both of their hearts. It was extremely gruesome to see. But what was worse was when he took his heart and shoved into the girl while he took her heart into his. Their bodies then began glowing as he poured a monstrous amount of Prana into the healing pendent while inside the healing circle. Within seconds they both stopped bleeding. Rider stood up and took the pendent out of the girls hand.

"Keep her in there for a while." Make sure that the heart isn't rejected.

"Why?" came a small voice behind him. It was Sakura.

"To save a life, I took her burden. As I will take yours soon enough." the knight told her. Sakura instinctively placed her hands over her heart.

"What did you do Rider?" Bazett saked keeping the circle active.

"Congratulations Master, we now have the Grail in our posession." Rider said, "Excuse me, I need to be alone for a while."

"Wait! Rider!" Bazett yelled.

"Master, I will explain much, but I need to go somewhere private."

"Why?" Bazett asked.

"It's not very manly to cry and whine like a babe in front of a Master." Rider said heading for the door. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Bazett just stood there as her Servant had practically abandoned her with a critical care patient. She was, basically, grounded until the girl healed. Her heart, the man had actually ripped out her heart as well as his own. Was this guy an idiot?

Kiritsugu ran, he ran as fast and as hard as he could back to the barren park where the fires of the Fourth War had consumed where his father lived. It was here that he had been orphaned, or at least thought orphaned. Considering that both the mother and father were still alive, was father ever truly an orphan?

Kiritsugu had no time for musings as he fell on his knees as the Grail began twisting even harder in him trying to reject him. Kiritusgu inhaled and began screaming. At first it was just wordless howls of anguish as he rolled on the ground in agony. But soon the howls became words of madness...

For a time, Kiritsugu spoke in every tongue he knew cursing and screaming, but soon he began speaking, unaware of what was being said yet wishing that he could stop.

"How can anyone feel heaven? The cup is broken and lost and the vessel is of poor choice. The goal is forgotten and the desires are wrongly focused. They pursue for the sake of pursuing not for victory." Kiritsugu raved in his madness. "They all came to fight, but refuse to do so. How many will die for their weakness? Infinite will die for eight. Why? Why do they not see it? Why am I in the wrong? Eight for infinite, Eight for infinite. Yet the price is too much."

He curled in a ball and spasmed in pain. "Help me, help me, help me, I don't want to be the filter. I don't want to see the tower and the babe." He began clawing at his face and it was only due to the helmet that he didn't claw his one good eye out. "It's eating me alive, feasting on flesh and bone. Why me? Why me? It hurts, it hurts. How? How can anyone agree to this? How can one agree to bear this burden?"

"Kaa-san, what were you seeking in the end? Absolution or destruction? To obtain the dream is to obliterate everything. To abandon everything is to gain everything. Circles within circles. Tattoos mark the lost and the damned. When will mine burst forth? When shall I swim though the dark? Black, always black, should have chosen brown. Cursed by black, marked by black. The flesh of a fool splattered you. Its destruction placed a seed within you, marking me forever. I'm sure of it. It's calling me, begging to be released. Helpmehelpmehelpme"

Again and again his body was wracked with pain and he spoke without flow or sense, but after what seemed like an eternity, though it had only been three hours, he settled down. Kiritsugu inhaled and exhaled until he found he could speak normally, "No, I am still in control. As long as my mind is my own, I will do as I must. Alea iacta est." He stood stood and collected himself "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a man of wealth and taste. I've been around for a long, long year. Stole many a mans soul and faith." He began whistling to the tune to the old band and thought it most appropriate for what he would do.

He turned and prepared to head back to his master when a voice filled with both wonder and horror called out to him.

"Kiritsugu-niisan?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	27. Clan wars 12

.com/watch?v=-f5n9M3BAbk&feature=feedlik_more

The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies. -Napoleon Bonaparte

The power of a lie at the right place at the right time can do more for your cause than a thousand soldiers-unknown

If you want to make enemies, try to change something. -Woodrow Wilson

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Slowly, with a sense of doom overcasting him, Kiritsugu turned to the sound of the voice who called out to him. There she was, his little sister all decked out in her jumpsuit holding an assault rifle on her shoulders as she looked on at him in wonder and worry.

"Hello Keiko," Kiritsugu said quietly, "Come to finish off this foolish Servant?"  
>"What? No!" Keiko said taken aback. "Why would you think that?"<p>

"Ivone and Takeshi are dead. Lancer and Saber are dead, and I'm not too far off." Kiritsugu said drawing his blade.

"Wait wait." Keiko said backing up, "It wasn't me, I don't know who did it, but it wasn't me. Ivone and me had a deal. We were allies."

"I will not be back stabbed again," Kiritsugu lied. "Why should I trust you?" he said holding out his sword. He stood there, challenging her with an uneven and ragged breath, like he had run a marathon. His stance was staggered and dull. Keiko figured she could easily take him down right now if he was serious in fighting. Clearly he had been in one hell of a battle if the Spearhead of the Emiya Clan was on his last legs.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

"Assassin, Riko. She's from a darker time and hell bent on death. She changes her forms on a whim taking the appearance of those we care for." Kiritsugu said advancing with a limp, sword ready to swing. "But then, you'd know that already Assassin."

Keiko backed away from her deranged brother. "Wait, wait. I'm not Assassin, I'm Caster." Her words did nothing to persuade him as he advanced. Though she could not see his face behind that armor, she was sure that he was glaring at her, preparing to kill her. Was this truly Kiritsugu? Was this truly the Black Knight? What had happened?

"Prove it." Kiritsugu ordered.

"Prove it? How? If I was Riko, I could spout off a billion things I knew about Keiko." Caster declared. For that, the Black Knight halted at her and looked at her as if she was an idiot.

"Uh...Noble Phantasms." Kiritsugu said as he continued to advanced, though it was a lot less intense.

Keiko blinked at the obvious and realized she had picked up her mother's bad habit of missing the obvious again. She nodded once and yelled out in a loud voice, "**ARX-8 Deinos**" The air behind her rippled and waved before a large magic circle appeared. A large fist burst from the center of the circle then grabbed the edge of the circle. A second arm burst forth and held onto the opposite edge of the circle. Then a giant head was pulled forth. The giant mech finally revels it's whole body as it burst from the circle.

Kiritsugu calculated that it took a grand total of twenty five seconds for the bloody machine to get out. "Okay, that'll do. I was expecting your ripoff Rising Heart, but that'll do just fine." He gazed upon the machine and smiled. "So, the second horseman of the Emiya Clan brings out her mare" He then looked over at his little sister. "So...Caster was it...gomen." He bowed deeply...only to fall over and wheeze.

"Kiri!" Keiko cried out as her older brother began convulsing again. "What's going on?" She could feel it. Her brother was different than other Servants. Something was wrong with him.

"My...my heart. Well...not my heart, Illya's. I...traded it. Saved her." Kiri said through clenched teeth as the Grail attacked his body with renewed vigor. This is why trading hearts is a bad idea. Especially when Illya is the one with the Avalon pendant.

"You, you what?" Keiko gasped out. "Are you insane?"

"Not, not just yet." Kiri said tiredly. "Give me a week or two."

Keiko stepped back from her brother, "You're tainted aren't you."

Kiri nodded, "I can feel Angra Mainyu seeping in to me. But...it's necessary."

"Why?" Keiko asked, "Why would you do this?"

"Two reasons," Kiri answered while holding up two fingers. "To save Illya, and to purify the Grail."

Keiko slapped her face at her brother's decisions. "And it occurred to you to take the grail inside yourself even though you know what will happen?"

"That's where you come in little sister." Kiri said standing tall. "My job is to cleanse the grail. Yours is to claim my heart when the time is right." Keiko looked at her brother in fear and awe. He was planning to die again. He was planning to get himself killed. "You're the older Kiritsugu aren't you, who gave your life to save Aurora."

"I am, best day of my life." Kiri said with pride.

Keiko sighed, from what she knew of the man, he would not back down. He would not stop until he had achieved what he deemed a victory. Eiko had called him the spearhead of the Clan. "Very well, what do you need me to do?"

Kiritsugu pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen and began writing. After a brief time, he ripped out the page from the pad and handed it to her. "Go here. This is where my Master is. Protect her, Illya and Sakura until I get back. We'll work it out from there."

Keiko nodded and turned away. Behind her, her giant mech wavered in the air then vanished. As soon as it was gone, Kiritsugu sighed with relief. That thing was still intimidating. Not Herakles class intimidating, but still... If only she had chosen to bring out her ripoff Rising Heart he could have killed her with ease. But bringing in her ultimate trump card... yeah, that wasn't going to happen today. Still, there would be plenty of chances to deal with her soon enough.

"Kiri," Caster called out to him suddenly.

"Yes?" he called back

"Stop trying to bear everything yourself. You're just like dad." Keiko called out.

Kiri turned back and waved his hands indicating he heard her.

xxxxxxxx

Kiri walked on heading straight for his Master. He was almost at the edge of the park when a sharp pain hit him in the back. Kiri clenched his teeth refusing to cry out as he swiftly turned around.

Nothing. He had been hit by nothing. Therefore...

"Hello Assassin." Kiri said out loud. "Come to join the party? I wondered how long it would take you?"

"I hate you. I hate you, I hate you." a voice growled in the dark. "I loved you, I loved you with all my heart. You were the only one that believed in me. I hate you."

"Yeeeaaaaaah. About that...wrong guy Riko." Kiritsugu said smiling. His wound was almost fully healed already. Feeding had sped up his natural abilities greatly. No wonder Caster had drained others. He was a juggernaut. "I'm not like Keiko and Karin. I'm completely straight, no incest. Had a wife for six months one time, didn't work out. Had a total of three kids before my end and all."

He slowly turned in place and closed his eyes, waiting, listening. "Unlike some of us, I'm not a confused sociopath with an inferiority problem that can only be expressed in pranks. After all...Kaa-san was his favorite, not Rider."

He jumped to the left as a knife flew right where his head had been. "Sloppy little sister. You failed to kill me on the first strike. You're already doomed here." He waved his hand in a shooing motiong. "Begone. Leave now and we will fight later."

"I hate you. I despise you, I will kill you." her voice echoed.

"A broken record aren't you. Tell me, how long have you been listening in?"

"Die Die Die." another knife flew at him, though easily dodged. "Why won't you die?'

"Probably cause you're not trying." Kiritsugu countered. "Where's your Noble Phantasms? Where's your Mystic Eyes? Words, all you spit are words. Words that mean nothing to me."

"I'll tell them, I'll reveal all that you've done. Kinslayer." She threatened.

"Go on, who do you think they will believe? You? Ha! No, they will believe in me. My word against yours...I win." Kiri said advancing towards her location. A few more knives went at him, but he blocked them with his shield. Soon he came to the sound of her voice echoign words of hate. He reached down and picked it up. It was an impressive sound system in a way. Clearly homemade with crude parts, but it worked somehow. "Geez, wonder how long she's been gone?" Probably since she failed the ambush and set up the cheep knife throwing traps.

'_Ah well, it changes nothing. Even now, I have already won, they just don't know it_.' Kiri thought heading back. He knew she was following. Probably wondering why a knife in the kidney wasn't hurting. '_Too bad little sister. I've been missing that kidney since I was forty five. And two ribs to boot_.' She should have aimed for his heart...oh wait, that's where he always hung his shield when not in use. He smiled wider. Sloppy, very sloppy. Compared to a real Assassin, she was a joke. If you can't hit the heart, aim for the apricot at the base of the skull and top of the spine.

Still, she had tried once, she would try again. And he would be ready. He knew her Noble Phantasms, he knew her moods and thoughts...to a degree. He knew he was being hunted, so it was time to go from prey to predator. Kiri turned towards the city. He would lead her on a merry chase and lead her to someone else. Had she followed Keiko, he would have been worried, but since she followed him instead, she had lost her chance to go after his Master. Not that he was all that concerned. As slong as she stayed in the safe house, there was little Riko could go short of using her greatest Noble Phantasm. Something the Fraga was perfectly equipped to counter with her own Noble Phantasm.

Yes, victory was already assured. Anything else was frosting on the cake. Kiritsugu began hopping on rooftops beginning a game of fox and hound.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay, seriously. Did Rider have some sort of complex or something?" Bazett asked First had been Sakura, then the Einzbern. Now Caster was inside her supposedly secret safe house.

"Several." Keiko said as she made tea. "He loves to cook, but can't make anything without either an explosion or creating some sort of horror in the process, loves kids to death, believes in a strange sort of chivalry, obsesses over his swordsmanship, keeps saving damsels in distress at the drop of a hat, and those are just the tip of the iceberg." She held out the tea for Bazett. "Still, that's probably why he enjoyed life so much. Never boring."

Bazett rubbed her forehead trying to ward off the headache. "I can tell. Making alliances without telling me. I agreed to work with Ivone, but he had no right to make an alliance without me."

"To be fair, both Ivone and me were in an alliance long before we met Kiri." Keiko said setting down a cup in front of Sakura who looked on at the Servant in surprise as the tea was prepared exactly as she like it. "So you would have allied with me to begin with."

"Honestly, I thought you would all ally together anyways." Bazett sad as Keiko took a seat and began drinking. "After all, every Servant is a sibling."

Keiko suddenly spat out her tea. "Wha-what did you say?"

"Kiritsugu confirmed that every Servant summoned in this war is the child of Emiya Shirou." Bazett said looking at Caster's mess in disapproval.

"Wha-but...how? Can't be, I saw Cu Cuchulain kill Tou-san at school. I-I mean I know it was a fake, but that was really an Emiya?" The thought that one of her siblings could kill Tou-san made her blood turn cold. Then she remembered Riko.

Keiko put down her tea and began to think, "Kiri is Rider, I'm Caster, Ivone was Lancer, Riko is Assassin..."

"Archer is a girl named Chiyo and the Tohsaka girl summoned a man named Haru as Berserker." Bazett added.

Keiko's blood turned cold. "he's Berserker? Oh gad, we're all going to die."

"According to Kiri, the madness is not present upon Berserker." Bazett said calming down the girl. She knew why the thought of a mad Haru turned her blood cold. The child of Brunested was not one to be underestimated. If he was mad, then the rest of humanity would soon be doomed.

Caster breathed a sigh of relief. "The cloak of madness must have fallen lightly on him. Probably an E rank madness. Just enough to grant him the class, but not enough to do anything to him." She continued her thought, "but...I saw the sword of Herakles, or at least a fake...Only Saber remains. Takeshi, yes, he could have wielded the sword, but that's not his way. Ever"

"The odds are in favor that it is one of your siblings." Bazett added deadpanned.

Keiko bit her thumb lightly as she thought, "So far only Assassin is a known hostile in this war. The attacks in the houses were things that were very possible for her. But why not feed upon their souls?"

"According to Kiri, Assassin killed both Lancer and Saber." Bazett added.

Sakura was careful to not give anything away, to not twitch a single muscle at the news. If she talked, if she gave anything away, Rider would kill Sempai. She knew it. Rider was clearly playing a different game than the others. He had killed Sempai already by the sound of it, and killed two of his siblings. Now, he was lying to his 'Master' and bringing in Caster where she could easily be taken down at a moment's notice. No matter the bonds, no matter the relation, it was clear that Rider was planning on fighting the Grail war, and now, with the Grail in his possession, all he needed was for the other Servants to die for him to obtain his wish. But what was he planning to do about her? He had taken the Einzbern's heart, and claimed to be taking her curse soon.

"So if Riko killed them, then only the Servants Rider, Caster, Archer, Berserker, and Assassin remain. The Grail shouldn't have any effect on the heart right now, but it's only a matter of time." Keiko said interrupting Sakura's thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Bazett asked.

"The Grail is easy to gain as Kiri so kindly demonstrated on our little Homunculus." Keiko said pointing to the couch where Illya lay unconscious. "What matters are the contents of the Grail, that which fills up as Servants die. Even now, the Grail is trying to absorb him while he bears the grail within."

"Absorb?" Sakura asked,

"Yes," Keiko said looking over her mother's sister. "The Grail will forever try to take him into itself. As long as Kiri fairly uninjured, he should be strong enough to resist it, but it will hamper his fighting. But, should he be grievously injured, he won't be able to heal himself. Instead, he will begin to basically bleed out from within."

"But," Sakura said quietly, "Is there a way to prevent that?"

Keiko held a hand under her chin. "In theory, if he ate enough souls or feed upon other Servants, he could use their energy as a buffer to...distract the Grail while he healed himself. Like throwing a steak at a ravenous dog while one ran to the opposite side of the lawn."

Sakura began to understand why Rider had eaten the Servants. Not only had it triggered a trap for Sakura, but it was also needed for him to survive.

"However," Keiko continued, "Kiritsugu is too honorable to do something so horrendous. No, he'll slowly die. Which is why he sent me here."

"Why did he do this?" Bazett asked.

"I don't understand." Keiko admitted. "Unless he knew for certain that the Grail War was going to end shortly, there is no reason for him to do something like this. If say, the other Servants were defeated, he could act as a filter of sorts. Even as the grail Absorbed him, he would absorb something from the Grail."

"Avenger." Bazett said softly,

"Yes, as the contents of the Grail fill, Angra Mainyu would begin to feed upon the body and leave the Grail. It was already beginning to work on Kiri, but since only two have fallen, the corruption is slow." Keiko answered.

Sakura nodded, beginning to see something that the others didn't but suddenly she felt it. The worms were wiggling, writhing. "Geh," she said holding her chest. "Gah, ah." she fell out of her chair. The worms, the worms were calling her home. No matter where she was, Grandfather was calling her home, now.

"Sakura(san)" Both Caster and Bazett called out at her. Then they both jumped back as they saw her skin shift as things that normally hid deep within the girl came near the surface.

"It's the vampire." Keiko hissed. "The bastard is calling her."

"Is there nothing we can do?" Bazett asked.

"No, not unless we had something like Avalon." Keiko said as they watch Sakura shoot straight up and began walking with a limp. "No, the bastard has her in too deep. If we try to force her, we'll kill her."

"Please." Sakura begged, "Don't, don't try to interfere. Grandfather, grandfather is too strong."

"Caster." Bazett asked.

Reiko shook her head, "The Makiri were the ones who designed the Command Seals. If I tried anything, the worms might possess me. No, we have to let her go. I-I don't have anything ready to deal with this."

they watched in silence as Sakura bowed and excused herself. As soon as she left, Reiko turned to Bazett. "I need room. I'm going to make my Real Workshop now. Only there can I do anything about it."

"What do you need?" Bazett agreed. She liked Sakura, she was a good kid.

"Watch over me. It should only take a few hours." Keiko said going out the door. "Once I'm done, not only will this be the most fortified spot in the War, but it will be the best clinic.

"Where are we going?" Bazett asked.

"Ryuudouji Temple, it's time for Caster to take her place once more." Reiko said with fire in her eyes.

As the two left the room, a little Homonculus opened her eyes and sighed, "Bakas, you're all being manipulated."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura opened the door to the Matou manor and called out "I'm home."

"Sakura," an old wrinkled voice called out. "You're late."

"Gomen Jii-san." Sakura bowed. Was she going to be thrown into the worm pit again?

"Ah well, it's fine. You did well to secure a new Servant." The old vampire said turning back to the dark corner of the room. "A strong one at that. Well done."

"It's not confirmed yet, my soon to be Master." a familiar voice called out. Sakura's blood froze as she saw him come out of the dark like a specter in the night. "Hello Sakura, did you enjoy your little vacation?"

Sakura paled as she gazed upon Rider in his full armor. "Rider."

"Oh, that's cold Master. And after you convinced me to be your families' new Servant and all."

"Indeed, welcome your guest Sakura." The old vampire prodded.

Sakura bowed, "Welcome to the Matou Manor Rider." She was worried. What was going on?  
>"It's fine, it's not like you will be my Master after all." Rider dismissed.<p>

"Oh, you still refuse?" Zouken asked.

"As long as I possess the Grail in my Heart, she is a danger to the plan to purify the Grail. Get the worms out of her soon, She has too much affinity to the Grail." Rider insisted. "Any connection to her is also a threat. You don't want this war to end in a failure right?"

"Indeed, I had high hopes in this war. Good thing that Sakura had a backup plan. I'd hate to have to discipline her. To think, no matter what I did, the Grail would not have appeared unless this path was taken." Zouken mused.

"My crest?" Sakura asked.

"Indeed child, rejoice. For soon they will be leaving you. Possibly forever." Rider said holding his arms out. "As long as I possess the Grail, you are unneeded. Should I fail, then we can always insert my heart into you. Failing that, the worms go right back in and we go to plan C."

"Sakura, follow me." Zouken ordered. "We will be removing the crest for now. Rider, head down to the pit. Leave everything to me. Soon, you will no longer be connected with your former Master."

Kiritsugu bowed.

"Oh, so you're going to serve me?" a sniveling voice called out.

"Who are you?" Rider asked politely.

"Ah? Shinji, Matou Shinji. Soon, I will possess you as my Master."

"I refuse." Kiritsugu said flatly causing Shinji to flinch. "You do not possess the right of a Master, nor do you have any magic. Get some circuits, and I will gladly serve you...wait Shinji?"

"Ah?" Shiji said in distaste, "Is the dog deaf?"

Kiritsugu responded with a punch to the face.

"Aaaagh," Shinji screamed, "My nose, my nose. You broke my nose you piece of $h*t."

"Just granting a last wish from Lancer." Rider said heading downstairs.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oh god, they were eating him. Feeding on him. Violating him. Every oriface, every hole, and making new holes as they feed. It was awful How? How had Sakura-kaasan remained sane? It wasn't possible.

"I must ask Rider," the vampire called out. "Why did you come here? Why did you need us?"

"I made a vow, to obtain the grail at any cost. Now I have it, now I must cleanse it." Kiri responded.

"Why? Why obtain it?" Zouken asked as more worms entered Kiritsugu.

"I don't remember. I just know I had to, no matter the cost." Kiri answered. The pain, the horror. Was this what Sakura endured? '_Oh god, help, help help. Wait, no not in there! Oh god oh god. Kaa-san, kaa-san. Help me, help me, I don't want this...'_

"And what would you do with the Grail?" Zouken continued.

"I don't know. I just had to obtain it." Kiritsugu responded retreating to his inner mind to escape the madness and pain.

"I see, so you had to obtain it, but have no wish. Such a shame. But at least I can grant your wish easily." Zouken said as Shinji and Sakura watched the Servant stand still as countless bugs assaulted him.

Shinji was pleased. Grandfather had agreed to give him one last chance and gift him with a new Book of False Attendant. Soon, he would have that Servant crawl and beg for Shinji's forgiveness. Soon, he would have that Servant lick his feet.

Sakura looked on in both fear and wonder. Free, for a moment, she was free. The worms were gone. Though they could easily return if the Servant failed. Yet, for now, she was free. She didn't knew if she hated or loved this Servant. Perhaps both and neither was a good answer. But, at least someone else knew her living hell. That alone made her feel much better surprisingly. Maybe if others suffered as she did, it wouldn't have been so bad over the years.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bazett suddenly fell and clenched her hand.

"What's wrong?" Caster called out as she worked her magic.

"My, my crest. It's glowing." She clenched her fist and arched her back in pain. "Agh, gah ah. My, my seals, their vanishing."

Caster looked on in fear as she continued to work. "Then...then I think that Kiri is..."

"No, I can still feel him, I just...I." She fell down as pain overcame her sending her into darkness.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Shinji looked on pleased to see the book was glowing. In a moment, a new set of command seals appeared.

"Yes, I did it." Shinji said happily.

Zouken glared at his grandson who immediately shut up. "You may come out Rider."

Slowly, the Servant trudged out of the pit. His body had been violated in ways that no man could imagine. No words could describe what he had just gone through. But still, his mind was intact, and the plan was going along swimmingly. Kiritsugu smiled behind his helmet. "What is thy bidding my Master?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

read and review. Yes, some of yo might argue that Sakura can't have the worms removed, but Zouken did promise to do so in Fate/zero, so I imagine it is possible.


	28. Clan wars 13

.com/watch?v=6lU6zRFK00c&feature=related

"_What is the point of having free will if one cannot occasionally spit in the eye of destiny?" -Jim Butcher, White Night_

_Beware the man that claims to work for the greater good. For he has let countless evils thrive for that which he believes is worth the sacrifice. -unknown_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rin gazed upon the devastation in horror while Berserker remained invisible by her side. Yes, there had been no civilians, but the sheer scale of destruction left her scarred. This was the Grail War, this was what she was fighting in. Were it not the foresight of a Master or Servant, hundreds of people could be dead. Maybe thousands. All of them would be on her hands. She was the nominal owner of these lands, as far as Magi were concerned. This was her land that was being torn up in the conflict, her land that was begin destroyed in a War unseen by the public.

"We've got a problem Rin," Berserker said.

"I can see that Berserker, look at what they did." Rin said angrily.

"No, I meant the soldiers." Berserker said a ghost of a touch on her shoulder turned her in the direction to see several JDF soldiers going over the area.

"So what? They're probably just helping clear debris." Rin commented brushing off Berserker's warning.

"No Rin, they're coming over. Looks like the soldiers will be bunking in the area for now. This was a full fledged attack to them. This war just got a lot harder to keep secret." Berserker corrected.

Rin flinched at this. If the mundanes ever suspected that magic was real, the Association would blame her and there would be hell to pay. Yet, all she could do was hope that the damage would be mitigated. Then again...the last war had a Servant steal an F-15 and use it against another from what she could tell from the last war.

Rin sighed, as long as the existence of magic wasn't revealed, the Tower couldn't care less what happened in the Grail War. Apparently, whoever destroyed the skyscrapper just used ordinary explosives. Still, this was not making her life easy, nor was this the way she wanted the war to go. At the start, it had been a quiet thing, no deaths, no harm to unaffiliated people. But then the murders began, and then the war accelerated like a spark in a lake of oil. The murders had been the signal for the Grail to intensify.

"Now what you were expecting Rin?" Berserker asked.

"No, I knew something like this was possible..." Rin trailed off.

"You just hoped it wouldn't get to this. Honestly, I'm surprised that it's getting this intense already." Berserker commented, "Normally the first few days to a week are spent feeling each other out. Not moving so quickly. Clearly there's a Servant or two that really want the Grail badly."

"What was your first hint?" Rin asked sarcastically as she turned away from the devastation.

"The murders, they were probably done just to incite people like you and me." Berserker went on ignoring the rhetorical question as there was something they needed to determine. "Look at us, we're chasing ghosts unable to do anything more than react. Everything is being done without magic leaving us no way to determine if this was done by a Servant or a Master. For all we know, this is the work of Rider, Caster. Or just some nut."

Rin walked into an alley and listened while Berserker continued to talk. "Whoever is doing this is smart, but they're leaving hints. Poems, unique bomb signatures, warnings, something is being planned. Something about Shirou if I were to guess."

"Why Shirou?" Rin asked.

"Remember the first poem, about a Hero that can make it right? Shirou is a person that wants to be a hero, wants to be a savior. Then the second one talks about doom and how the Servants unite. Someone is trying to get us to ally with each other, but that's practically impossible...somethings wrong. We're missing something."

"Is it possible you're over thinking? It could just be some misdirection." Rin commented as they headed for the bridge.

Haru found it ironic that she of all people was telling him that he might be over thinking things. "Maybe, but then this whole charade is being done meticulously. If this is just a deversion...what could the enemy be hiding?" Berserker mused.

"Well, the tower's a dead end," Rin commented, "Any chance Shirou and Archer had any luck?"

"Possible, she spent a great deal of her life tracking elusive creatures. If there are any hints as to who killed those people, she'll find them." Berserker said confidently. "In the mean time, we have something else we need to discuss. Shirou."

"Wha-why?" Rin said turning away from him.

"He's distorted." Berserker said seriously.

"Eh?" Rin was taken aback by this. "What do you mean?"

"What him Rin. He's only happy when he's helping someone. He couldn't care less if he puts himself in danger so long as he helps others." Berserker informed her. "He's a distortion. To him, as long as others are saved, he will do anything to protect them. He has, for lack of a better term, a death wish. He would gladly die to save others. He has no sense of self preservation."

"You're exaggerating," Rin said, but even she couldn't say that with confidence.

"Really, watch him. He values the lives of others more than himself. He's always helping someone no matter how inconvenient or dangerous it is to him. If you asked him for help, he would do it regardless if you asked him to run into a kill zone. He's a distortion, and he needs help before he ends up in a body bag."

"Why? Why is he like that?" Rin asked quietly.

"He's the lone survivor of the fire from the last Grail War. It was there that he saw hell, it was there that whoever he was before the fire died. He was shattered, broken, and was then corrupted by what he saw." Berserker stated.

"Saw?" Rin asked mesmerized.

"Hell, he witnessed hell itself as a child. To him, the fires, the deaths, there were nothing compared to the corrupted tower he saw. The essence of the devil itself, the collective hatred of mankind. He saw it with his own eyes and had to break to survive lest he fully fall into madness." Berserker explained.

….

"Berserker, how do you know this?" Rin asked suspiciously.

"Archer told me. She worries about him." Berserker lied easily. "Heck, I worry about him. The path that he's walking. It is the road to ruin, to damnation, and eternal hell. He will become a counter guardian at this rate regardless of the warnings we gave him."

"So..." Rin asked twirling her hair in worry, "What would you recommend?"

"He is like a blade, a legendary powerful blade that can do wonders. But he does not rest, he has nothing to restrain him from swinging wildly and being used. The greatest of blades have sheaths that restrain the blades until the time is right. Sheaths that only allow worthy men to wield the blade. Sheaths that protect and repair the blade when not in use. He needs a sheath." Berserker stated.

"wait, are you telling me to be his sheath?" Rin asked suspicious

"Make of it what you will Rin," Berserker said as they headed home. "he is a distortion, and distortions are doomed to an early grave if not dealt with correctly."

Xxxxx

Chiyo wished she had been here earlier. The bodies had all been removed. Though the police had chalked the ground signifying where the bodies were, it left out too much of the story. Still, she had plenty to work off anyways. The slice on the ground, it was made by a long bladed weapon like a spear or a sword, by the way ti traveled, if it had been a spear, it should have nicked the ceiling. Since the top was untouched the enemy was either using a sword or very good with a spear. She continued to examine the room both feeling the mundane and magical energies trying to get a sense of the place. Yet, all she could feel was the mundane. No residual magical energies remained here. No spells had been used, no magical creatures had stayed here long enough to leave an imprint. Well, no imprint beyond the obvious corpses and blood.

It was frustrating. It wasn't the lack of clues, it was the lack of specific identifiers. A Servant should have fed upon the souls yet hadn't by not eating, no magical residue remained. A magic ceremony would also have left out identifiers indicating what type of magic was used no matter how good a magi the person was.

"Anything?" Shirou asked from where he stood. Archer had been very careful to make sure that he did not mess up the scene.

"No, it's just like the others." Archer said frustrated. Someone had done this, and they had been careful to make sure nothing big was left for them to find. "Damn, he's good."

"He?" Shirou asked, "Not she?"

"Males have a certain...mark when they do their work. Certain things are subconsciously favored over others." Archer explained. "This was a male." She said with confidence. "Besides, Riko is far more vindictive, if less imaginative than what this guy did." She pointed to the walls, "Look at these languages, I've only glanced at a few of them in my time. Arabic, Egyptian, Hebrew, Latin, new and ancient Greek, Riko loved Greek but despised anything to do with Romans calling them fakes and copies. She couldn't have learned all these languages."

She pointed at a few symbols, "Templars, Illuminati, Taoists, Necromancy. This whole place is more of a collection of old Orders and Beliefs than a ceremony. No sense to it what so ever other than to disturb anyone...So, it is as I feared." She closed her eyes, "You were the target Emiya-san."

"Eh?" Shirou said confused.

"The attacks started after everyone but you had summoned a Servant. This was done for a reason, to draw out the last Servant and begin the War." Chiyo told him while hiding her true suspicion. No, the murders were there for Tou-san to meet Lancer, for him to die and then be saved right before he summoned a Servant. Someone with the knowledge of the previous war had done this monstrosity for the sake of Tou-san getting involved in the war.

"But what about the last murders? Three happened after you were summoned." Shirou countered.

"Different MO," Chiyo waved away.

"MO?" Shirou asked confused by the term.

"_Modus operandi, _ different habits than the other murders. It was a copycat. The previous ones were unknown individuals that didn't belong in empty houses. The last ones were people just murdered in their own homes. If I were to guess, those ones were Riko's doing." She shuddered, "She did that in life a few times while we hunted her down."

"Your family is messed up," Shirou said, "There's you, Berserker, Assassin, and Saber."

"We weren't always that messed up." She countered, "At first, our family had a bond that was unbreakable. But, when my littlest sister was murdered on her wedding day, everything changed. We became fragile, weakened, then a literal army attacked. We were not ready, our morale was already beaten. So many of our family died. Those that remained were...less than what we once were."

Shirou was quiet at that. There really wasn't anything he could say to her. It had happened a long time ago, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Come along Emiya-san, there's nothing more for us here. I doubt there will be any more murders since the war has started and the copy cat isn't moving. The best we can do is go home and try to locate them tomorrow when we're fresh. Besides, you've got school in the morning."

Shirou clenched his fists. He hated being so helpless. What kind of hero let the innocent suffer because of him?

"There's nothing to blame yourself for Shirou-san," Archer told him as the left. "You cannot blame yourself for the sins of others. If you try to take their sins, all you will gain is pain. Everyone has a choice on how to live their lives. But, it is their choice alone. Nobody else is responsible for their choices. Everyone from the greatest of paragons to the lowest of scum can blame anyone else but themselves for their choices. They made their decisions, and they live with them."

Shirou nodded, understanding, but unchanged.

_Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain._

_Withstood pain to create many weapons._

Xxxxxxxx

"What is thy bidding my Master?" Kiri asked kneeling before the vampire and Shinji.

Shinji puffed up his chest like a peacock. Finally, he was going to have his revenge. "Lick my feet Servant." he ordered. He wanted to see His Servant refuse then laugh while using a command Seal. Grandfather might think it wasteful. But it was best to show this dog who was Master.

"As you order Master." Rider replied. He got down on his knees and took off his helmet. "Though I do have to wonder about your sexual orientation at this point. Normally it would be a male telling a female to lick his shoes or vice-verse. Anything you want to tell us?" He asked in mirth as he leaned forward preparing to lick it.

Shinji leaped back. Not only was he surpirsed that Rider wasn't resisting, but his orientation was being questioned. Both Grandfather and Sakura were looking at him curiously.

"Nii-san, is that why you taunt Sempai so much?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Shinji," Grandfather said irritated, "What you do on your time is your own business, but you will obey me."

"No, nononono, I'm not into guys." Shinji denied. He scooted back as Rider moved towards him on all fours intending to follow the command. "No, stop, enough Rider."

"Are you sure Master, they do look rather dirty." Rider said with a smile.

"Enough." Shinji ordered. Kiritsugu stood up and thought the whole thing was worth it. Sakura was now very convinced that Shinji had a crush on Tou-san and Zouken was close to believing Rider's claim as well. Any amount of humiliation and damage to his pride was worth this. He may not have been a famous prankster like Riko and Karin, but he still got his licks in every now and then.,,like the time he switched out the shampoo with black dye. Who knew that Rider-kaasan could scream loud enough to shatter glass?

"What is thy bidding my Master?" Rider asked again all serious as he put on his helmet.

"We're going to fight Rider," Shinji said eager for an excuse to get away from the previous topic.

"Very well Master, but it would be best to wait a day or two. My...wounds are not healed yet. I do not doubt that the weakest of Servants could kill me tonight." Rider admitted. He could still feel them,, crawling within him. Feeding on his body and threatening his sanity.

Shinji clenched his fist, "What kind of Servant are you? You're so high and mighty yet you can't even take on a weak opponent?"

Sakura wanted to interevene. She knew all too well how tiring the pit was.

"I apologize Master, I did not anticipate taking so much...damage today. As an apology, I could always make it up to you some way, say...lick your shoes clean...if you like that sort of thing." Rider said.

Sakura turned away and did her best to keep from giggling while Zouken openly cackled. Shinji sneered at Rider. "Alright, tomorrow we fight. You had better be grateful. Come Sakura." His voice was full of fury.

"You will not harm her." Rider said seriously, "Pain and agony causes her to resonate with the Grail. If you harm her, everything might be undone."

"Shinji, leave Sakura alone tonight." Zouken ordered. Shinji flinched, none could go against Grandfather.

That night, Sakura slept soundly having the best nights sleep she had enjoyed in almost twelve years. No worms crawled within her, no beatings, no rape. That night, she dreamed of herself at the alter in a beautiful white dress and a bouquet of red roses. She dreamed that she was walking an alter that never seemed to end towards her goal, and her love. Above all, he was looking at her with his kind eyes waiting to take the vows with her.

That night, Shinji fumed and raged alone in his room. How dare that Servant do this to him. How dare he look down on his Master. Ooohoho, he was going to pay for this humiliation. After school tomorrow, Rider was going to suffer. Rider was going to wish he had died in the pit when Shinji was done. How dare he humiliate him and then keep Sakura away from him. D*mn D*mn D*mn. D*mn him to hell for this.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Sakura got up early and headed for Sempai while Shinji slowly got up and headed for breakfast. As susual, Sakura had made breakfast for her brother and left it out for him to eat while she headed off for Emiya. But today was unusual, she never made it to Shirou's house.

About five feet past the Mansion, Rider was waiting. "Go to Ryudouji Temple now. If you do not, I will kill your beloved sempai. Go there and find refuge with Caster. You may tell the truth if you wish. But you will go there now." His tone was like ice. He was going to kill sempai immediately if she did not. Sakura nodded fearfully and bolted for the temple. Something was very wrong, and she had no idea what had happened. Didn't matter, she was going to keep Sempai safe.

Shinji, unaware of the change ate his breakfast and had his Servant follow at a distance. "Let's go Rider, after school, we begin the hunt. You had better not fail me." 

Rider remained silent as Shinji walked away from the mansion. They had traversed about half the distance to school when Shinji blacked out. He awoke in front of the church with a letter in front of him. Confused, Shinji opened it.

Dear Fool,

Thanks for the Command Seals and Anchor. Now I am truly free. All it took was a single command seal on myself and your grandfather can no longer influence me. I am free, free to do as I wish. You who have abused two Servatns with your pride will die by your Grandfathers hand. Unless...go to the church. Seek sanctuary. There, you might find what you need. Good luck boy, they say third times the charm.

Rider

Ps. Are you sure you're not into guys?

Shinji put down the letter and immediately scrambled for his book. Gone, it was gone. Rider had stolen it and used it on himself. Damn him, damn him to hell. Grandfather was going to kill him. D*mnit D*mnit. Why was it always happening to him? There was only one thing to do...Shinji looked at the churhc and ran. He didn't even notice that he had been unconscious for hours.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Japan, such a backwater place for magi. Still, the contact was paying the family big time, and clearly had good taste to ask for her specifically. With her luscious golden hair, beautiful figure, and unmatched genius, of course someone was bound to ask for her. She stepped out of the terminal and immediately spotted her contact. It was a man with one eye wrapped in black coat holding a sign saying 'Edlefelt' She had to admit, she liked working with a professional that believed in timeliness. The one thing that threw her was the sheer power the man radiated, but he was clearly not hostile.

She proudly walked up to him. He took one look at her and asked, "Do you have any luggage on you?"

"Just one bag and my carry on. I was asked to prepare for rapid movement." Luvia stated.

The man motioned for her to follow and lead her to the baggage claim. The man was silent as they collected her bag, he then lead her to her ride. She had to admit, her employer had taste. A fully stocked limo to pick her up, she had feared that whoever hired her would make her ride something as ugly as van.

"I thank you for coming so quickly," the man said as he opened the door for her. Inside were tow briefcases. One was labeled with her name while the other had the name Matsu on it. Luvia sat down and picked up the one labeled for her. "Inside is the promised payment, the details, and a small bonus for you."

"My, you are prepared." Luvia said with approval. "But a little rude."

"My apologies, I had to ditch some dead weight that believed he was my superior. It changes nothing, but I do apologize for letting you catch the back drift." The man apologized. "We have one more person to pick up today. My final contact won't be coming for another day."

"Contact?" Luvia asked.

"Later, for now, open your payment and let me know if there is something wrong." the man said getting into the driver's seat. Luvia nodded and opened it up. The payment was in Euros and matched what she expected, beside the money was a small collection of jewels, some papers, and...a tome. Luvia opened the tome and began reading. It was amazing, such breakthroughs in thaumaturgy . Whoever made this was a genius. She flipped to the front to see who made the book...

Luviagelita Edelfelt-Emiya

Luvia put the book down and stared.

"As a heroic Spirit, I am not bound by such things like time lines. I am from a potential future. A future not too distant. That, and the jewels infused with your prana are the bonuses I promised."

"Wha-how?" Luvia asked.

"I am not supposed to be here, but I am. So, I will do what I can to set things right and make a better world. That tome is part of your research of over seventy years. It should serve you well Lady Sapphire." Kiri said as they drove. "In the meantime, I have one more person to pick up, so read over your briefing please. Time is of the essence here."

Luvia dove into the notes and began reading. It was fascinating, not just what she was supposed to do, but also a brief synopsis of what occurred in one timeline. "Tell me, what is this Shirou like?"

"The kindest, bravest, most heroic, moron I ever met." Kiri said bluntly. "Cooks better than a five star restaurant. Can do better housework than any maid in the world, and was and is a true blue hero. The Throne was greatly strengthened when he entered the throne. You'll see soon enough."

They headed for the train station where the man asked her to stay here while he picked up the next person. Luvia poured through the notes and imagined the world that he had seen. Was this Shirou really that good a man that others would share just to be with him. She went back over the tome. As she flipped through it, something fell out. A bookmark, a simple hand made bookmark with two small thumbprints on it. And the words 'Best Mother Ever' and two names Aleksi and Aliisa. Something about it made her heart sing just seeing such a simple treasure. She could feel the love the two had put in this simple object. It was clear that her alternate had treasured it so much that it was laminated and placed in the tome. She didn't know what her future could bring, but she swore this, if she ever had any children, they would have the same name.

Soon, the man returned with a redhead with twin pony tails. The man opened the door and helped her in. "Thank you for coming Matsu, I am glad my tips on evading MBI were helpful."

"No, thank you for telling me about the chip." Matsu said as she entered. Her cheeks were pink form a blush, but why do you say you are not my Ashkibai?

"Because I am his son. Please read the files in the briefcase. All will be clear." The man said. "Oh, Luvia-san, please let her read the files before you say anything. She needs to gather her thoughts as well.

The woman seemed to fume, bu opened her briefcase. "No way, how did he get something so advanced?" the woman/creature asked as she pulled out a small rectangular thing about the size of a palm.

"Won't come out for about seventy years or so, enjoy oh Finger of the Machine god." he chuckled as he drove. The woman didn't seem to hear him as she fiddled with the dohicky. "The two of you will be staying at a certain place. It seems like a temple from the outside, but it is, by now a heavily fotified citadel as far as this conflict goes. Once you get out of this car, I am to be considered a hostile. The ones you will work are Bazett and Caster. In addition, there should be a girl there by the name of Sakura. Work together to fulfill your roles."

"Why are you a hostile?" Luvia asked, this was a surprise.

"I am compromised, soon I will be insane and probably psychotic. If you see me, assume I am mad and take me down. The plan must go forward regardless if I can help you or not. If not, well...the files will tell you what's the worst case scenario." The man told them.

The red head didn't seem to nice as she poured over the files. Every now and then, she giggled in a creepy manner that made Luvia want to shoot her. Still, the files said that this was an alien who's race had crashed centuries ago. Most of the population had long since bred with the human population, but the last ship had only recently released the last few inhabitants. Since they had bred with humans before, and the files said they depended on humans to survive, Luvia had no reason to fear the creature would go on a rampage.

The two woman poured through their files learning all they could before they finally stopped at a long staircase. "This is the spot. Caster will see you inside. Good luck." He said dismissing them. The two got out of the cars and gazed at the stairs. It seemed that they needed to have a long talk with Caster.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

read and review please


	29. Black Knight Servant Stats

Heroic Spirit: The **Black Knight** aka **Emiya Kiritsugu**

Servant Classes applicable for: **Saber**[], **Rider**(), **Berserker**{} Note the parenthesis

Gender: Male

Height (without Armor): 190 cm

Weight (without Armor): 84 kg

Alignment: True Neutral

**Strength**: [A] (B) {A+}

**Agility**: [B] (B+) {A}

**Endurance**: [B] (C){A}

**Prana** **capacity**: [B] (B) {A}

**Luck**: [C] (C){B}

**Noble Phantasm**: [A] (A+) {C}

**Class Skills:**

[**Magic Resistance**: B]. Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted byHigh-Thaumaturgy andGreater Rituals, it is difficult for him to be affected. Basically takes Modern Magi their most powerful spells and Mystic Codes to affect : Only appears when he is summoned in the Saber Class, else his Magic resistance is nonexistent.

**Riding**: [B] (A-) {C}The expertise to ride vehicles. At B rank, most vehicles can be handled with above average skill and a few vehicles at greater than average skill. At A- rank all vehicles can be handled at far greater skill than thought possible. Gives a bonus to all vehicles ridden increasing their speed, agility, and endurance. At C rank, is only able to ride a select few vehicles, but is able to ride those vehicles at greater than average skill **Note**: This Servant has specialized in riding non-living creatures. Riding skill decreases by one to two ranks when riding living creatures

**Independent Action**: A Rank all classes. Can remain in this world for a week even after losing his Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms of great prana consumption, back up from the Master is necessary. This Heroic Spirit spent a lifetime living a free life unbound by a Master or Lord thus gained the highest level of independent action a human can receive and will retain skill for all time. **Warning**: Independent Action remains the same for all classes. Be warned when summoning as Berserker. Berserk Servant has high rate of killing off his Master and anyone around him. With Independent Action will continue to run rampant around for a week unless put down like a dog.

{**Mad Enhancement**: B rank.} Rank up for all parameters, but takes away most of sanity. Only certain triggers can calm the Servant down or a lack of moving object. **Warning**: Summoning as a Berserker is considered unwise unless Master is clever enough to utilize these loopholes or is wise in the use of Command Seals to control Servant. Note: At this level of Mad Enhancement, only **Podagros** can be summoned. The mount will also be affected by the Mad Enhancement due to a mental connection between the two increasing the stats of the Mount. All other **Noble Phantasms** are nullified as well as all **Personal Skills** save **Prana Burst** which is enhanced one rank.

**Personal Skills**:

**Charisma** B: Natural talent to command an army. Increases the ability of allies during group battles. A rare talent. At this level, Servant is able to command a Country, but due to his personal wish to never rule, this Skill is nullified unless he is Commanded to or finds he is in great need.

**Eye of the Mind** (True) B+: Heightened insight that was refined through a lifetime of experience. Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament and seize victory. So long there is even a one in a thousand chance of a comeback, this ability exponentially improves the chances of winning.

**Military Tactics**: B-A. Tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. Bonus modifiers are provided during use of one's ownAnti-Army Noble Phantasm or when dealing against an enemyAnti-Army Noble Phantasm. Note: when combined with a high level of Eye of the Mind, stats are boosted one level. At this Rank, all Anti-Army Noble Phantasms are risen one to two ranks while enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm are reduced one to two ranks against him. In addition, when leading an army, he is able to find a way to win a battle/war with minimal casualties no matter how badly stacked the odds are.

**Prana Burst** C {B}rank: Increase of performance by impregnating one's weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. At C rank, is able to enhance all physical stats by one rank for a short time. At B rank, is able to boost physical stats to one and a half of what they are currently for a longer period of time.

Noble Phantasms

**Unknown Identity**: Personal Enhancement C. Due to Servant living as a mystery to most people and real identity shrouded in rumors, Servant became an Icon that represented everyone and no one. Servant is able to take on the physical appearance and voice of anyone he has met or is aware of. **Note**: Once his identity is revealed either through the use of his Noble Phantasms against opponents or someone figures out his identity and declares it to him, he loses this ability for the duration of the summons.

**Podagros**: Anti-Army B-A: An artificial horse forged by advanced science and high level magic. This fire breathing beast is able to grant the Servant an EX rank of endurance as it never needs to recharge or take a break. In addition, it enhances the Servant's strength by one rank. Note: due to Personal skills and design, Podagros is able to perform far beyond what a horse could ever hope to match. Adding plus thirty to armor (less than the third of the defenses of a Dragon) Servant is able to repel Physical attacks below B+ rank and Noble Phantasms D rank and below and reduces C rank Noble Phantams by one rank when attacking but does not nullify attack.

**Hippalectryon **Anti-Fortress A: Named for a not very famous Greek Hybrid. It defies it's name of a horse-rooster hybrid. This legendary plane made by a combination of science and magic was engraved into the memories of man as the most maneuverable, most powerful vehicle seen by man. This belief gave the **Hippalectryon** the ability to be piloted remotely as no Pilot was ever associated with it as no normal human could have ever flown it without turning into paste. This plane was the mobile base of the Servant and stores powerful artifacts and technology for the **Black Knight's** use whenever he is summoned. Inside are sacred treasures he kept safe and are available for his use. Much Like Gate of Babylon, it is the Servant's personal treasury, as well as attack vehicle.

**Special Ability: **

**Lethal Chef: EX**

Description: The inherent ability to turn every dish made into something harmful. At D-rank, this produces meals which are either: a) Readily edible, but always causes digestive problems. or b) Tastes horrible, but good for one's health in the long run. At A-rank, users are capable of granting semi-sentiency to their creations, forming embodiments of pure horror that may cause harm even without the need to be eaten. False users create dishes which are appear horrible, but are actually good culinary feats.

Known Users: Rank

Akane Tendo: B

Moka Akashiya: B (False)

Chiyo Emiya: D

Saber/Arturia Pendragon Emiya: A

Kiritsugu Emiya: EX

Note: Those who possess EX-rank will turn any dish they attempt to make into an eldricht abomination, regardless of how much the world views such a feat to b impossible. e.i. Creating a flaming water spirit through the act of boiling water, affecting objects that need only be microwavable, etc.

(note, special acknowledgement to **sagitarius** for developing the Lethal Chef Ability)


	30. Black Familiar 1

Something I wrote in between the clan wars to pass the time. Expect more later.

Black Servant of Zero 1

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Looking back on that fateful day, I can honestly say I was an Idiot. Here I was, the girl who knew all the theory by heart but couldn't cast a spell to save my life was bragging about how awesome and powerful my Servant, no I mean familiar as I didn't understand the term until later, would be. Of course they laughed at me. Why shouldn't they. I was the failure, the dead last. The Zero. All I could do was bark. There was nothing to back up my claims._

_So, there I was, watching each of them summon their familiars. Some were...dull. Malicorne summoned an owl. Fat little thing, didn't know until much later how useful it would be as a messenger and spy. MonMon, I mean Montmorency, summoned a little frog that could have easily fit in the hand of a child. Robin, what kind of name is that for a frog? Ah well, it was her choice, and it did look adorable with the ribbon on it. Others summoned basic familiars, dogs, cats, parrots. Nothing to remember._

_But there were others. My old rival, and at the time, worst enemy Kirche summoned a salamander. Or at least what we all thought was a salamander. After meeting a true elemental Salamander, I can honestly say, her flame lizard, aptly named Flame, had nothing on the great being. Still, at the time I was very jealous. Of course, no one could match Tabitha's Slyphid. A great blue dragon, or at least that's what we all thought. Now that I know the truth, I can say that, though a Rhyme Dragon is impressive, since she wasn't even a century old she had nothing compared to the ancient dragons. Looking back now, we as a species were all naïve about Dragons. We all thought our simple drakes were the mighty beasts of legends. Frankly, any true Dragon takes one look at a drake and laughs. No knowledge of language, higher thought, limited life span, or ancient magic to call their own. Yeah, drakes have nothing on Dragons._

_But I am getting off track. Here I was watching all of my peers successfully summon their familiars feeling dread weigh upon me as my turn was rapidly approaching. I want to say that this was the worst moment of my life, but after he died six times for me, I can guarantee that this didn't even make the top one hundred. Funny how as a child we think every moment is the worst one we've ever been in. Anyways, here I was wondering how I was going to conjure up a familiar so divine, graceful, and powerful enough to blow away all my schoolmates. I claimed I could bring forth something that was better than a griffon or a dragon. By the Root, Alaya, and Gaia, I needed to learn to keep my mouth shut. _

_Soon enough, it was my turn. As I stepped forward, I remember begging in my mind for it to work. I raised my wand and began to chant a spell of my own creation. In other words, I winged it and hoped that I didn't blow anything up._

_Of course I did, I was Louise the Zero. But...but that's when I did it. That's when he answered my call for the first time. So many girls dream of being swept up by a knight in shining armor to come and save them from some sort of trouble. His armor may not have been reflective or shiny, but he was a Knight like no other. _

_Did I love Him? What a foolish question. Words do not describe the relationship between a Master and Servant. We are connected by bonds that do not have words that come close to describe what we felt. Every secret between us is known, every hope, every wish, every desire is known. We were one being in two bodies. But Love in the conventional sense? No, to me he was like a father, favored uncle and grandfather mixed with a best friend, loyal confident, wise adviser, and a deadly weapon. I did not, unlike so many others in our lives, fall in love with him like a lover. I saw him as both more and less. He was my greatest weapon and shield. He was to fight and die on my orders. Orders that, to my shame, I have had to give to him a few times. _

_Still, I would not trade him for the oldest dragon, the most powerful spell, the largest kingdom, or another Servant. _

_He was mine, my dear **Black Knight**._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_I beg of you…"_

What the?

"_My slave who lives somewhere in the universe!"_

Oh...he must have someone summoning him.

"_Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!"_

Clearly someone wasn't being specific, or accurate for that matter. No problem though. He mounted Podagros. If someone wanted to summon him, he'd go in style. His armor was instantly on his body. Chivalry, fully restored in hand and Honor on his back.

_I desire and here I plead from my heart!_

'I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold on a minute.' Kiritsugu thought. He maneuvered his mount to the door. "Well, here goes nothing. Yaaah."

"_Answer to my guidance!"_

He and Podagros dashed forward through the door to whatever adventures awaited them. Let the worlds shudder, for the Black Knight still exists. What awaited him beyond the veils of the Throne? Treachery? Despair? War? Curiosity? Come what may, he, Emiya Kiritsugu son of Emiya Shirou and Arturia Pendragon was ready.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

***BOOOOOM***

Louise and the entire class began coughing from the sheer amount of smoke that erupted from Louise's newest failure. The smoke was deep and thick obscuring the failure of a summoner. Yet, from the smoke came the sound of a horse, if a horse could sound metallic. In the smoke, two red orbs glowed in the smoke like beacons. Then, the orbs vanished and everyone felt a whirlwind blow through them sending the smoke far away. Before them were two figures. One was Louise the Zero on the ground staring up at what she saw. It was an unfamiliar figure in black armor holding a sword and shield. Black armor, had the girl hired a mercenary to cover for her failure?

The armored man looked around at each of them then looked down.

"_I ask of thee, art thou my Master?"_ the man said in a strange language. None of them understood what he said. The man gazed upon her face and saw only confusion. _"I have come upon your request, I ask of thee, art thou my Master?"_

Everyone just stared at this man spouting giberish. Finally, Kirche broke out and laughed. "As expected of Zero, summoning a common sell sword that doesn't even speak properly."

"Shut up Kirche." Louise snapped taking her eyes off the man. "I just made a mistake is all."

_'Strange, I can't understand what they are saying...an incomplete summoning. Actually, what is my class now that I think of it?'_

"What mistake are you talking about? Nothing unusual happened." one boy shouted

"Of course! After all, she's Louise the Zero!" someone else said, and the crowd burst into laughter.

"Mr. Colbert, please let me try the summoning one more time." She begged.

'_what is she asking? She looks scared. Something must have gone wrong_.' a quick glance had told him that he had arrived in some sort of ceremony. All around him, he could see various people holding animals of all sorts. '_a familiar summoning ritual? If so, my Master is going to be blown away when I can finally tell her that she summoned an Epic Spirit_.'

Colbert-sensei looked over the man and couldn't help but find approval at the summons. The man had no openings, he clearly was ready to fight at any time, but had no hostility in him. A professional that had judged the situation as fairly non-hostile, but ready for action none the less. "I cannot allow that, Miss Vallière."

"Why not?" Louise yelped feeling dread overcome her.

"It is strictly forbidden. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar, which is what you just did." Colbert answered keeping his eye on the man. It looked like he was trying to figure out what they were saying, but

'_That man, he is more than he appears. His stance, it's subtle, but he's ready to fight at a moment's notice. Were it not for Kaa-san always being like that, I would never have noticed._'

"Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you summon. It enables you to advance to the appropriate courses for that element. You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it, because the Springtime Familiar Summoning is a sacred rite. Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take him." Colbert continued.

"But...I've never heard of having a commoner summoned as a familiar." Louise protested. She could heard them laughing at her even harder, then...it became darker. She looked behind her to see the man holding his shield in front of her blocking her from their view.

"It would appear that he is trying to protect you from them." Colbert pointed out. "I'm sorry, but there are no exceptions. He may be a commoner, but as long as he was summoned by you, he must be your familiar. Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar, but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule. In other words, there is no other way around it: he must become your familiar."

"No way," She said drooping her shoulders.

"Congratulations chibi Louise, now you have someone to help you reach the high shelves." a boy mocked. Louise wanted to find out who had said that, but the shield blocked her view, and she did admit, she was glad. She was sure that she was about to cry at any moment, but the shield was protecting her face.

"_They do not know the burden you bear Master." _The man spoke in his gibberish. Yet, it seemed soothing. It didn't seem so bad to summon this...man to protect her. At least she had a good bodyguard.

"Get on with it Louise," a girl moaned, "Our next class is going to begin soon. How much more time is this summoning going to take? After mistake upon mistake, you have finally managed to summon him. Hurry and form a contract. "Other voices added their agreement to the comment.

Louise was suddenly very glad she could not see whoever said that or else she might be charged with murder. She looked up at the man and pointed her finger down. He understood in an instant. He got down on his knee and presented himself to her like a knight presenting himself to his liege. Back straight, head down, shield by his side and sword planted on the ground.

Louise pointed to his helmet which he pulled off with ease. His face, it looked so strange. He was missing his right eye and had an eye patch covering it. His hair was almost as white as snow. He had a few small scars all around his face, but the largest was a great gash on his right side. Whatever clawed him there had taken his eye. But, funny enough, there was a few strands of hair at the front that curled upwards and wiggled in the breeze.

"Consider yourself Lucky." She muttered. This was not how she wanted her first kiss to be like. ""My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar." She touched his forehead with her stick then kissed him. The man remained still the entire time and made no move to take more than he was given.

She then smelled something like melting metal and flesh. She stepped away and watched as his left hand began glowing. In a moment, unfamiliar runes were etched on his hand.

'Interesting, it appears that I have now been given my class. Though what, I have no idea.' Kiritsugu thought as he stood up. _"With this, our contract is complete. My sword and shield are yours now until either my death or yours."_

Again, nobody had any idea what he said. The middle aged man, who looked like the supervisor fro the children walked forward and examined his runes. _"Do you understand me?"_ Kiritsugu asked.

"Hmm, I've never seen these runes before." Colbert said looking them over. He thought he recognized them from somewhere...

"Sensei, since she finished the contract, can we go?" a boy whined.

"Hmm? Yes, yes. You're free to leave. There are no more classes today." The teacher dismissed them then headed fro the library.

Kiritsugu looked over that his little Master and smiled before putting his helmet back on. As long as he didn't reveal his name to anyone other than his Master, and she didn't blab it, he could still use **Unknown Identity**.

Course, they had to get over the language barrier first.

Kiritsugu sighed, he wished he had more aptitude with Magic and had studied more. Unfortunately, he only had ten magic circuits and all he had been able to do with those is reinforce himself and give his attacks a Prana Burst. Not all that helpful when it came to languages. He knew a bit of rune, i.e. he knew how to make explosive runes for traps and a few ways to make a bounded field for privacy and detection, but that was it. He had lived by the sword, trained by the sword, and died by a few hundred sword stabs in the back. Well, Black Keys to be precise, but still...he was a Knight, not a magus.

He followed his Master and began contemplating what to do. First, he tried speaking every language he knew. Japanese, English, German, a bit of Chinese, some Greek, and Latin. All were met with failures. Even worse, it appeared that his talking was beginning to annoy his Master. Tough potatoes, he needed for her to work with him or else this partnership was going to suffer. So, if languages were not similar, it was time to begin to learn a new one. He began to point at various objects, yanking her to and fro to get her to tell him the name. Of course, she only snapped at him, but he kept on trying. Eventually she would give up and tell him. As stubborn as she was, he was worse. He would break her down and work with him or she would never get any sleep on his watch.

Though she really needed to relax on her wand. He could hear her clutching the wood tightly enough for it to creak.

They entered her private room with her clearly annoyed, but he wasn't concerned. What was she going to do? Yell at him? So scary. Whip him? His armor was too tough for her. Order him to shut up? Without a command seal, she was wasting breath. He headed for the bed and pointed again. "_What is this called?_"

"Shut up shut up shut up!" Louise yelled lousing all her composure. She held her wand up in the air chanted and flicekd her wand. Her silence spell should shut him up.

***BOOOM***

Of course, her bloody useless magic would fail her again.

"That was...different." she heard the man speak out. Only, he was speaking her language.

"I understand that." Louise exclaimed. The smoke cleared and she saw him against the wall with a small indent against the stone. He had been thrown back hard by the explosion.

"Yes, so did I." ***cough***, "For a translation spell, that was rather volatile. Well, at least I know I have a B rank Magic Resistance now. Honestly, any one else would be dead by that." The armored man pulled himself out of the wall and brushed himself off.

"It, it was supposed to be a silencing spell," Louise admitted.

"Ah?" the man said, Louise was sure that he was raising an eyebrow. "That's rather cruel. All I was trying to do was get you to help me learn your language. Of course, since the spell worked, kind of, there's no need for that." The man got back down on his knee and said, "Then let us begin the contract anew, Upon your summoning I have come at your request, I ask of thee, art thou my Master?"

"Ah? Yes, I am your Master familiar be gratefu-"

"Servant," Kiritsugu interrupted. "The correct term for summoning an Epic Spirit is Servant."

"Epic Spirit? You're just a commoner." Louise declared.

Kiritsugu sighed, then pumped his body with power, unleashing his restraint. All around him, the wind whipped. The very air became heavy with magic. His voice altered and became deep and full of power the like of which rulers would kill to possess "**Do not compare me to a human Magus. I have long left such things behind. For my actions in life I was risen up to the Throne of Heroes in death and became comparable to a High Spirit. I who am eternal ask this? Do you still believe me to be a ****mortal man?**"

Louise was shaking. She could feel the power overflowing from the man. He was strong, far stronger than anyone she ever met. Kaa-san was the closest she had ever seen in strength, but it had been too long for her to tell who was stronger.

The power faded from the man, "I apologize, this was the first time I have been summoned. I will endeavor to not do that again."

"Who? What are you?" Louise asked.

"As I said, I am an Epic Spirit. A being that was once a man, but was risen to a new level of existence for becoming a legend in my own right. I could tell that they were insulting you back at the field Master. Make no mistake, nothing, not even that young dragon compares to me." He smiled. "If you want, I can go kill every one of those familiar tonight to prove it."

"What? No, I forbid you familiar." Louise shrieked.

"Servant, Master, the Term is Servant, please endeavor to get it right." he pleaded.

"You, YOU damn dog, how dare you scare your Master. I ought to whip you. You're not getting anything to eat tonight."

"Master, the only thing I need to eat are Souls. Frankly I don't even need to eat that either." Kiritsugu pointed out. "I am a spirit and all."

"Souls?" Louise whispered in fear. Was he a vampire?

"Think of this, earth spirits eat earth based materials. As a human based spirit, my source of fuel would be human souls. However, since you are providing me abundant prana, there is no need for me to eat. Besides, human souls taste terrible anyways." He paused while his little Master's face returned to normal color. "Actually, I'm rather impressed. Not only did you summon me successfully without something to boost your power, but you then used a spell to grant me a class."

"Class?" Louise asked.

"Saber, Lancer, Archer, Caster, Rider, Assassin, Berserker, Avenger. These are the known classes that Servants fall into. Sabers use swords, Lancers lances, Archers use bows usually, Riders have epic mounts that boost their powers, Casters wield powerful magic, Assassin specializes in being unseen before they strike, Berserker's trade their sanity for physical prowess unmatched by any other Servant, and Avenger." Kiritsugu shuddered, "None talk about the Avenger nor do any but the craziest attempt to summon one of those."

He pointed at his little Master, "But this is normally done during the summoning. For some reason, you held off on giving me a class until after I was summoned. In addition, it's not one I am familiar with. I will need to experiment with this later. But first, I can see I've bombarded you with too much information too fast. So, any questions?"

Louise just stared at him. For a while there was nothing but an awkward silence. Finally she sputtered out, "What's wrong with you?"

Kiritsugu blinked, he felt perfectly sane. "Um, nothing? As I said, first time summoned. Sorry if I went too fast. I was kind of expecting to be summoned in a war zone or something"

"So, you're just improvising?" Louise asked tentatively.

"Yeah, basically." He admitted scratching the back of his head. "So, lets try this again, any questions?"

"You eat souls?" Louise asked.

"I can, but I don't want to. Frankly fresh bread tastes infinitely better even if it does nothing for me." Kiri admitted. "Next question."

"What is an epic spirit?" she asked.

"Epic spirits or heroic spirits as we are also known as are beings that accomplished great achievements such as saving the world and, after our deaths, became the object of worship and lore. As a result, we are placed outside the cycle of rebirth and ascend to an existence closer to High and Divine Spirits so that we can protect humanity. We are, guardians, protectors, and above all, weapons to be used in times of need." Kiritsugu explained. "We are the people you speak of in songs and stories. Each of us has earned our place through blood, sweat, and tears, or through outright lies and propaganda. As long as people continue to tell stories of us, we have earned the right to enter."

Kiritsugu pointed to himself, "I was well known both in my time and afterward through feats considered impossible to other men. Where they saw defeat, I found victory, where they saw disaster, I found opportunity. I earned my place, and now that I have been summoned to the mortal plain, I am referred to as Servant, not Familiar, Servant. Refer to me as such and I will refer to you as Master, as is proper for our partnership."

"Partnership? You are supposed to obey me." Louise said angrily.

"True, but you made a mistake. A very big mistake in summoning that could get you killed by a less patient Servant. You have no way to enforce you will." Suddenly, he had his hand on his sword. "If I were one of those, I would have sliced your head off a long time ago."

Louise paled, "But, but why?"

"We were rewarded in death Master. Why should we return to the realm of the living? Most Masters have to have some sort of Command Seal that forces us to obey just to make sure we do not kill them. Let's face it, if you were suddenly pulled from your very nice home with the finest of foods and all you cared about to serve as a foot soldier for some jumped up fool claiming to own you and force you to clean latrines, would you obey?"

"No," Louise admitted.

"That's right, most do not have the patience. Me, I'm willing to give you a chance. I understand we had a bad start. You were confused, ridiculed, and probably thought you had summoned a thug or something. How about we put that behind us and start anew?" he offered holding out his hand.

Louise looked at it a moment, then held her hand out. The two shook hands then released. "I am Louise Francoise Lu Blanc de La Valliere."  
>" Valliere? As in valiant? Ah, that is a good name. But there is a problem Master." The man told her. "As a Servant, I have been granted gifts beyond mortal kin. Three in fact. One of them is special." With that, he suddenly shifted into a mirror image of Louise.<p>

"Eh?" she asked.

"One of my gifts, commonly known as Noble Phantasms, allows me to take the form of others. But there is a catch, if anyone other than my Master knows my true Identity, I lose this ability. Therefore, I must ask you to forever keep my name a secret." With that, he shifted back into his normal form. "My name is always your to claim, but there is a responsibility to it. So, do you wish to bear the burden and learn my name?"

Louise looked at him sharply, "What is your name Servant?"

"Very good Master, you learn fast. I approve. My name is Kiritsugu Emiya. Son of Shirou Emiya the Hero King and Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights." Kiri declared. "Though you may refer to me as Kiri for short in private."

Louise knew she heard something wrong and it took a moment to figure out. "Wait, the son of two kings? That's not possible."

"My mother ruled a land where a woman could not be king. So, she dressed as a man. Worked rather well." Kiritsugu explained. "It wasn't until after her country fell to ruin in a civil war that she met my father."

"So...you're a noble?" She asked afraid. Did she insult someone of a high rank. He was the son of a king, well...kings."  
>"If you wish to be technical, I am a prince, but I never had an interest in ruling or titles. I left that to my father, older brother, and later my younger siblings and relatives. I may he been second born, but I was and am a Knight above all else." Her Servant admitted.<p>

"A noble, I summoned a Noble. Mother is going to kill me." She whispered.

"I won't tell if you won't" Kiritsugu said full of mirth. "Any other questions?"

"I-I want to think about this." Louise said. Too much, he had given her too much to think about.

"Very well, Master. Do you wish anything of me? Or may I go explore the area?" the man asked.

"Um, wake me at dawn. Just, let me..." She trailed off.

"I understand, sleep well Master." He said bowing before becoming invisible in her face.

"What the?" she said aloud. He suddenly appeared again. "Oh, sorry. One of the things about being a Spirit, I can revert to Astral form when I desire. Anyways, have a good night." He vanished again. Louise looked at her bed and sighed. This was too much. Sleep now, ponder later. She was soon out of her regular clothes and in her nightgown. She went to bed and went to sleep with one thought.

"What did I just get myself into?" she moaned. '_Too much to think, deal with it tomorrow._' mutter mutter mutter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_I can honestly say. We had a rough introduction. Here we were, trying to understand each other...well, more like he tried to get me to understand and I was left behind as he spoke. Being the first time he was summoned, he apparently hadn't any experience on what he was supposed to say. Later, much much later in our time together we would hammer out a basic speech for him to give to new uninformed Masters so he didn't blow their minds out. _

_Oh, and he definitely needed to mention the dream cycle. Kiritsugu was never shy to admit he had a strange family. Root, Alaya, and Gaia that's the understatement of the century. I think all the shenanigans we got into over the years could not cover even a fraction of the escapades his family got into in a month. It was that crazy. The mothers, though beautiful and powerful in their own ways were nuts. It's probably only because they were all crazy that they got along as well as they did. _

_Kiritsugu told me a couple of time that a utopia is easy to make, the problem is maintaining it. That's a good summery of his family. Nuts every one of them. I am very glad I never had to live with some of his sisters. Some of the things they did for entertainment would have driven me into either a murderous rage or a drooling idiot. That is the kind of environment he grew up in, which is why he got so good at predicting the unpredictable. Living in such a house sharped instincts like no battlefield ever could._

_Anyways, the first day together was a surprise none the less. Here I was wondering if I had summoned the greatest Servant, I mean familiar, of all time or I I had failed more epically than any recorded incident. I was...conflicted of him. He seemed so powerful, yet so awkward at the same time. I still shudder remembering when he displayed his full power before me killing any thought that he was human. I have it on good accounts that everyone, and I mean everyone in the castle who had even an ounce of magical talent felt him even if they didn't know what the feeling was. Yet, he would then stand there looking sheepish in his big black armor. I didn't even know that was possible until I saw it._

_Servants are beings beyond human conventions. I once compared him to an angel, but he shot me down telling me that if a Divine Spirit fought him, the only thing to bet on would be whether he lived a minute or not once the fight broke out. Still, they are beings beyond human abilities. If two Servants fight, it is a guarantee that the surrounding landscape is going to be destroyed. It's not so much a fight of mortal means as much as a clash between two spirits of nature fighting it out while we poor pitiful humans look on in terror. Kiri told me he was a weapon, that's an understatement. He's a walking weapon of mass destruction that destroys mountains as a warmup. _

_What's rather funny to me is that while I was dreaming of his childhood, he was busy making friends with people who are now very dear to me. Here I am in something that was either the best dream or worst nightmare of my life while he was smooching with the female population. I'm convinced, anyone who deals with an Emiya is doomed to be cursed by the humor of the Root, Alaya, and Gaia. You have been warned._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"Excuse me Ms." a voice called out to her from behind. Siesta was so surprised she almost dropped all the laundry. She tried to look behind her, but the passage was a bit too narrow for her to see."Yes?" She asked.

"Would you like some help?" a kind male voice offered. "That looks awkward from what I'm seeing."

Siesta was a bit worried about someone trying to hit on her, but the voice sounded nice, and this really was a lot of clothes. "Please." Whatever she expected to meet, she was not expecting a man in heavy armor. The pan reached around her and grabbed the entire basket.

"There we go, where to?" the man said.

Siesta looked at the man for a moment, then the memory kicked in. "You're the one that was summoned by the Valliere." She said remembering hearing about the gossip. She had thought it was just a joke, but this man was too perfect to the description for her to doubt.

"I am, nice to meet you Ms..."

"Siesta." she said with a bit of a curtsey. She was in the presence of a noble or something, she was sure. He had the presence of a ruler behind him.

"Siesta, I am...this isn't good. I'm not able to tell you my name right now. There are...problems with that. How about you call me...hmm...Spirit." the man said.

"Why? Is she bullying you?" Siesta asked worried. As a familiar, he was probably getting less rights than a Servant.

"No, just...politics. If you prefer you can call me Servant." He said. She was sure that he was smiling at that.

"No no, Spirit-san. It sounds like a good name." Siesta said and began leading him to the tub to wash the clothes.

"Even better, the first name is Epic." The man said with mirth.

"Oh, what is it?" She asked giggling a bit. There was something about him that put her at ease even if he did come off as a noble. Besides, no true noble would help with laundry anyways.

"I just said it, Epic." He said all but laughing.

Siesta began giggling louder at that. "Epic Spirit, my how interesting." She showed him the tub. "Thank you for the help. I'll get it from...here?"

She watched as he took off his right gauntlet and both arm guards and rolled up his sleeves. "Ano, what are you doing?"

"Helping, it's not right for a young woman to work so late at night. Beauty sleep is a good thing. Besides, I helped out with my family all the time." He was used to using old fashioned cleaning methods. Every time dad worked on a washing machine, they had to rely on old fashioned methods. That, and it was a favorite punishment by Miya-kaasan.

Siesta smiled at that and went to help, "Um, why are you not taking off the armor on your left hand?" She asked confused.

"That is my left hand. It's a...magic one I was given after I lost if killing a monster. Don't worry, it's...enchanted from rusting." Kiri said not wanting to tell a medieval culture about modern technology and techniques.

"My, that's surprising, how could you afford it?" she asked. It had to have cost a fortune.

"It was a dangerous beast. Took forty five stabs to the heart and head and cut off the head from the neck to take it down." Kiri said modestly. "I was rewarded for slaying such a beast." He shrugged, "I was a bit of an idiot when I decided to take it on."

Siesta looked on at him with wonder and admiration in her eyes, then noticed he had been doing the lions share of the laundry. "Ah, it's fine, I can get the rest."

"O? Feeling competitive there? Worried you can't catch up?" He taunted. Siesta's eyes hardened just a bit. "You wish Epic." She then dove into the pile and went ot work. For about an hour they bantered with each other calling each other things like turtle and snail in good fun while they finished washing the clothes and hung them to dry.

Siesta rubbed her forehead, "Phew, that was fun."

Kiritsugu nodded as he put his armor back on. "Glad I could help Siesta. Look me up if I'm not busy." He waved at her as he headed off for the castle.

"Thank you very much," Siesta said happy that he was a good man. He hadn't even look at her breasts once. Or...at least as far as she could see. The helmet made it hard to tell. She skipped off in a good mood hoping that they could just talk later on. Epic Spirit, really, it was funny but a badly made up name. Probably didn't have anything to do with him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_You know, after seeing his family, I can tell why he never cared about breast sizes. His mothers ranged from flat to pumpkin in size. That Kazehana, not even Kirche could match her in size. I still can't believe it's possible to grow them that big. Living in that kind of environment, it's no wonder why he stopped looking there. According to him, it was people's eyes that attracted him. He said he loved people who had life burning in their eyes. Never fully understood it myself, but that's what he said._ _Anyways, that's how he met dear Siesta, the first of many girls to fall for him._

_The day she died I cried myself to sleep. The day after her funeral is a complete blank for me. Everyone says I drank the equivalent of a barrel of alcohol within two turns of the glass. Old age, old age, it's the silent killer of everyone. Root, I miss her sometimes. No matter how hard life got, she was the one bringing new life into mine. _

_Buts that's neither here nor there. He had, through a small bit of kindness made a friend and then went right off and made a friend with another. Well...two others I should say. Have to hand it to him, he works fast. But then, he did have an affinity with dragons..._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Kiritsugu jumped from roof top to roof top intending to get a better look at the place. So far, he was not impressed with what he saw. This...castle was a joke. No guards lined the walls, which were several feet too thin and low for a real castle. No bounded fields even though this was a school for Magi. Heck, the portcullis looked rusty. Clearly this place had been in peace for a long time. Not good when a Servant arrived. If one arrived, there was a good chance that a second would come, then all hell would break loose. He stopped atop the highest tower and gazed around. The twin moons were a bit of a surprise, but then, after dealing with the old bastard Zelretch and Eiko's and Reiko's sneezes, it wasn't all that unexpected.

"Make do with what you have and take it from there." He told himself. That was all he could do. Especially since he had no idea what class he was and what his purpose was.

Above him he heard the sound of wings flapping. Big wings flapping. He looked up and scanned the sky. Reinforcing his eyes he could see it was the blue dragon form earlier and a girl atop the dragon. A part of him was impressed that the girl had managed to summon a Dragon. Or more accurately, summon a dragon and not be eaten a few nanoseconds later. Either this one had a pact with the family, loved humans in general, or was under some powerful controls. He's have to investigate. Still, best to get out of here. He looked down at the ground and nodded, best to get down quickly.

He jumped off.

As he fell, he heard the sound of wind rushing. Kiri drew his blade and reinforced his legs. As soon as he hit the ground, he dove to the left moving a good hundred feet. He landed nimbly and saw the dragon and girl look at him in wonder. They had clearly dived rather quickly, but why? He thought for a minute then asked tentatively.

"Were you trying to save me?"

The girl nodded as well as the dragon.

"Ah, my apologies, I thought you were after me." He replaced his blade. "Spirit, Epic Spirit. Nice to meet you."

The girl's eyes went wide at his introduction. "Spirit?" she asked.

"That's me." He agreed coming closer. He held an arm out for the dragon. "So, would you two fine ladies mind telling me your names?"

"Tabitha." the girl spoke. She then began to point to the dragon when it spoke up.

"Irukuku is Irukuku." it said happily. "Kyuii,You smell nice."

"Thank you, I was given an affinity with dragons to boost my magic resistance." Kiritsugu said unsurprised that a dragon spoke.

"Bad," Tabitha told the dragon.

"Eh? But onni-san isn't a human. Why can't Irukuku talk to Onii-san onee-chan?" Irukuku asked.

"She's probably worried that they'll take you away." Kiritsugu told her. "Don't worry, I promise to keep this a secret."

"Promise?" Irukuku asked with sparkles in her eye.

"Our own super secret promise." Kiritsugu agreed.

"Super secret promise! Kyuii. Onii-san is the best. Arigato Onii-san." Irukuku said happily. Kiritsugu was reminded of his little siblings when they were younger. Still, he was glad he had so much experience else all this cuteness would turn him into a puddle. He looked up at Tabitha, "Ah, but Onee-chan hasn't agreed to the super secret promise. What about you Onee-chan?" He saw the girl twitch. She didn't want to get involved in all the cuteness.

"Please onee-chan. Super secret promise." Irukuku begged

Tabitha nodded, "Promise."

"Kyuuuuuiiii, super secret promise." Irukuku trilled. "Onii-chan and Onee-chan are the best."

"Thank You." Tabitha whispered.

"No problem. Now Irukuku, don't go talking to the humans. They be meanies. Talk to Onii-san only when he is alone. 'Kay?" Kiritsugu said smiling. This was why he loved playing with children. So much fun and exuberance. It made him feel a lot younger when they were around.

"Kyuuuii, Irukuku promises." The dragon said placing one of her front appendages over her chest.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_***Shudders***, there is only so much cuteness someone should be able to handle at a time, yet he always seemed immune to it. Probably because Shinta and Karin tried it on him too many times for him to be affected by it. It's rather amusing actually. Because his mother was associated with dragons, so too did he gain an affinity with them, though not as strongly as her. I sometimes wonder what would have happened had I summoned her instead. Probably run rod-shod over her pride and made her an enemy within the first hour of meeting her. _

_So, that was our first day together. I get laughed at, he confuses me to no end with too much information, sends me to bed without a warning of what I would dream, then goes and flirts with a bunch of girls. Stupid dog. Still, if I had to do it over again, I would do so without regret._

_Of course the second day made up for the headache he gave me with interest. That was the day he showed me exactly how much stronger he was compared to the rest of us. Though I respect the man now, back then, I thought _Guiche de Gramont_ to be nothing more than a posturing peacock trying to impress every woman he met. No, I take that back, I didn't think that, I knew that was true. Every time I remember that fight, I can't help but smile. That day, they knew I had summoned more than a commoner, that day they knew I had summoned a champion._

Xxxxxxxxxx

read and review. I'm going to sleep then going back to work on the Emiya clan wars. Night shift, it throws off your internal clock


	31. Clan wars 14

_Duty does not end in death, it merely passes on to someone else. -Rudolf Guercia._

_The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid.- Richard Bach_

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_xxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_The role of Lancer is at an end_

_Berserker's part is finished and penned_

_I will play the Caster through it's sins_

_and the Role of Archer soon begins_

Many generals and soldiers forget a basic fact of war. Everyone needs to rest, everyone needs to take time to breathe. Too much planning for war relies upon an army to constantly move, either forward or back as needed. Haste makes waste where they should plan on moments of pausing, moments of consolidating. The initial inertia is lost when the advances stop, but it gives the time to freshen the army and look for ambushes and ideal terrain. Too much advancing stretches the supply lines, too much speed leaves the baggage train vulnerable. Sometimes it is best, to just stop and see how the war is reacting to the conflict. Rest, recuperate, then hit the enemy all the harder. They will be ready for an assault, so come at them at strange angles, unexpected directions. But first, drink up and have a hearty meal lest the army dines in hell.

Kiritsugu promptly took his own advice and entered a family run restaurant. Though it could never match the skill of the Clan, the food was good and filling and helped distract him from the scratching in his head. He could hear it at the edge of every sound. A scratching, gnawing sound mixed with static and a hint of a whisper. Time was running out, but he was undeterred by his course.

They would call him a monster, a maniac, an abomination, yet he would still push forward. He was ready to do what the others would never be able to bring themselves to do. Well...by the end they would all be willing to do unto him. Heck, it wouldn't surprise him if Tou-san summoned him in place of Uncle Gil to baby sit if all went according to plan. No matter, he would do as he must regardless of the cost to himself.

He had to show Tou-san his flaw, his error, his Ideal. Only with full understanding could Tou-san become more than a man, more than a distortion. And from there, he could make the choice.

Kiritsugu finished his glass of wine and paid the bill leaving a nice tip behind him. Today was a day of rest and relaxation, for soon, far too soon would the agony begin.

_Countless eons I have waged war and death_

_Relieving each of my enemies of their final breath_

_Yet, this war I dread more than any other_

_I know not how I can show my face to mother_

_Kinslayer, thief, brigand and murderer_

_Every travesty I have done will only hurt her_

_God grant mercy on this son_

_For I shall give myself none_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shinji burst into the church sweating and panting. He had run as fast as he could sure that Grandfather was on his heels preparing to kill him for failing twice. Honestly, the guy had only dashed a hundred meters, he really needed to get into shape. He opened the doors the entered. "Oi, where are you?" He called out. The supervisor for the war should be here.

"Welcome to the house of god young one. How may I help you?" A voice called out from behind the alter. Out stepped the priest with dead eyes and walked towards him. "What do you require young man?"

"Your the supervisor for the Grail War, protect me." Shinji ordered. "Damn that Rider and Lancer, useless the both of them."

Kirei's eyes widened for a moment at the mention of Rider, but then smiled, "So, you are saying you have no Servant. Would you like to make a contract with another?"

"Huh? Are you stupid?" Shinji asked

"Not at all. Though I am to provide protection for any Master seeking sanctuary, I happen to have a Servant that has not made a contract yet. If you are interested, you may form a contract with him." Kirei offered.

Shinji smiled, he was saved. With a new Servant, he could get revenge. "Yes, give me the Servant."

"Follow me then," The priest motioned with his newly attached left arm. The two descended into the recesses of the church to talk with a Golden King.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Caster could feel her teeth grinding into powder from what she had been told. Sakura had just finished telling her that it was Kiri that had been feeding on Servants, not Riko. The sheer thought that her kind, honorable brother would do such a monstrosity seemed so unbelievable, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. There had been various...enigmas in Kiri's tale. Enigmas that made no sense until the truth came out.

He was killing them, he was killing them all. All for something only he believed had to be done. Make a better world? How is killing his siblings going to make a better world. The Grail is tainted. Even if he acted as the filter, he was going to bring forth the Devil himself into this world and would probably doom it. A better world he said, what kind of brother kills his own blood for a better world?

A monster.

"Hello, anyone there?" a female voice called out form the temple. Monks looked over at the entrance and stared. Keiko turned to the direction and stared herself.

Luvia-kaasan...and Matsu-kaasan. Why were they here? She saw the priests heading for them and knew that this was not good. With a wave of her arm, the priests all stiffened and turned away. All of them headed for their dorms where the promptly fell asleep. Luvia looked on impressed while Matsu was busy fiddling with a device. She looked upon it and was surprised. It was an MBIpad Dragoon. Those weren't supposed to come out for decades. How the hell did she get a hold of that?

"My, you are efficient," Luvia commented. "Are you the one known as Caster?"

"I am, how do you know that?" She asked confused.

"My contact, Rider told us." Luvia said plainly.

Keiko could feel a rage build within her. Her brother was using her, and there was no way for her to break free of his manipulations

"I see, Rider sent you. Please, follow me. While I have made this place my territory, it would be best if we can allow these men to go about their lives." She motioned for them to follow her to a shed. As she opened the door, the space inside swirled to reveal a much much much larger space holding hundreds of racks of weapons ranging from pistols to rifles to rocket launchers to artillery. In side, Bazett was busy looking iver the stock impressed at what she saw.

"This is my workshop. Here we can talk in peace without anyone interrupting us." She entered the shack and indicated them to follow her.

There was much that they needed to discuss.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Rin was worried. Sakura hadn't come to school. It was obvious that her sister was a Master, why else had the Matous taken her in. But, she wasn't here. Did something happen to her? Or had Shinji been extra rough with her? D*mn Shinji, why hadn't she dealt with him yeas ago? Even more suspicious, Shinji hadn't come to school either. Something was very wrong in this War. She casually asked Mitsuzuri Ayako if she had seen Sakura, only to find out that Sakura hadn't been at school or at clubs and Shinji hadn't shown up either. So, that meant that Shinji and Sakura hadn't been seen since before the skyscraper was destroyed. Over two days of being unaccounted for.

Not good. Rin knew that if someone was taken, the trail was considered cold after a few days without hints. Because she hadn't checked on her sister, she could have been missing for over forty eight hours. Worse still, there was no way for her to check out the Matou manor.

"Is it possible that she is only staying home because of the recent attack?" Berserker asked.

"I-I don't know," Rin acknowledged. "She always came to school no matter how dangerous it was."  
>"Even during the 4th grail war?"Berserker prompted.<p>

"Well...no she didn't come to school then, but I'm sure she's the Matou's Master now." Rin protested.

"So...you're saying it would be logical for her to willingly go out in a warzone when she is one of the main targets because she likes to have a good attendance. Not buying it Rin. Not only are the Matou's famous for their ability to bind Servants to the point where talentless fools could be Masters, but your own logic is flawed. Besides, I saw the Matou boy holding a book that radiated power the like of command seals." Berserker lied. He knew Shinji had the seals, but could not actually confirm it.

Rin looked at Berseker and nodded. She was worried. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed.

"Wait, how do you know about the Matous?" Rin asked suspiciously. That name was only a few generations old.

"Long story, might tell you about it some time." Berserker said with amusement. "Ah, and don't use a command seal on me. I have my reasons."

Rin clenched her fist at that.

"Ah, calm down Master, all Magus have their secrets. Let me keep mine for the moment." Berserker said.

"You? Magus?" Rin said irritated.

"Kind of. Dad was the Magus." Berserker told her. "First generation Magus mind you, but a Magus none the less."

Rin sighed, as a fellow magus, she could not force him to tell her secrets like that. It was an inviolable rule of Magi unless decreed by the Tower. Something was was rarely done unless there was reason to suspect forbidden magic was involved.

_'Berseker, what secrets are you keeping from me?'_ Rin thought

The war was getting worse by the day. First murders, then Shirou was attacked, then Herakles, now a skyscraper. What was next?

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu felt a small shiver crawl up his spine. It felt like someone was trying to challenge him. Too bad, he was on vacation. Rest now, blow things up later.

In the mean time, he was enjoying the view of the aquarium. Like Kaa-san he always found it beautiful. To see so many fish surround him was breathtaking. So peaceful, now if only the scratching in the background stopped he could truly enjoy it.

'Now then, after a bit, how about those batting cages. It'll be fun to smash some balls.' Kiri thought with amusement as he watched a small school of colorful fish swim by him. He didn't see the small red dot on his back appear...

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_I am the bone of my sword._

Shirou and Archer continued their spar. Or to put it more accurately, Archer was beating the tar out of him. He had informed Fuji-nee that he wouldn't be able to come to school today and thus gave him the whole day to practice. Fuji-nee was upset that Shirou was skipping, but agreed to let him once she saw how stubborn he was. Thus he had the whole day to train himself. Train as in get hit a billion times so that his body could become used to combat.

_Steel is my Body and Fire is my blood._

The term holding back didn't seem to occur to Archer. In fact, unless he was mistaken, she was speeding up with every strike. Every time he blocked one blow, a second blow got through and hit him painfully. It was a good thing that they were using wooden swords or he would have been killed. Still, she was almost brutal in her attacks. But then, she had to be to teach him as fast as possible. He had to admit, the training was working. Where before he could do nothing to stop her attacks, he could now block about half of them.

_I have created over a thousand blades_

Chiyo was amazed at his skill. He was now able to keep up with D rank attacks. How? How was he getting so much better so quickly. She was sure that he wasn't dreaming of her yet. He would have demanded to know what he had seen the moment the dreams began. How could he not? He would be seeing his older self surrounded by dozens of women and children. No, something else was interfering, something else was causing the resonance.

_Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain._

Again and again she struck at him breaking his blades forcing him to trace new ones as fast as he could to block her next blow. Only about one in two strikes actually hit him at the moment. Still, considering the speed she was putting on him, he was doing remarkable for a human. Especially a human that was just beginning to understand what it meant to fight. As she fought him, she noticed he was falling more and more into the same reckless sword style he had possessed in life. It was crude, unpolished, and vulnerable, but the telltale poses were there. He just needed to refine them and react better. Once he did that, he could probably face an opponent many times faster and stronger than him.

_Withstood pain to create many weapons_

Back and forth in the dojo they exchanged their attacks. Swords shattered and new ones were replaced as quickly as possible to block incoming blows. Chiyo was impressed how well Shirou was holding up after hearing all about Heaven's Feel and the truth of the Grail war. To him, all he saw were greedy families willing to sacrifice countless lives for their own personal goals. The Einzberns desired the revival of the Third True Magic, the Makiri now known as Matous desired immortality, and the Tohsakas wished to enter the Root. Well...that and impress the Kaleidoscope. Selfish and foolish the lot of them.

_Waiting for one's arrival, I have no regrets_

To Shirou, all he wanted to do was protect the innocents of this war. He felt that he had to save them, that he had the duty to save the innocent. Chiyo couldn't help but smile at him for that. He was distorted, he was corrupted by an ideal that was never really his. Yet, that ideal, it was beautiful one. One that she believed in wholeheartedly even though she knew what lay in store for anyone who devoted their lives to the ideal. But, if he was not alone, if he was not able to go on one man crusades, then there was hope. She knew what Haru was trying to do, how he whispered to Rin hints and clues forcing Rin to consider what she truly felt for Shirou. On one hand, Chiyo was glad that Tou-san would end up with at least one of the Kaa-sans and with a little luck would eventually find the Seikirei. But, on the other, Chiyo was upset that none of the Servant-kaasans and probably no other magus mothers would come into his life. Well...Luvia was probably a good bet, but what about the others?

_This is the only path._

So many of her siblings lost for all time. So many of her beloved family were doomed to never exist in this world, but what could she do? There was no way for her to bring forth Saber, Rider, or Caster. The positions were already locked in place, and if the trend of Servants continued, it was a guarantee that the missing positions were filled by her siblings. Caster could be filled by a lot of the family. Ulf, Reiko, Keiko, Shinta, Souhiro, Jun, Aoshi, Sakuya, the Edelfelt twins, and Ivone were good contenders though the children of the Seikirei might qualify for their natural abilities. Lancer, and she was sure that Cu Cuchulain was a fake since it didn't leave a scar on his chest, could easily be filled by Ivone, but Kiritsugu was known as the spearhead of the Clan, so he might have qualified just by that title. Rider, well honestly she had expected Riko to fill that slot, but that was now left to an unknown. Unless some twisted force of the Root summoned an Alternate Riko.

"My Whole Life was Unlimited Blade Works." Shirou muttered. He felt a new headache spike as he said those words. Shirou dropped his sword and held his head.

"Emiya-san, it would be best if you stopped muttering that poem." Chiyo tried. It must have been the eighth time he did it. Not only was it not going to work since he lacked sufficient Prana levels, but it was going to corrupt his mind. There was a reason that Reality Marbles were forbidden magic. Not so much because they were dangerous as they were almost guaranteed to drive any magus insane in the attempt to create one. Tou-san was able to survive and create one because he was already broken from the last Grail War.

"Sorry," Shirou apologized. "But, it just felt right."

'_That's because it is right, just not right now_.' She sighed, "Well, we might as well have a break and eat lunch." She suddenly saw a small smirk on her father's face and knew he was about to do something he thought was amusing. '_Don't tell me he's..._'

"Nani? Tired Archer. Why don't we just keep going?" He said.

'_Yeah, he did it._' She turned and smiled at him. Shirou's entire body shivered feeling like death itself was looking at him. "Emiya-san, it is the height of foolishness to disregard meals and attempt poor humor mocking a lady's appetite. Now, how about you bring me those lunches you've stashed before I have to stop holding back." Shirou found himself nodding and all but running to bring out the lunch boxes. '_Just be glad you didn't do that to Saber-kaasan this time around Tou-san._'

The two of them sat down and ate a pleasant lunch before going back and training.

Which, again, meant Shirou was getting the snot beat out of him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Keiko held up a hand while the other one rubbed her temple. "So, you were hired as a bodyguard, and possible magical support." She said pointing to Luvia, "And you were basically hired to provide Intelligence, counter Intelligence, and any tactical and logistical support." she said pointing to Matsu. "I have only one thing to say, why me?" Keiko then covered her face with both hands.

"It's what I was hired to do, for a very nice compensation." Luvia responded. '_Very nice compensation_.'

Luvia wasn't that surprising to Keiko. The Edelfelts were known as the Hyenas of the Magi community. For a price they would do just about anything. It's what made them so fabulously rich, and despised. If Luvia-kaasan had been hired, then she would fulfill her contract regardless of what her brother had done. Still, it irritated her. Matsu on the other hand was a complete surprise. She barely looked up from her MBIpad completely fascinated by what she was working with.

"He knew too much about Sekirei to be anything but an insider. Yet, he doesn't even show up on any databases." Matsu muttered, "Only two conclusions. Either he was there from the start and was keeping his identity secret since long before or he is a time traveler. Add in this highly advanced technology, and one is forced to admit that he is a time traveler. There is too much human ingenuity in to to mistake it for an alien tech."

"Matsu, focus." Keiko sighed. "Is what I said correct?"  
>"To a point." Matsu agreed.<p>

"A point?"

"There are...somethings I was asked to do at a late date. Nothing you need to worry about as apparently you don't have long to live." Matsu said sounding like she felt sorry for Keiko.

"Wait, what?" Keiko asked.

Luvia nodded, "Truly, it is sad that you can only remain for a week or two. That you hold yourself together so well is impressive. But then, you can't really die to begin with."

"Lets go back to the whole not having long to live part." Keiko asked feeling dread within her.

"Well, according to the files," Matsu said seeing that Keiko was confused. "You can only be supported for the maximum of a few weeks before you pass away. Something about a Grail becoming unstable."

"Un...stable..."Keiko said. Her eyes then widened, "Oh God, he really is going to bring Angra Mainyu here." Luvia's eyes widened at the mention of that old legend while Matsu looked confused.

"He's going to what?" Luvia asked.

"Long story." Keiko said. "I need to contact Bazett, she was supposed to bring Illya here already."

"That's because I got held up." Bazett said as she entered the bounded field. Behind her Illya skipped in and the two Homunculus followed carrying several suitcases. "Don't ever let her talk." Bazett warned, "She could wheedle the moon down so she could take a chunk out if she wanted."

"A lady needs her things." Illya protested cutely. "Besides, it's not like I needed to go with you. I have nothing anyone would want now. Well.." She felt the gold and blue pendant in her hand, "Almost nothing anyone would want."

She clutched the pendant even tighter. Even now, she could feel it working on her as the Knight who stole her heart, literally, and gave her his own was sending what strength he had to keep her safe while her body adapted to the foreign heart.

It would sound so romantic were it not **absolutely disgusting**. How dare he take what was hers. The Grail was hers, and he took it claiming that he was saving her. A heart? He gave her a heart for the Grail?

**How Dare He**...

When she got her hands on him, she would kill him. The Grail was hers, and her Servant had died because of another not fighting fair. Had she lost fairly, Illya would have accepted her defeat, but cheaters, oh she hated cheaters. Not even her father could get away with cheating when he played with her.

For a moment, her eyes glowed red. Yet, none noticed as Bazett was brought up to date with Caster over the two new arrivals and how they were going to deal with them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dinner at the Emiya residence was standard as usual. Taiga was the life of the party telling stories, embarrassing Shirou in front of Rin. Laughing, bringing up various escapades her students had gotten into. All in all it was fairly lively...until it was time for Taiga to go.

"Shirou," Rin said seriously as the woman left, "We need a new plan."

"Ah, yeah." Shirou agreed.

Archer appeared beside her Master, "We have been reacting for too long. At this point, the enemy has already achieved whatever objective he had. Now, we need to go on the offensive."

"Maybe little sister, but how?" Haru asked appearing next to her.

"Though I hate to think I am following the whims of another, I do agree we need to look for more allies." Archer told him. "If Saber and Assassin are out, then we must look for others. Caster and Rider are good ones to check out, and...possibly Lancer."

"Agreed," Rin said, "Caster would be preferable as the class is known for having the ability to see long range, but Rider can cover distance like no other Servant. If Rider joined us, we could have you Archer get on a mount of his, whatever it is, and have you use your class ability in tandem."

"Very well, but do we have any clues on who either of those Servants are?" Archer asked.

The others looked black, but then haru suddenly exclaimed, "Ah, I can't believe I forgot. The sniper." The others looked at him like he was crazy. "You remember Rin, the Servant I thought was Archer before Archer was summoned."

Rin thought back, then nodded, "Ah, yes I remember. Atop the skyscraper...the one that blew up."

Haru nodded, then winced, "Well, I think I know who it is, and it would make more sense for her strange behavior when we saw her."

"Another one of your siblings?" Shirou asked.

"Yeeeeaaaah, Keiko." Haru said being careful not to look at Rin

"Aaaah, yes that would make sense if you saw strange behavior." Chiyo said nodding in understanding. "Big gun of some sort?"

"BFG, sniper class from the look of it." Haru agreed. Both Servants nodded, "Yeah, that's Keiko."

"Ummm, what was she like?" Shirou asked.

"Gun nut." They both said in tandem.

"Like biggest gun fanatic you ever saw." Haru added.

"She had more breakthroughs involving firearms and long range mystic codes than she did her own branch of magic." Chiyo continued

"Imagine a person who spent half of her time working on guns, thinking about guns, modifying guns, breaking down and reassembling guns, and gazing at gun magazines and you're on the right track." Haru supplemented.

"Sounds... sounds dangerous." Shirou said shakily.

"Not really," Haru dimissed interrupting Chiyo who was going to agree. "Karin always brought her back to earth."  
>"Wait, Karin? What does karin have to do with anything?" Chiyo asked suspiciously. This was news to her.<p>

"Ah, Keiko winged Karin. Well...more like Karin forced Keiko to wing her." Haru explained.

"So, Keiko became her-" Chiyo started.

"Yes," Haru answered.

"Even though they are-?" Chiyo asked.

"Yes," Haru said.

Chiyo thought about it for a moment, then grimaced, "So, did they ever-?"

"Oh god yes, when they got older, we all had to wear earmuffs." Haru answered shuddering.

"That, that's just not right." Chiyo said shuddering as well.

"Tohsaka," Shirou whispered, "Any clue what they are talking about?"

"No, and I don't want to." Rin answered. After a few awkward moments of silence, Rin stood up and said, "Right lets go look for Caster."

"Might as well try the temple." Berserker said standing.

"It's a forlorn hope, but we might as well try." Chiyo agreed.

"Why the temple?" Shirou asked.

"It's a natural fortress and a its atop a dormant Ley Line." Archer told her. "Unless a spiritual being comes up the stairs, they will be repulsed by the magic there and lose a great deal of their strength and ability."

"It really is a natural fortress." Rin commented.

"Which is perfect for a person of Keiko's caliber." Haru said, "But, the odds of her gettign into a fight are...nil."

"What makes you so sure?" Rin asked. Berseker looked right at her and said with a glint in his eyes, "I have my ways."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu sighed in content as the credits to the movie ended. This had been one of his favorites as a boy. To see it in theaters was a treat. Though, he was sure that the staff were a bit confused why an older looking man with his features wanted to see such a lighthearted film, he could not care less. It was a classic dang it. Or it would be by time he would have been alive. Still, the day was getting on. He laughed, had fun, and enjoyed life. Now, however, it was time for business. His next contact was, according to her last call unable to be here until tomorrow. Of course, considering her job that was not surprising. Still, since he had nothing to do, but he was itching to move along, he opted to begin a secondary plan. Nothing serious, just something that could be picked up and dropped on a whim.

Maybe have a little fun in the process.

He turned and headed for the Einzbern forest. Time to do some housework. He came to the entrance and the forest, but found no bounded field around it. Therefore, Illya might have dispelled either from inability to perform magic when she was missing the Grail or because she was not returning. That, or Illya had hidden the barrier really well.

Ah well, nothing ventured nothing gained. He jumped into the forest expecting to feel a tingling of magic, but nothing happened. Again, no way to tell for sure if Illya had turned it off, it had dispelled, or it was well hidden. Still, Kiritsugu pressed on faster and faster until he was at the Einzbern castle. He saw that the doors were closed instead of open, but that meant little when the maids had been around. Speaking of which, he did not feel the presence of anyone in the castle. Good.

He entered the front door and looked around. Six sets, six sets of armor remained. Good, very good.

He went to each set of armor and took off their helmets. Placing the helms in a pile, he flipped them over and reached within his armory within his plane. In a moment, he held three emeralds and an instruction manual. Following the instructions, he began scratching runes on the inside of the helmets. He then cut his finger with an Azoth dagger and placed one drop of blood on each emerald before placing them in the helmets. As the emerald touched the metal, there was a faint, but foul smell as the metal welded itself to the emerald. He then took each helmet and placed them back on the armor sets. Within a moment, the armors all moved. They stepped off of their podiums and moved to stand by the doorway.

Honestly, as golems go, they were crude compared to the twin golems that Tou-san had finally been able to create near the end of his life. They, with their complex runes were glorious to gaze upon. These crude things were barely worth mentioning, but they would be able to do the task set for them. Until then, they would wait in vigil. He then looked around the house until he found a nice large chair. He placed it atop of the staircase and ripped off a purple curtain and covered the chair. A bit of field sewing and it looked decent. He then found a fur rug and draped it over the back making it look sort of regal.

Kiritsugu studied the false throne and considered what he needed. Ah, of course. How could he forget? He looked at the rubble that was the upper part of the entrance and saw a speck of what he needed. He went down to the rubble and pushed the rocks aside. The chandelier, ruined, shattered, but useable in a way. He then took the crystal shards and jammed the longest pieces around the top edge of the back of the seat making it sparkle. The then took the rest of the shards and tossed them on the stair till it looked like a perversely like a trail of multicolored rose petals.

Kiritsugu then sat upon the throne he had forged and gazed at what he had made. A broken and beaten throne room. Crude and ugly in every way. Perfect.

He sat there on the throne and waited for the sun to set and eventually rise again. He did not see that the red dot had grown to an ancient word of hate, but he did hear the crack as he sat. Upon the back of his armor, a crack appeared, no more than four inches long. Yet, this crack was not like any the armor had ever endured before. It glowed red, a hateful malevolent red as if the armor was barely holding back something horrible within.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	32. clan Wars 15

_There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. -Buddha_

_Active Evil is better than Passive Good. - William Blake_

_No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness. -Aristotle_

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"I know you're there Riko, don't think I don't know it." Kiritsugu said aloud as he sat upon the throne. "Hell, I've known for a long time now and suspected the rest of the time." Only silence answered his words. "Well, when you're ready to negotiate, let me know. Until then, just keep silent. The others may be here soon and I need to give them the proper welcome." Kiritsugu looked over at his crude, weak golems. "After all, I am now the eldest of the siblings. It is right to give him a proper greeting." He looked up at the dark sky before him. "Of course, he is probably about to learn the true horror of this war, of any war. Brother fighting brother, sister killing sister, father doomed to slay his son. The same old story over and over again."

Kiritsugu sighed, "They called me the Prince of War for my victories over impossible odds. Yet, not even I can see a way out of this. So, any suggestions little sister?"

Silence answered him.

"Of course, still hoping I haven't realized that you are there. Well, good luck with that." Kiritsugu cheered on. "As an Assassin, you suck. The Real Assassin would have fled the moment I spoke up to come back later. But nooooo, you insist on attempting to make me look mad. Well, I'm not mad yet. NOT YET." Only silence answered him. He heard another crack, but dismissed it as either Riko moving clumsily or another portion of the building was caving in from the damage. He couldn't see the crack was getting larger and new ones had sprouted and new words of hate appeared on his back.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Shirou and Rin looked over at their two Servants as they stood at the foot of the steps. "Ready?" Chiyo asked.

"Yes," Rin and Shirou agreed.

"Still don't know why you're worried. It's Keiko, she'd rather commit seppuku than fight us." Haru asked.

"Just because we have a trump card does not mean she won't attack." Chiyo admonished, yet even she sounded skeptical about it.

"What trump card?" Rin asked suspicious. Why were the two of them being so secret? The two Servants looked at her for a moment then looked back at each other and nodded. Yeah, Keiko would take one look and back down. Rin was reaching critical level with her temper. The signs were all there. Keiko would take one look at her mother about ready to explode and would stop, maybe even surrender outright.

The four of them carefully ascended the steps watching for traps. About of the third of the way there, they found a subtle bounded field that was used only for detection. Nothing to do but go past it and send the warning to her up top. They continued their ascent, but it felt like someone was watching them now. Rather creepy actually. As they neared the arch that marked the temple proper, Haru and Chiyo flinched for but a moment expecting some sort of Servant, probably Rider waiting for them.

Nothing

"Master, please stand by my side." Berserker motioned while Chiyo did the same. Side by Side the four of them crossed the barrier...and blinked.

Artillery, drones, machine guns, rifles and pistols. All of that was aimed at them on the other side. Rin and Shirou inhaled at the sheer firepower aimed at them. This was enough to arm a thousand men, yet it all seemed to be remotely activated.

"You know, if it were not for her, I might have shot you all the instant I saw you." A female voice called out.

"That's why we brought out trump card." Haru said cheerfully. "You wouldn't dare the backlash."

Haru expected his sister to come out with a major grin not a grim face that seemed to trust no one.

"I don't know brother. After finding out the most honorable member of our family can fall...I don't trust anyone anymore. But then, that's probably in his plans as well." Keiko said motioning to the weapons. Each gun continued to trace the party.

"Keiko?" Chiyo asked.

"Nice to see you onee-san, but I don't trust you any further than I can shoot you." Keiko told her bluntly causing her sister to flinch.

"Why?" Haru asked carefully eying the rocket launcher.

"Kiritsugu." Keiko said with more venom than a bag of serpents.

"Kiritsugu?" Shirou asked astonished that his father's name showed up. Well, it was probably a coincidence, but still...

"Kiri?" Chiyo asked.

"Nii-san? How? Why? What?" Haru blurted out.

"**Kinslayer**, **murderer**, **liar, Terrorist**." Keiko spat out in rage. "He's been manipulating the war from the beginning. He **ate** Ivone and Takeshi. He **killed** Tou-san. He is the one that **murdered** those people and **blew** **up** the skyscraper. Everything is **his** fault."

"Um...I doubt that." Haru said trying to picture Kiritsugu ever having the ability to harm the family. Heck, one of the two he met gave his life for his daughter and the other spent a lifetime trying to be as good if not better than his alternate self.

"I-I don't," Chiyo said quietly remembering what he had to do for the clan and his eventual abandoning of the clan. A few had tried to drag him back, but he dealt with them harshly. Each of the clan had come home missing a limb and a warning if they ever tried it again. If it was the Kiri she knew, he would do it.

Haru stared at her like she had blasphemed while Kieko looked vindicated in her paranoia. Yet, before any of the Servants could continue, a voice began chuckling.

"Fufufu, a soap opera, he was right it is just like a soap opera." a disturbingly amused voice crooned.

Haru and Chiyo slowly turned and began feeling beads of sweat come down their necks at the sound of one of the most perverted mothers in the clan. "M-matsu?" They both stammered.

There she was in a black biker jumpsuit with her signature glasses and braids giggling like an old man at something she found funny.

"And how?" Keiko asked, "Is this like a soap opera?"

"Tension, drama, death threats, and two people who have no idea what's going on. Fufufu, this is like the best soaps." Matsu chuckled. She suddenly seized up and her face became really red. "Ah, hah. So this is what he feels like." She said breathing quickly, "No wonder he said he wasn't mine." She looked at Shirou with a feral hunger in her eyes. "Fufufu. Experiment, experiment." She started stalking towards Shirou like a panther when Keiko held her back.

"We can deal with that later Matsu-san." Keiko insisted.

Matsu's eyes suddenly refocused, then she coughed, "Yes, yes. He did warn me that this would happen, but still..." She looked at Shirou again and blushed deeply. "To think he is my Ashikabi. Fufufu."

"Ashi-what?" Shirou asked a bit unnerved.

"Um, Keiko, why is she here?" Haru asked feeling a cold chill crawl up his spine.

"Who else?" Keiko said with venom.

"Ah," was Haru's only reply. Keiko glared at the two of them for a minute, but then sighed in defeat. "All right, I guess I have to play along." She said holding a hand over her face. "All right you two come on out."

From the shadows came two more figures that immediately caused the two Servant's mouths to drop.

"N-no way." Haru stuttered while Chiyo looked at Keiko for confirmation.

"Yes, you can thank or 'dear' brother for this as well. Bazett is here because Kiritsugu was her Servant originally and Luvia was also hired by him." Keiko confirmed.

"um, you know them?" Shirou asked looking the two others over who were gazing at him intently.

"Long story, might ell you about it someday." Haru waved off.

"I'm sorry Shirou-san," Chiyo apologized, "But there are important reasons why we are keeping a secret."

Rin's eyes narrowed dangerously as she unrolled her left sleeve. Only to stop as several guns suddenly trained on her. The sight of so many targeting lasers on her made her break out into a sweat.

"Save your command seals." Keiko commented. "Too much knowledge is a dangerous thing. There is safety in ignorance."

Haru slapped his face, "Warhammer? Seriously? Kiri really did a number on you for you to start quoting that." Keiko's eyes narrowed, but she motioned for them to follow. Weaving past the various weapons, they came to the shack that opened to reveal the largest armory of weapons Shirou had ever seen.

"What he did was lie to us all, manipulate us, break every oath, every taboo, every thing we hold dear. We are family, and he is killing us." Keiko said as she moved towards a small clearing with chairs and couches as well as some tables with dismantled guns. "Everything you've wondered about thewar comes down to him...probably. Still not sure how we came here, but if I looked deep enough, I could probably find his influence in that as well."  
>"Now you're just being paranoid." Haru admonished.<p>

"Of course I am," Keiko snapped, "It's what he wants, what he planned on. I can't trust my own shadow even in my own workshop. I trusted him, like Ivone trusted him, and it's probably only because of luck or some obscure part of his plan that I am alive to warn you of the true horror that awaits us all."

"What do you mean?" Chiyo asked. For an answer, she pointed to the three figures sitting on a couch. All four of the new arrivals gazed on then opened their mouths and spoke in tandem, "Illya?"

"Good evening Rin, Onii-chan." Illya said sweetly standing up to curtsy while her two maids got up and bowed. "Good evening." they said together.

"Ah, how?" Haru asked. "More importantly is what he did to her." Keiko corrected. "As for that, do you wish to inform them Illya?"

"He took the grail from me." Illya said with venom. "He took it right out of me and replaced it with his heart. And all I got from it was this pendant." Illya held it up. Chiyo and Haru stared at the Avalon pendant and processed what that meant. "Wait," Haru said holding up his hand, "Let me sit down, this is too much."

"Of course," Keiko said indicating the couches and chairs while she took one of the chairs, flipped it around so that she sat with her arms and head resting on the backrest. "You realize where the Grail was stored right?"

"Yes," Chiyo said silently as she took her seat. "But why? Angra Mainyu is still corrupting the Grail. If he did that..."

"The devil would be reborn in him." Haru finished shuddering. "Why?"

"The last person to join us can answer that better." Keiko said evenly as she turned to her left and pointed. In came Sakura holding a tray of food and placed it down on the table. "Thank you Sakura. But could you tell them what my brother has done now?"

"Hai," Sakura said quietly. "He made a deal with Grandfather. It seems that he plans on purifying the Grail. He had Grandfather...treat him to remove him from the command seals of Bazett-san and transferred them to nii-san. The...treatment will allow him to remove the influence from the Grail and transfer it to his body."

"When you say treatment..." Haru said afraid to ask what the old vampire had done. "She means he dived into a pit of insects for them to leave the Matou's signature ability within him." Keiko said bluntly causing both Chiyo and Haru to shudder at the thought of the worms crawling in his body.

"I don't understand him." Bazett broke in. "He first willingly works for Kirei but sneaks me out to heal me. Gets my arm back and breaks his contract with Kirei, has me meet my daughter, then kills her the same day. After that, he goes after Illya, kills and eats his brother. Brings her back to me, rips her heart out and trades it for his own. Then vanishes to make an alliance with Caster and sends her to me while he goes off to the Matous." The others all stared as they processed the information and Bazett continued. "One minute he's a hero, the next he's a traitor. He goes back and forth like a pendulum on his decisions."

As the others thought about it, Haru spoke up, "I remember seeing a Kiritsugu do this. One time, he went and made an enemy out of an organization of monsters and the church at the same time. They focused on him while he lead them into a trap so he could save his daughter."

"I have seen this many times myself." Chiyo added. "Kiritsugu of my time has sent countless enemies against each other or banded together to face him only for that to lead to their downfall. Do not underestimate him."

"Um," Sakura spoke up, "Why do you speak like you know several Kiritsugus?"

"Because we do, alternate timelines and all that." Haru answered. "Our family was...strange to say the least. Time paradoxes, eldritch horrors, explosions, death threats, all of that equated to a slow Tuesday for us."

The various Masters minus Bazett looked on at the Servatns like they had grown extra heads. Luvia and Matsu added that to everything they had been told already and wondered if they really wanted to get involved in all that. Well.. Luvia, did, Matsu looked forward to the **Greatest Show on Earth** aka **The Emiya Clan**, and she was going to be one of the stars. Fufufu

"So then..." Rin said analyzing what she knew. Her mind was working overtime getting everything together, but she was called a genius for a reason. "It's possible that this is a Kiri you know, or it might be one you've never met."

"Oh, I know him." Keiko said with venom. "The Martyr, gave his life for his daughter Aurora. Oh, I knew him fairly well." Haru suddenly stood up, "Wait, Kiri-jiji? The one from the Alternate time holding all those treasures? The one who gladly died for our Niece?"

"Yes," Keiko hissed. "That one."

"Who's Aurora?" Keiko asked.

"The spawn of a demon and a b*tch." Keiko snapped.

"Keiko, control yourself." Haru roared at his little sister. "No matter what Kiritsugu has done, we will not judge his daughter so." Keiko flinched from Haru's voice. For that one moment, there had been a palpable aura of power coming from Berserker. Haru looked over at Chiyo and said, "I'll tell you about it later."

"He's at my home if you're wondering." Illya commented nonchalantly, "Two Servants have entered my Forest and have not left yet."

The others all looked at her in wonder. "Why?" Rin asked, "Did you not mention it earlier?" Illya just smiled at rin then got up and plopped herself on Shirou's lap. "Ne, want to become mine Onii-chan?"

"Huh?" Shirou asked. This, this place was way too weird for him. Too much info, too much backdoor plotting and secret meanings for him. Now Illya wanted him for something.

"No," The three Servants said coolly at the same time.

"You have lost Illya, leave it be." Chiyo said looking at the true daughter of Emiya Kiritsugu the first. "At this point it is the role of the loser to accept the judgment of the winner."

"Winner?" Illya said before she began laughing, "You actually think you're winning?" Even more laughter erupted from her. "Please. He has you dancing to his tune. Two dead and consumed and a third will soon join him." She looked over at Berserker. "Not even you can beat him head on."

"We'll see." Haru muttered While Illya continued to mock him. "Saber was stronger than him and it didn't matter. He ripped through Saber's demons and avoided his greatest Noble Phantasm with ease. Winner? He's almost won." She then looked up at Shirou, "Don't worry, I'll just take you when your Servant dies."

Something about that made Shirou shiver. There was much malice in it, yet whimsical at the same time."

Rin stood up, "Mou, there's no point in waiting if he's getting stronger. We need to go there now and deal with him quickly."

"Agreed.' Chiyo commented, "But without a plan, we are walking into a trap."

"Do what you will," Keiko dismissed, "I'm tired of dancing to his strings. I'm staying here."

"Ara," Luvia broke in, "Is the mighty Servant afraid to die?"

"I am afraid that none of us will be here when the devil is born. I shall stay here and prepare. Go if you want, I'll continue to fortify this place." Keiko waved off her mother's eternal rival.

"Your mother would be disappointed in you.' Matsu muttered as she stood up, "Shirou-tama, please allow me to join you. I have some questions for him that he failed to answer."

"Indeed," Luvia spoke up. Bazett stood and said, "I'm coming. He is...my responsibility for being in this world." Sakura surprisingly stood up as well, "I-I want to as well. I have a question to ask him."

Shirou sighed, "It's dangerous." Matsu suddenly stood in front of him and held out a finger, "That's no good Shirou-tama. Women are stronger than you think, we don't need to be protected."

"But," Shirou started to say when Matsu sliced her hand in front of him in a cutting gesture stopping him from speaking. "No, saying you have to protect us says to us that you don't trust us to be able to protect ourselves. Trust us, we are stronger than you think."

"Amen," Haru said remembering a speech much like this one from his girls. "Trust me, there are fewer ways that offend women more than claim that they are weak and helpless, even in unintentional ways. Just let them go Shirou-san. You can't win either way, might as well give them want they want so you can use it to negotiate later."

"hmm, seems like you understand ladies." Illay said looking over at Haru. "Well, I'll go to. He has what's mine." She declared.

Caster looked around and saw that she was outnumbered. "Fine, go but I have a duty to say here and guard this world from the darkness when you die. Puppets, you're all puppets. Just wait, He'll be waiting for you in a boss room or something."

The others stood up to leave, but Shiyo lingered for one moment, "Are you sure he doesn't want you isolated?"

"Of course he does, but he told me that he was to be the filter while I was to rip out his heart." Keiko confessed. "I know my part in the plan, yet I cannot help but stand aside. If this truly is my job, I have to do it. And if he lied...well, Eiko called you the Golden Seal for a reason."

Chiyo nodded and excused herself. Keiko looked at her workshop and sighed. So much to do, so much to assemble. Too little time.

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Shirou walked with unease as they entered the forest with Illya leading the way escorted by her two maid. Something was very wrong with the Servant interactions. It was like they recognized all these women. But how? Shirou wasn't the sharpest person when it came to conspiracies. In the core of his self, he was just a simple man with an ideal that he doggedly pursued. Yet, even he could tell that something was wrong. Rin was clearly looking at her Servant suspiciously, but the man refused to talk. Even Archer had asked him not to dig too deeply saying that somethings should never be unlocked.

Suspicious, but then...Archer had been truthful about the truth of Heaven's Feel, so if she said something was best not learned, he would trust her decision.

She must have a good reason not to tell him what was going on, right?

The other thing that was making him was uneasy was the way that Luvia, Matsu, and Bazett all seemed to be staring at him, evaluating him on something. Matsu seemed to approve, Luvia, looked speculative, but Bazett looked...depressed? Like she was expecting him to be more.

"Um, is there something wrong Bazett-san?" He asked. Bazett looked surprised at being called out and quickly shook her head, "No, nonono, nothing at all." Shirou thought there had to be something more, but he would not press her further, it was then he noticed. Sakura had suddenly grabbed his arm and held it close. Really close, like his arm was between her breasts.

"Um Sakura-san" Shirou asked, "What's up?" Nothing at all Sempai," Sakura said her head was turned so that she was looking at the girls. Whatever Sakura's face was doing, it was making Matsu chuckle and mutter "Soap opera, soap opera. And no Miya-san to get in my way..." Was it just him, or did the light reflect off her glasses in an eerie way.

"Say Illya, how deep is this forest?" Rin asked curious.

"Hmm, don't know. But, I do know it takes an hour to go straight from my home to the edge of the forest." Illya responded.

An hour, they had been walking for only about ten minutes in this forest. It seemed like it would take a while for them to get through.

"Ara, is the Tohsaka heir tired?" Luvia mocked. "No, no." Rin said smiling, "I just don't want to scruff up your delightful dress. Tell me, were you planning on dancing with this Rider once we got there?" Haru and Chiyo shared a glance with each other. As expected, no matter what time-line they were in Rin and Luvia were too similar to get along. Like magnets of the same polarity, they try to reject each other at every turn. The two first began to talk, then they began to bicker, then they began to fight. It was Bazett who stepped in and admonished them. "Sure, lets just give him a half an hour to get ready." She then picked up the pace muttering about fools and their pride.

Privately, Chiyo was glad that Bazett-kaasan was here. Perhaps, perhaps she could appeal to Kiritsugu as his proper Master to stop this madness, but she wasn't holding much hope. If he deemed it to be necessary, he would do it no matter the cost. He had learned from Saber-kaasan too well. She had no doubt that if a city had to be destroyed for the good of the world, he would do it. He had done it once under the orders of the clan. That had been one of the last nails in the coffin for his trust in the family.

They continued to trudge on towards the Einzbern castle with little to no noise, always scanning the trees. Well, most of them. Sakura was still focused on holding Shirou while Matsu kept chuckling quietly seeing the best entertainment in a long time. She wasn't sure if she would ever bother to watch a soap opera again once she was winged. He was just too interesting to pass up. Now she was really glad Rider, or Kiritsugu as his name really was did not allow her to be winged by him. Kiritsugu seemed like a decent man, a decent man forced to do something he hated, but he was no comparison to Shirou. Just thinking about him made her blush as she gazed at him and chuckled. Oh the fun things she would do with him. Fufufu

Finally, after some time, they spotted the Einzbern castle, or what remained of it. Though the lower levels looked...relatively undamaged, the top middle part of it was gone. Like something had ripped it out.

"Welcome." Illya said hopping in front of the group, "To the Einzbern Castle. Now, if we didn't have a rude guest, I could have welcomed you properly." Her eyes became cold as she said the last part. "So, until we deal with this pest, I will be unable to be a proper host." 

As they approached the manor they felt not only a powerful being within, but a few smaller ones by the door. "What do you want to do sister?" Haru asked, "I'd rather just go in and see if he's in."

"And the magical presences?" Chiyo asked. Haru smiled, "Nothing I can't deal with. Actually, they feel rather familiar."

Without waiting, Haru entered the Mansion from the front door and looked around. The source of the magic was the six sets of armor by the door. Yet, the magic was so small, it might as well have not done anything. "Golems, inactive golems." haru muttered as he waved his hand indicating it was fine.

"Not inactive, just waiting until the time is right." A familiar voice called out.

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Haru looked up the flight of stairs and stared at the sight he saw. All coherent thought left his mind as he tried to understand what he was seeing. The others soon arrived and did the same as him. Look at the golems, then looked up and stared.

There he was upon a throne of purple with moonlight reflecting off the top of the chair like some sort of diety watching over the Servant. He sat there with the pelt of a lion hanging over him ready to feast. Before him on the steps were more shards of crystal reflecting the light making the stairs look like it had a path of pure white light leading towards the throne. Yes, the throne looked so regal, but what sat upon the throne was not.

His black armor was cracked, glowing red in many places. His aura was one of madness and death. It seemed to stink of rotting corpses and burning field. His right eye, or where his right eye would have been had it not been clawed out so long ago, now glowed with a red crack.

"Hello Haru, Chiyo, Kaa-sans." He paused for a moment, the looked right at Shirou, "Tou-san. You're late."

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Oh, throwaawy made this wonderful picture for us all to see about the clan wars. Here are all the Servants, enjoy.

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	33. Clan wars 16

In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. - Herodontus

The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance. -Herodontus

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Kiritsugu gazed upon his family and frowned. His face, his father's face clearly showed confusion as well as Rin-kaasan. "You didn't tell him. You honestly didn't tell him. Did I not specifically say he needed to learn the truth of this war? _Hurry up and find the truth to this war before all of reality begins to unbar. Only you can choose the path ahead so be sure that you are not mislead._ I said it very specifically, what part did you not understand?" He sighed dramaticall,y "And here I was preparing to have an epic showdown of ideals like a certain counterguardian. Why? Why does life do everything it can to ruin my fun?"

"Fin? You did all this for fun?" Chiyo asked in disbelief.

"Redecorating this room? Yes. Everything else? No, there was reason in it." Kiritsugu dismissed. He inhaled a moment and looked at Shirou. "Hello Tou-san. It's good to see you again. Tell me, did the hint help? Did Unlimited Blade Works awaken?"

Shirou flinched at the name, but then realized something, "You, you were the man in blue?"

"I was. In disguise mind you, but I was the one. I am the one who ran a blade through your heart. I am the one that attacked you at your home and forced you to summon a Servant." Kiritsugu then shrugged, "Didn't expect you to summon my sister though. I had expected it to be Kaa-san. Yet...here we are."

"Brother, what are you?" Haru asked.

"I am disappointed in you brother." Kiritsugu sneered. "I was honest with Bazett. I, who wasn't even her Servant at the time told her the truth. Who we are, where we come from. I told her everything, yet you both dared not to tell your own Master's your true identity." He looked at Rin, "You are smart Rin, can you guess the truth. The truth I was honest with Luvia, Bazett, and Matsu while they lied to you."

Rin thought about it a moment, then began piecing everything together. "Everyone knows each other, come from the future, claim to have a strange family..."

"I'll save you some time." Kiritsugu cut off her train of thought. "I, and every Servant in this war are the children of Emiya Shirou here." He said pointing at Shirou. "Each of us may have different mothers, but each mother loved him and married him. Each of you found something in him so powerful, so beautiful that you could not help but love the fool." He saw Shirou's face turn pale at the news. "We, his children have, for some reason, supplemented the true Servants of this war undoing our own past. Therefore, someone must get time on track." He pointed at Chiyo and Haru, "You two were so desperate not to make any waves that you created even greater ones than I. Where is the scorn of the counter guardian that spurred him to reevaluate his ideal? Where is devotion to duty and a country that resonated with his ideal? I, I have played the role of Lancer, Berserker, and now Caster to perfection. I, at least, know what is needed in this war. I, at least, am willing to do what you are all too weak to do."

"Brother," Haru hissed.

"Do not interrupt little brother. You had your chance to explain everything, but you chose not to. It falls to me, the eldest living child of The Hero King to tell him what awaits his destiny. It falls to the one child who has the strength to do what you all are too afraid to do to inform him of his flaws."

Kiritsugu looked at his father, "Emiya Shirou. You are a distortion. A fake, a fraud, a copy. You believe in an ideal that is not your own. You who seek happiness by saving everyone you see cannot see that the one person you will never save is yourself. Continue to blindly follow the belief of the one who saved you and all you shall receive is a hill covered in swords. Your ideal believes in killing one innocent to save ten, kill a hundred to save a thousand, a million for a billion. Soon, for your ideal, you will do nothing but kill kill kill. So may people will die at your hands because of your ideals so you can save greater numbers of lives. That is the part of the danger of your ideal, but that is but a minor thing compared to what it means for you. You will never treasure yourself fool. You have and will continue to view yourself as expendable because you believe you are not worthy of happiness because you think you are the only survivor. I tell you now, you are not the only survivor. I have seen what Kirei hides beneath the church. Those orphans you thought were all happy are doomed. You truly are the only one who had a shot at happiness, or even vengeance. They are denied that. Go to the depths of the church and see what the priest has done to your brothers and sisters in arms."

"Eventually,y you will be faced with a situation where no lives can be saved, thus, you will sacrifice yourself and become a Counter guardian so that they might live. With one life damned, hundreds will live. But, a counter guardian is nothing more than a cleaner. Someone who deals with those that have already brought mankind to near ruin. A Guardian will kill and kill and kill, never saving anyone, and you will eventually regret it."

A massive cracking noise appeared and a large red crack appeared where the mouth would be behind the armor making it look like he was smiling.

Kiritsugu stood from his throne, "Enough, I do not have the time to coddle a man who does not understand himself. They should have told you the truth so that you could dream of what could have been. Of what might have been. Until they do, you are not what I seek." He pulled out two large gems. "In the mean time, Riko is more than willing to act as a mid-boss." He flicked one in the air, then another. The first one burst into a blinding flash of light. A scream of a woman echoed in the halls then the sound of the second jewel shattering was heard. The room cleared to show the throne was vacant, but a familiar looking woman in a straight jacket was on the ground looking ready to fight.

"Damn you brother." The woman hissed then looked at her opponents. "I hate you, I hate you all."

"Berserker, deal with her." Rin said angrily looking at the one that had nearly killed Shirou while taking the form of Herakles. "Then you and I are going to have a talk."

"Yes Master," Haru said uneasily. When Rin was in a mood like this, there was only one option. Hurry up and finish the task she gave you and prepare for the lecture of a lifetime.

Chiyo advanced steadily on her sister, "Riko, for your crimes you will be dealt with. Killing civilians, attempted murder on Tou-san, consorting with the enemy. You are a monster little sister, and as a monster you will die."

"It wasn't me," Riko growled, "It was him, all him."  
>"I don't believe you little sister." Chiyo told her, "I saw the bodies, I saw the difference in style. You did that. I watched as you laughed at Father's pain when you nearly killed him. I see you now. I have seen it all, and you are guiltly."<br>Riko flexed her arms, "You will regret this little sister." She attempted to flee, only to be forced to evade a massive ball of energy shot out by Haru.

"You are going nowhere little sister," Haru told her.

Caster looked over her little fortress. It was well defended. **ARX-8 Deinos**, her greatest Noble Phantasm was ready. Based off of the blueprints she had gotten from MITHRIL, she had taken the ARX-7 Arbalest. She, Kiritsugu, Tou-san, Matsu-kaasan, Tamaki-obaasan and many more had worked on creating her mighty machine. She still remembered the one time the Deinos had taken on the ARX-8 Laevatein and kicked the snot out of Sousuke. Child soldier prodigy he may be, but she was the Gun Queen. Plus, it helped that her machine was fitted with both alien technology superior to Whispered tech and covered in runes and magic that enhanced it even further. Yes, with her guns and mech, she was ready. For she knew she would be needed soon.

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All around her, her sensors went off blaring warnings. Warnings she barely had time to heed before it rained fire. She watched as her precious guns fell under the onslaught of missiles and bombs. She was grateful she had moved the priests out else they would all be dead. Inside **Deinos,** she stared at the sheer firepower that came from the sky. Looking up she saw a black plane descending for an incredible height unleashing hell Her bounded field had not lasted even a second under the carnage it was unleashing Wave after wave of attacks blew her fortress to shreds, and she wasn't surprised. She had seen what the **Hippalectryon** could do many times. Heck, she had helped create some of it's armaments. Magic missiles, jewel tipped missiles that could break all but the strongest of Bounded Fields in an instant. With it's stealth system and ability to ascend almost into space, it was the perfect way to bypass the natural fortress of the mountain as it had no power over the upper atmosphere.

Her poor mech stumbled and staggered as the attacks pelted it, but it's own personal Bounded Field, or Lamba Drive as the Whispered called it held. If barely. "Come brother, I am ready." Keiko said over the Clan's private band.

"As am I. Look down." Kiritsugu told her. Keiko looked down and saw that one of the 'bombs' was actually a delivery container. From it, Kiritsugu burst forth atop **Podagros** leaving her stunned.

"Self propelled Noble Phantasm?" How else could she explain how that damned plane was still flying? Bombarding her with massive numbers of missile locking her in place. Because he fought on the ground with air support from his plane, it must have altered his legend so that he could control his Noble Phantasm from afar.

Still, though she could not move, she could fire. Her machine aimed it's cannons and unleashed hell. Again and again, her Gatling guns and cannons fired again and again upon the Black Knight. Yet, it seemed to do nothing to him. He blocked or deflected the ones that would have killed him or slowed him down, but the rest were ignored. His shoulders were chipped away by the attacks, but as soon as she harmed him, the damaged was healed and replaced with a glowing red aura. So, the corruption was already that thick upon him. So be it.

"Come brother, I will take out your heart." Keiko called out unleashing a renewed fury of bullets.

"No, no you won't you were a back up. One that is no longer needed." Kiritsugu said as his mount approached the machine heedless of the missiles, bombs, bullets, and shells.

"Die, die die die." Keiko screamed as she tried to kill her fallen brother. "Go and die Kinslayer."

"Kill me and you are no better," Kiritsugu said with amusement as he neared her.

"You are no brother of mine. You killed them, you ate them. I deny you and any claim to family." Keiko screamed as **Deinos** dropped it's gun and Keiko traced a giant shotgun into it's hand

**Podagros** slammed down it's front hooves and sent it's back forward propelling Kiritsugu up and out of the way of the blast while the fake horse was destroyed. "Not enough little sister." Kiritsugu said as he grabbed the front of the mech and ripped out the armor exposing his sister. He didn't even flinch when he felt the bullet from the sniper rifle plow through his left lung and keep going. He grabbed the shotgun that suddenly replaced the sniper rifle crushing the shot gun. "Not near enough. You are a bad back up." he reach forward with his left hand and slammed it to her forehead. "Good Bye little sister. Pray the Root never curses you as it does me."

She gave no response. She was already dead the minute his hand had touched her forehead. For, that was when he shot her at point blank range with a jewel bullet.

All around him, the mech began fading, but he cared not. He took his dead sister to his mouth, and began eating. Soon, her body became dust and he inhaled it all in one breath. Kiritsugu fell to the ground as the Noble Phantasm vanished and promptly began rolling on the ground.

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He heard his armor crack and bend, but he could care less as he felt the darkness try to claim him. Instead, he used her essence as bait. Feeding it, Distracting it, all to buy him time. Soon, the red cracks began vanishing returning to black armor. Soon, not one red crack remained on his armor, but more words of hate began appearing on his body. His back, his torso, and one leg were covered in words or disgust, hate, fear, and evil. But these were not tattoos, there were wounds, non-healing wounds inflicted on a boy countless years ago as the village blamed him for their troubles.

And so, he relived the agony of that boy and felt the hatred of the world upon him.

_**Elimination of human rights by castration, exile, execution**_

**Die**

_**Torture and sadism upon the body through digestion. Denial by consensus of the colony that eliminates all honor**_

**Die **

**_ScornGrudgesDeath PenaltyImprisonmentCustody SelfInterestUnconsiciousCrime_ _SelfConscious CrimeCivilWar InducementStatment TheftRobberyKidnap SuicideRapeArsonBombing ViolationHomicideMassViolence RapeDeathConcelament LoveRespect SelfishConcealment MurderTheftWarCrimes AttackDirtyAtone KindnessMalignace EvilPenalty_**

_**Due**_

_**EveryViolence EveryVictim EveryCriminal EveryCrime AtoneForEverything**_

_**Die**_

_**DieDieDie**_

_**DieDieDieDieDie**_

_****_

"No, No I will not." Kiritsugu yelled. "I will not die, I will live, live and do my Duty." He drew his sword and used it as a crutch to stand. "I am Emiya Kiritsugu, son of Emiya Shirou and Arturia Pendragon, and I am not done yet!"

_**Die**_

_**Die**_

"Go to hell, I am still here. I am still sane. I am still alive." Kiritsugu roared. The darkness tried to eat him, to corrode him, but he was not yet lost. He was not yet gone. So long as his will and his pride remained, he would not fall.

_**Die**_

"I am Emiya Kiritsugu. The **Prince of War,** the **Black Knight**. I am more than you can imagine. I am more than a man, I am a symbol, and symbols do not die, they do not corrode. They do not become corrupted. Come if you will, fight if you dare. When all others have left, I remain. When all others flee, I remain. When all others are dead, I remain. I remain until the end of time!"

_**Kinslayer**_

Kiritsugu felt something different. This, this was not the echos of an ancient evil

_**Kinslayer.**_

It was them, they were looking at him. Their shades were haunting him.

_**Kinslayer.**_

Takeshi, Ivone, Keiko, Tou-san, Aurora.

_**Kinslayer.**_

"I don't care." Kiritsugu said tired. "Call me what you will, what I do is needed. For a better world I will bear the sins of the world. I will bear the curse of everyone if I must."

_**Kinslayer**_

_'So be it.' _Kiritsugu thought as he walked out of the temple.

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	34. Clan Wars 17

(Youtube).com/watch?v=WJXw0lL5-vA

"_All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." - Oscar Wilde_

"_Did you think to kill me? There's no flesh or blood within this cloak to kill. There's only an idea. Idea's are bullet-proof"- V for Vendetta_

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The Einzbern Manor was now a great deal more destroyed than it had been before they entered. Where once the damage had been. Assassin had given both Berserker and Archer a run around, but they had caught her. Caught her as in pinned her arms to the wall with swords then went and blindfolded her already covered eyes for some reason.

"Now then Riko," Haru said panting just a bit. "Let us talk about your relationship with Kiritsugu."

Riko had given them one hell of a running fight. She had bashed through walls with the strength of her bloodline. The child of the gorgon relied upon her **Monstrous Strength** C rank. For a few minutes, she was stronger and faster, but that soon wore out. She had to rely on her superior agility to evade his attacks.

Not that it did much when Chiyo finally showed why she was worthy of being an Archer. The **Black Bow**. Based off of her father's bow, she fired special arrows with the heads of miniature Caliburns. Just as her Avalon pendant worked to the same effect of the True Avalon, the miniature swords on her arrows chose the correct path to fly. Though they did not have the homing ability of say Gae Bolg, they were unbelievably accurate in their own way. Of course, there were other types of arrows for her to shoot, but she had only used those against her sister.

Four Shots and Riko was pinned to a wall.

"Relationship?" Riko laughed, "I'm going to kill him. Then I'm going to kill you."

Haru punched her in the gut. "Not funny Riko, now tell me. What is your relationship with Kiritsugu."

Riko looked at his general direction and smirked, "Not very good brother, pain is supposed to be saved for last in interrogations. First your supposed to ask the questions, then offer a reward. The you move on to try and trap me in conversation, then you move on to psychological warfare. Then you cause pain."

"Time is running out little sister." Haru hissed, "How long do you think Kiri has before he is fully consumed?"

"Quite a while since he teleported out of here an hour ago." Riko said with amusement. "So, how long do you think Keiko lasted?"

Haru felt his blood go cold. "Keiko? Oh god." He turned as if to run, but Chiyo held her hand up stopping him.

"She knew the risks, brother. We need information now, then we can avenge her. So, if you have no relationship with him, what have you seen?" Chiyo asked. "What are his habits? Where does he go?"

Riko smirked, "You always were the smart one." Her head cocked for a moment as she thought about it. "At first, he went to the church, Kotomine's dog. After watching the church for a day, I had to figure he had left the service of the priest. The giant hole was a big give away. Not to mention the priest was missing an arm for a few hours. Then I find him again in the park talking to Keiko making accusations saying I'm the killer." She laughed at that, "Nobody suspected goodie-twoshoes Kiritsugu to do the deed. So much for the vaunted chivalry of the clans own knight in shining armor. He played you all like a violin."

"Not really." Matsu spoke up. "He was rather straight with me."

"Me as well." Luvia added.

Riko rolled her eyes, "yessss, because you two are too stupid to need to be lied to." She suddenly flinched as a blast of magic clipped her ear.

"Ara, the dog talks, what will they think of next?" Luvia said her finger pointing at Riko with a small trail of smoke arising form that finger.

"I keep forgetting after all those years locked up, you always had the worst temper tantrums Luvia-Kaa-san." Riko said smiling she flinched again as another blast shot at her other ear.

"Enough," Chiyo said calmly. "Sister, tell us what else you know.

"There's nothing to tell little sister. Though I may possess Presence Concealment, he is an expert at evading me when he doesn't just outrun and lose me. Especially since he figured out who I was. He doesn't stay anywhere for long nor are his loyalties." She said smiling. "I hope he makes your end as miserable as possible." She spat at her sister.

"He won't" Haru growled. "we will deal with him soon enough."

"Hah, more like he will deal with you foolish brother. Do you not see how well he plans things? I bet he planned for this since he was summoned." Riko cackled. "Oh, what I would give to see your expression when he runs you through."

"Be silent sister." Chiyo admonished as she reached for the sword imbedding Riko's arms to the wall. Haru stood to stop Riko from moving. Yet, as soon as the sword was removed, They were sent flying as Riko's hair attacked them.

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Her hair, her once beautiful hair was now like a thousand snake coils. Her skin became purple and she seemed to be getting bigger.

"Oh crap, her blood. She's activating her blood." Haru yelled in warning. Riko, daughter of the original Gorgon Medusa was growing quickly. Her hair was getting longer and longer while her skin became purple. Her straight jacket bulged and twisted in disturbing ways as she grew.

It was her final trump card. To unleash the full power of her monstrous heritage and become a gorgon at the cost of her sanity. Bigger and bigger she grew until her straight jacket could no longer hold her. It ripped apart to reveal purple scaly flesh.

"Oh Crap." haru muttered.

"What is she?" Rin and Luvia asked

Matsu adjusted her glasses as she examined the monster that was once a girl. This was certainly different. The files warned that there were many creatures out there that were beyond Seikirei abilities, but this was more than she expected. Bazett went into her battle stance ready for combat.

"**I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood**." Shirou chanted. In his hand, _Honor_ appeared. Perfect, flawless. It also sent a wave of pain up his arm. Yet, he was proud of what he had made

Haru punched and kicked each of her massive coils while Chiyo hacked them apart in a single swing. Yet, soon the coils were getting stronger and stronger. It was time, in Chiyo's opinon to make sure that her sister did not gain the resistance a Phantasm Race like a Gorgon would.

"A_ll being were created equal upon this earth, _

_thus all advantages will be rendered null upon the radiance of this soul._

_Let us fight as equals upon this hallowed ground._

_I am she who protects,_

_The golden shield of the Emiya_

_Those under my protection shan't be harmed"_

_So i proclaim this __**FIELD OF HARMONIOUS DISSONANCE**_" (Yeah, you guys made this. Not me. So don't blame me for the bad rhythm.)

All around them, the very air became golden. It was as if their eyes were tinted with golden glasses. Yet, they could feel something fall upon them. For those that did not have special defenses like Matsu Rin and Luvia, they barely felt anything affect them. For Shirou and Bazett who used magic to enhance them ,they could feel their defenses drop. Haru gritted his teeth as his toughened body no long had it's unnatural hardness. Yet, Chiyo began cleaving through the coils with ease once more. She had nullified their damage resistance and made it a 'fair' fight. Haru looked up and shuddered at what he was seeing. His little sister was now far larger than the Einzbern castle and was wrecking the building as she flailed. At least, her eyes were still bound.

Actually, why were they?

Haru honed in on where her eyes would be and was startled, the bandages had long since been ripped off of her eyes, but her goggles had shifted to becoming large black seals over her eyes. Seals that were now lined with large purple cracks that looked ready to break. Whatever the Dark Future clan had done to seal her eyes was fading fast.

Suddenly Haru charged forward, gathering a ball of power in his hand. Haru tossed the orb in front of him before jumping forward. "**First Impact: Heaven's Bolt**!" He then kicked it. As the orb shot forward, it stretched out slightly, like a short blade, yet Riko's massive frame somehow avoided the attack. Yet, Haru merely created a second orb and ate it. His body was then covered in a dark aura. His hair turned white and his eyes became pure red. "**Second Impact: Rage Awakened**" He then spread out his arms. And chanted while gathering two different types of energy in themselves

_"My Humanity in my left hand._

_My Madness in my right hand._

_The combination of that which makes me human and that which turns me to a beast._

_Hell to Heaven!"_

A massive force of power came from above just as Riko's seals broke. She had time to see the energy slam into her crushing her to the ground. Everyone had to cover their eyes as an explosion ripped the area sending them back and covering the area in dust. Shirou opened his eyes just in time to see Chiyo bolt forward and ram her swords into the now Human form Riko.

"Che, of course the little princess is the one to take me down...again." Riko sputtered. I hope, I hope Kiritsugu wins. May your world be covered in darkness." She fell to the ground dead.

"Overkill there?" Matsu called out to Haru

"No such thing." Haru muttered as he emerged from the smoke. "Now, Rin. You wanted to learn our story. Lets go from here before it collapses and we can tell you on the way. We need to at least confirm if Keiko is dead.

"Agreed" Chiyo said claening her blade. "This place is neither safe nor secure enough to tell you everything."

So they left, leaving Riko's body to turn to dust. Behind them, the ruined Manor stood, like a wounded and dying creature. Defying it's end even as it was barely standing together. Yet, despite the devistation, three things remained intact. Six golems stood by the doors, waiting in silence for a task they may never be called upon. A path of light reflecting off of shattered glass leading up a ruined staircase to a throne draped in purple with a halo of light reflecting off the glass atop the throne with a white animal's pelt draped along the back.

Those three things remained there, still standing, still intact, as if they knew they had one last task left for them to do.

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_'How? How could someone know those closely kept secrets? We are the oldest and greatest of magi. We have spent millenia keeping our secrets from everyone else. So how? How did some nobody get access to them. And he tries to bribe me with secrets on how to kill Trhvmn Ortenrosse. What is his game?' _The Queen of the Clock Tower thought as she walked towards the man holding a sign with her name on it. He was powerful, there was no denying that. In fact, she was sure that this man was one of those Epic Spirits that was supposed to be fighting in the region. She stood up right at him and said, "I'm here. Now, what did you want?"

"Do you have any luggage that needs collecting?" he asked as he turned indicating for her to follow.

"No, now what is it that you want and where is what I require?" Lorelei asked sharply as the man walked out of the airport. She had her small carry on bag that was enchanted to hold a great deal more than it should.

"In the car. Follow. I needed you to help me on a hunt. A new Dead Apostle is born. I need him dead as soon as possible. If we do not kill him quickly, he will unleash the devil itself Angra Mainyu on this world." the man said as he lead her to a Limo.

Lorelei was too professional to show her surprise. "Angra Mainyu? The Zoroastrianism spirit of destruction?"

"Yes, but we have two advantages right now. First, he is arrogant...to a degree. A small group, no more than a dozen challenging him and he will fight to prove his superiority. However, were you to assemble the Chelon Canticle Brigade, he would vanish until he fully materializes Angra Mainyu. My best estimate is that we have a week at most before the summoning is complete."

"You say a dozen, but you wanted me alone." She said narrowing her eyes.

"I have found someone very special in this place. One who can perform that which humanity has only been able to perform six or seven times in history with a ten count aria." The man replied as he opened the door for her. She was impressed to find her favorite types of wine available for her to drink. The man knew his homework.

"Ten counts, only six or seven times...a Reality Marble?" She asked incredulously. "You actually found someone that can perform that forbidden research?"

"Well, it's not like that person researched it. That one just had it, a result of the last Grail War destroying the mind and leaving something hollow. That hollow self was then able to adapt to create something that could fight back the darkness." The man said getting into the drivers seat and started the Limo. "I'd recommend not giving that one a sealing designation for a long time, if ever. Just wait till you see it, then you will realize how much farther magic has to go." The man snickered, "I know you prefer to master a basic spell rather than learn complicated ones, but even you will admit it's impressive once you see it. In addition, there is already a team of specialists assembled at the safe house. They should be able to fill you in."

Lorelei ignored the man as she looked at a briefcase with her name on it."This is?" she asked holding up the briefcase

"The secrets you hold so dear, your briefing holding the details on your personal quarry as well as this new threat to mankind and a few...extras to try to make up for your time. Not that it will in your opinion, but it should help." The man said as he drove through an old section of town. She looked up and grimaced as the sun was just peeking out over the horizon. Bloody time change. She opened the briefcase and stared.

One was a g_rimoire_ of the Barthomeloi family. A very old and treasured one. How the hell did he get this? How the hell did her family hide from her that this was missing? The second was a stack of papers. She would look them over later, but what drew her attention was a vial. A small, insignificant vial full of dried blood. Yet, she could tell in an instant where it had come from.

"How? How did you get a vial of Trhvmn Ortenrosse's blood?" She asked incredulously.

"My family had been storing it away for a long time. Didn't have a use for it." Kiritsugu said. _'Cause you already killed him.'_

"Do you have any idea what I can do with this?" She asked sure that he was insane to let this go

"Many things, track him down, steal his power, become a Dead Apostle in your own right. Plenty of options." He said like he didn't care. "Either way, you have it in your possession, provided you deal with the imminent threat. The Dead Apostle goes by the Name of Rider in this war. Deal with him, and you are free to do as you wish."

He stopped the car and got out. Lorelei looked around an saw the entrance to a house. Strange, she inspected it, and only felt a simple Bounded Field used as a warning signal. This was a Safe house? It couldn't protect the place from animals, much less a Dead Apostle. Yet, the man opened the door and indicated for her to exit. At least he offered his hand like a proper butler.

"So, what is your name?" she asked. She heard him chuckle at that.

"Emiya Kiritsugu." He saw her eyebrow raise at that.

"The Magus Killer?" Lorelei asked.

"No, that's just my name." Kiri said as he lead her to the door. "Go on in, they are not here yet. Should be arriving in a bit. In the meantime, I have another appointment." He bowed low to her and turned away.

"Wait," Lorelei called out.

"Yes?" He asked half turned.

"Why are you doing this? What is your objective?" She asked suspiciously.

"Me? I just want to make a better world." Kiritsugu said easily. "As for the why? Read the files." he waved his hand as he walked away indicating he was done. He got in the car and drove away.

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Lorelei spent her time waiting by exploring the house. There were a few rooms that had been occupied, but a great many of them were empty. As she wandered, she found this place had a training room, or dojo as these backwaters called it if her memory served her right.

She then turned towards the shed and froze. She could feel it, if only sightly. A distortion in reality. She opened the door to the shed and stopped. She picked up various objects that ordinary people would have never noticed and grimaced. Someone had done this, someone had made a Projection that could last more than a short time. Whoever did this had to be the one who used Reality Marble.

"Damned fool." She muttered. "Whoever was researching this was going to be dealt with harshly. Reality Marbles were forbidden for a reason. No-one in thousands of years of research had been able to make a Reality Marble without going insane. The previously recorded successes were known as madmen. They were all insane.

She walked back to the house and frowned at the lack of chairs. She searched her memory and remembered that the Japanese sat on their knees when they rested instead of chairs. Something about Seiza position. Well, nothing to do but take a seat and begin reading. She pulled up the briefcase and began reading.

She soon began frowning, then snarling, then finally, looked whistful. If this was true, then this...War had just changed hitory. Not all that unusual according to the kaleidoscope, but still... Jun. He sounded like a good kid. Still, best to be sure. She pulled out a crystal and had it resonate with the Barthomeloi manor. A brief conversation, a short wait to confirm that yes, the grimoire was still at the house, and her suspicions were confirmed.

So, there she was, sitting in this house waiting for the one that was her husband in another life wondering if she should or shouldn't give him a Sealing Designation. His research was definitely worthy of it, but something made her conflicted with it.

She heard the door open and stood. She would decide once she saw what kind of man this Emiya Shirou was. If he were a monster or a fool, she would take care of him personally...once this fight was over. One opponent at a time, never take on two. Especially when a new Dead Apostle was begin born.

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Shirou walked in silence as he took in everything. The Servants were his children. His children. Each of them had become heroes in their own right, as he would apparently. A different Grail War with different Servants and outcome. A battle between himself and a counter guardian that he would have become if he had blindly followed his ideal without heed to himself or those around him. Him going to London and being labeled a Sealed Designate. Sekerei, aliens from another world fighting and him stopping the mad plan of his biological father, only for it all to be a plan for him to get married and have grandchildren. A family unlike any other often jumping between worlds and time lines. Three of them had been identified with probably countless more out there. A dark one where his family was murdered, and two others that were very similar, but diverted when Kiritsugu was pulled from his world to another and saved Aurora.

Cooking disasters and masterpieces. Gilgamesh summoned as a nanny. Rider and Caster entering the picture somehow. A company that spanned worlds, relations with Mars and a Deviluke Empire. A kingdom created by him and his family to follow a dream to make the ever elusive utopia.

All of it. All of it had been hidden from him. All that he was and could have been, hidden by his own daughter and son. This was too much. At least Chiyo saw his need to be alone and let him walk around while the rest investigated the temple. Rin, on the other hand, had taken it badly. Berserker had been yelled at, screamed at, threatened to be whipped, shot at, and was then placed under the command seal to never lie to her again.

Yeah, she was p*ssed. Especially when she found out that Caster was her daughter. That paranoid, going insane Servant was Rin's daughter. That's why Berserker had been sure that they would not be attacked. Both her parents were there, so of course she would not attack. Or at least, that was the hope. With his son Kiritsugu on the rampage, there was little that he could say about family. Where had he gone wrong that his son would do this? He needed answers that only Kiritsugu could give.

They had gone to see Caster, and saw only devistation at the temple. It looked like a scene from a battlefield. Craters and debris were everywhere, though none of the guns and weapons remained as Caster was probably gone. It was even more confirmation when they went to the shack. What used to be a giant room full of weapons was now the inside of a tool shed with Illya's luggage inside.

"it would appear that Riko was correct." Luvia said unaffected by the news. Her family was among the most familiar with combat of all magi families. "Caster has fallen."

Bazett nodded sadly, "Gomen, it's my fault."

Luvia looked over at Bazett and smiled sadly, "We'll find him."

Sakura shook her head, "nii-san will be at the house...probably. Grandfather is too strong."

Baett smiled at Sakura, "I'm an enforcer, I think I can handle one vampire. Especially since I know what kind of magic he uses."  
>"But," Sakura said trying her best to warn her.<p>

"Don't worry," Luvia said puffing out her chest, "Am Edelfelt always completes their contract."

Bazett sighed at that. "Unfortunately, that's a true statement."

Luvia shot a look at Bazett, "Ara, are you implying something?"

Bazett shook her head, "No, not worth it."

Luvia frowned at that, but continued to move on as they grabbed everything and proceeded to clean up the mess with magic before the priests woke up. At least none of them had been hurt. Kiritsugu had been careful not to attack the residential compound.

It took them all night and a bit of dawn before they were finished and heading back for the Emiya manor. Though it didn't have the same protection as the Tohsaka residence, Haru and Chiyo were certain that their brother would not destroy it. Apparently, he favored the simple house and dojo over the larger mansion and Tohsaka manor. A man of simple tastes was Kiritsugu.

The entered the house and headed for the dining room for a meal before they all went to find a room to sleep.

Of course, Kiritsugu had found a new way to $crew with them. Sitting at the table with a briefcase on hand and papers spread on the table sat the Queen of the Clock Tower Lorelei Barthomeloi

"Root." Haru and Chiyo cursed.

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_Victory has long been mine_

_All else that happens is fine_

_All that begins now makes a better world_

_and they will soon see it unfurled_

_Where once eight snakes roamed the land,_

_only four remaining are able to stand_

_Only when two remain in the fight_

_with the last one appear in the night_

(youtube).com/watch?v=BNWpZ-Y_KvU

Kiritsugu stared at the holy land before him. A dozen burners. Several ovens. Hundreds of pots and pans. Beside him was a pile of groceries.

"And now, it is time to unleash true horror." Kiritsugu said as he pulled out a cook book with several pages marked. He flipped the pages until he came to the recipes he wanted. With this, he would negate Haru's innate power and divert their attention for a while so that he could call upon royalty. It wouldn't do for them to come at him prepared, thus he would have to prepare first.

He looked at the recipes and nodded, stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer, Gazpatcho for soup Caesar salad coming up. Stuffed for a side dish, Kung Pow Chicken for an entree, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Each and every one of these recipes had failed so spectacular that the very mention of those dishes he created brought shivering horror to the minds of the clan. The only thing he had done worse was Lime Jello, but not even he could bear to bring forth that monstrosity. As he gathered the ingredients, he found himself muttering, "This is the first time I deliberately sabotaged my cooking, God Have mercy on my soul...and their lives."

He found himself chuckling at the thought of their expressions when they saw what he had made. As he began cooking, anyone who watched him would have sword they saw the food already moving just from him touching it

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Read and review please


	35. Clan wars 18

_Agent Smith: Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist? _

_Neo: Because I choose to_

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Kiritsugu moved them into his plane. They had all looked upon him and shivered in fear. He was their origin, he was their creator, and he was their worst nightmare. They could all feel the darkness in him and the threat of unholy retribution was not unnoticed. Not even the most mindless of them would have dared to face him. So they moved where he told them to.

He had summoned his greatest Noble Phantasm at the edge of town and waited. His plane was capable of vertical takeoffs as needed, so he only had to wait for nightfall. He knew they would ask Lorelei why she was there, why she had come, and the subsequent realization that Lorelei had been tricked. The one she had been coerced to hunt was none other than himself. That, he knew, would be the clincher. He had tricked her, and she would want vengeance. Perfect, nothing like rage to get a Barthomeloi to do what you wanted.

What was happening in the Emiya could easily be calculated like a clock. Questions would be asked, Lorelei would be angry, everyone would feel the effects of being awake for twenty hours. They would beg to hold off everything while they slept. Tough, the Servatns would remain as guards and fill in Lorelei as best they could. Jun's mother would learn much, question much, and her own beliefs would be tested. He was sure of it.

Something was manipulating them. Making them more agreeable to the notion of family. Kiritsugu had noticed it with Luvia and Matsu and had finally put together what was truly messing with them. He was going to have a long talk with her. A long long long talk with **her**. This was forbidden, this was a taboo of taboos manipulating them, but there was naught he could do. She was too powerful for him, even if he fed upon all Servants. Compared to her, he was a fly to be swatted.

So he would play his part, as he must.

_I am done as Lancer, Berserker, and Caster_

_and soon I shall be the master Archer_

_Plots and plans have I created and tossed aside_

_so that I can battle freely with my worries denied_

_The golden king is my next prey_

_his part will be grand in this play _

_Father will watch, see, and digress_

_all that he will copy and possess_

_The Gate of Babylon holds all that he needs_

_and it's armory will be the future's seeds_

_Like the previous black knight of old_

_I shall take to the skies and be bold_

_Come great golden king of Heroes_

_I shall covert your strength to zeros_

Night fell far too slowly for him. Yet, it gave him time to buy a few things he would need and educate a few things of their task ahead. They would do him proud, his fine monstrosities. SO, when night had fallen, his spy camera caught them leaving the house. He was very glad he had set that thing up days ago. With them on the way, he powered up his plane and went to work. He watched them, tracking them with a secret command and signal imbedded in Matsu's computer and waited high in the darkness for them to head to the church. They remembered his words, and they would go...eventually.

Oh, Matsu knew the signal was there, but he had explained to her why this was needed. The fact that it was still there told him that she still trusted him, to a point anyways. Good, that made life just a bit easier.

Kiritsugu turned his plane so that it was aimed at the Matou manor. "Fox 2" He muttered as he fired two infrared-guided jewel tipped missiles at the manor. The first one slammed into the bounded field and destroyed it. The second one smashed into the manor and destroyed the upper levels. He angled his plane away and toggled his weapons from missiles to bombs. At specific targets, he began firing at the town careful to make sure that he didn't actually kill that many, if any. It took precision attacks, but he was more than able to do it. Yet, it left a great deal of the town on fire and looking like a warzone none the less.

He caught another signal from matsu's computer as she did as she had been asked. The JDF airbase had been given orders to take him down. 'Good luck, your part is nothing more than a distraction.' Kiritsugu thought grimly. What he found ironic was that, like the last Grail War, he too would face F-15s in the air, but unlike the last Black Knight, he had no reason to take on over...at least not physically. He smiled as he thought of the hijack missiles he could fire. Special MBI missiles that could overload and take control of enemy aircraft. Add in his Rider skill, and those things would fly unlike ever before. Well...except for Lancelot's doing, but that was not Kiritsugu's concern. He looked on his radar and saw Matsu's signal was coming from the desolate park on the way to the church. Good.

He could feel the Golden King's killing intent as the mighty **Vimana** had risen to face the mongrel that dared to attack the King. He could feel the rage of the king upon him and Kiritsugu could not help but smile. The last time he had gotten Uncle Gil this mad was...well..when he last tried cooking. Irony, wonder how mad he would be to know what his last cooking attempt had created.

Kiritsugu's radar went off in warning. He frown slightly. The JDF already had some planes in the air and heading his way. Huh, must have been secretly keeping an eye out for the 'terrorist' that blew up the skyscraper. Good, if a little early, but it worked for him. He evaded the projectiles fired from the legendary craft in the age of gods. "Too slow Uncle." He muttered as he headed for the two F-15s and opened fire

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"What, is that?" Warrant Officer Daisuke asked his copilot Arata

"Don't know. Not showing up on the radar, but it's definitely there." Arata said

"Not that, two o clock low. Looks like some kind of UFO." Daisuke said. "it's no helicopter."

Arata looked it over and raked his brain and considered the possibility that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Beyond that, he was doubting even his own sanity. The fact that his lead was seeing this made it clear. They were not imagining things

"Control to Falcon I. Situation report." the base command ordered

"The situation...it's, uh... " Daisuke said, "There's two bogies. Sir, one isn't showing up on radar while another is attacking the first. Looks like hell out here. Never seen anything as maneuverable as these two." How can he explain this? Disaster? Unknown crafts? Airspace intrusion? Monstrosities– no, that can't be considered. There isn't a codeword for that. He had to give the base a better explanation. "Uh, one looks like an unknown pattern aircraft. The other...Command I've never seen anything like it. It looks like a flying chariot."

"Copy that, we're getting an image from Falcon II. That's...definitely an unknown. Regardless. The first one is attacking out land. Falcon team you are clear to engage the enemy Take him down."

"Roger that." Daisuke said.

"Heads up!" Arate yelled. "It's coming right at us.

A nameless evil chill descended upon his back; warrant Officer Daisuke felt like he was no longer a predator. He was prey. He watched as the stealth bogey laced the air with machine gun fire forcing the two of them to seperate.

"Watch out Falcon II." Daisuke yelled in warning as a missile flew from the black painted plane. At this moment, the two fighter jets were no longer onlookers. The opponent wasn't a modern weapon like anti-aircraft artillery or missiles, so warrant Officer Arate had no way to estimate the range of the enemy's attacks. The bastard was firing from an unbelievable distance, and there was no lock on system warning his plane, but somehow the enemy had fired a missile that was tracking him. The missile suddenly hit him and for a moment, he thought he was dead.

He opened his eyes to relief to find himself still alive. "Falcon II to Falcon I, Still hear buddy." He tried to send. All he got was static. Looking around, he saw that the enemies had passed him at incredible speeds leaving him behind. He tried to turn the plane around, but found his stick was not working. He only had a moment to think on this when suddenly his canopy blew opened and he was forcibly ejected from the plane.

Although he was taken out of the fight this way, his partner was still in the air.

"Falcon I to Falcon II, what just happened?" Daisuke called out as he saw the chute in the air.

For a moment, all he heard was static, but then a metallic voice called out and declared, "All your base are belong to us. Ha ha ha." Daisuke was stunned, not sure how to respond. "Uh...Falcon I to Command."

"Go ahead Falcon I," command called to him

"We've got a situation here. Falcon II ejected for some reason, but his plane is still moving. Heading towards the...strange bogey."

"Ejected?" an incredulous voice called out.

"Yes sir. Chute confirmed in airspace. Falcon II is no longer piloting his plane." Daisuke said tying not to panic at the situation. He looped his plane trying to see what had happened, but he had to evade as the black plane fired at him. "Falcon I, engaging!" Daisuke declared and disengaged all safeties. 4 AIM-7F/M Sparrows. 4 AIM-9 Sidewinders. 940 rounds for the M61 Vulcan. All in premium condition. . He tried so hard to keep up with the enemy, but it was faster, far more maneuverable, and just plain out did hi in every spec. the second bogey was attacking the black plane as well ignoring him completely.

Daisuke's lips twisted with mad laughter, having lost all pride in his plane. At the control column of a F15, the what was themost powerful fighter jet in the world at one time, he should have been the true God of Death. Yet, against these two, he was nothing. He watched as the black plane turned almost on a dime and fired at him in a microsecond. How the Hell did he get a lock on him so fast. Daisuke evaded the missile, but he didn't have a moment ot enjoy it as the missile turned around and came back for a second pass. He evaded again, but was so close to the enemy black plane now, that he could see it.

A black clad figure was standing on the plane, looking at him. He watched for a moment, before he swore he saw the figure leap off.

Powerful tremors rocked the plane's body. That inky-black figure suddenly appeared on the other side of the canopy, fully exposed to the subsonic convection currents at the back of the plane. Behind his obscuring helmet, his gleaming red eye emanated blazing fire. His armor suit possessed red cracks all over, each of them burning red.

Daisuke had but a moment to scream before his canopy burst open and he ejected. Kiritsugu watched in silence before taking the helm of the plane. With the **Hippalectryon **able to be controlled by mere thoughts, and the other plane controlled remotely by his computer, Kiritsugu could focus on getting Gilgamesh to leave himself exposed. As he watched, the Man fired more swords from his Gate of Babylon missing his Noble Phantasm by a few dozen feet.

He hadn't felt this alive in a long time. But first, he locked on Matsu's signal...

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They watched in awe and fascination as Kiritsugu dived and evaded every attack from the King of Heroes and the JDF F-15s. Yet, they had no time to focus on it as several containers slammed into the ground from above. Rider had just deposited something near their position, and all of them felt the evil and malice within. Each of the containers began emitting sounds ranging from disturbing shushing noises, rustling of leaves, and chickens.

"No, he didn't." Haru begged in fear

The first container exploded revealing five giant cooked chickens, pieces of their skin and meat were missing and bones could be seen in places. They stood a little under six feet tall with intact heads and beaks, and were all missing the same left eye

"Oh Root he did." Haru muttered looking at his long time poultry enemy times five. "Kung Pow Chicken"

The next container exploded revealing hundreds of what could only be called deadly Goombas. Unlike the Mario variants, these oversized mushrooms had no mouths on their sides, but the bottom of their umbrella heads were covered in teeth. These things jumped stalk first revealing their mouths were under their heads. "Stuffed Mushrooms from hell." Haru muttered

Another container burst forth revealing what looked like decaying Treants or something like that. They smelled of rotting vegetation and...chicken? Yes, they had chicken heads as well. Their bodies were covered in what looked like leaves that were clearly razor sharp."Caeser Salad ala Kiritsugu" Haru winced

The fourth container bulged and shook until a small crack appeared. From there, something like red liquid oozed out. The...gel?...shifted and shook until it looked like a million tentacles shifting in the air. Each one looked like the color of blood, and it looked like it craved some. "Gazpatcho? He actually made the immortal Gazpatcho?"

The Fifth container reverberated the sound of metal tearing. Soon, a dozen small purple mouths ate the metal revealing a plant like creature with dozens of purple mouths. No, not mouths, heads that were composed of only a mouth and an eye. It gazed upon them in hunger, then suddenly stood up on roots and crawled towards them. "Stuffed Eggplant. Why did he have to make stuffed eggplant? What's next? Lime Jello?"

The Final container's doors burst open to reveal something that there are no words to describe. A love child between red mold, white slime, and yellow spongy mass. It was hideous. To gaze upon it too long could drive one mad. "Oh thank god, just strawberry shortcake." Haru breathed in relief. If Kiri had made Lime Jello, there would have been no way for them to survive.

"What the hell are these things?" Rin asked shooting at them with her spells.

"Remember when I told you there were far worse things than the Grail War?" haru yelled as he smashed a few mushrooms. "This is what I'm talking about. Kiri gets his recipes from the Necronomicon, I swear." He was then tackled by the five chickens screaming "BUCAAAWW" like blood thirsty berserkers. The five of them sent him rolling on the ground pummeling him with kicks, punches, and pecks from their beaks. Haru flung himself up and began exchanging punches with the monsters. Though he was Berserker, these...freaks were able to take his blows and come right on back.

"The Mushrooms need to die like in Mario. Crush them from above their heads. Don't let them get above you. Their mouths will tear you to shreds." Haru warned as he was punched into the street. A car suddenly came up the road. Seeing the monsters on the road, the driver tried to turn, but instead caused his car to first drift, then roll, then explode. A few more cars came trying to flee from the Ariel battle above only to meet the same fate. It began to look like a scene form hell as Haru and the chickens fought.

Chiyo was unable to help her brother as she was busy beating back the Caeser salad. She knew her brother was a bad cook, but did he really have to bring back these horrors. "The head is a lie, don't aim for the head, aim for the heart." Chiyo muttered as she impaled one of her blades in the chest of the monster. Inside, the bits of chicken had melded to become a heart of sorts. By destroying that, the mass of evil collapsed. Chiyo went for another one that Tou-san was beating back with _Honor_. Behind her, another of the same creature stepped on top of the dead one's mass and absorbed it, becoming bigger, faster, and smarter remembering how the previous one had been killed.

The Eggplant monster was busy dealing with Sella and Leysritt who were both attacking with with oversized halberds made of Rhenium. They hacked at the heads, only for new ones to form as fast as they were cut. Yet, the fallen heads were not done yet. Those ones picked themselves up by their stalks and hurled themselves at the two maids. These heads also had to be cut down before they killed the maids. However, their weapons were ill suited to such small targets. It fell to Sakura to attack them with her magic. If this was a battle of attrition, it looked like the plant freak would win.

Back with Haru, the chickens had punched him so hard that he was sent flying into another car killing the driver instantly. Their victory was short lived as the car rammed them sending them head first into the car. The six of them exchanged punches and pecks as the car rolled down the road. A large Semi going down a perpendicular street honked it's horns, but the car rolled in front of it. Haru and the chickens went and smashed into the truck killing that diver as well, but the trucks greater mass and velocity pushed them in a new direction while the car rolled out of the way and exploded.

Lorelei found her eyebrow was twitching as the mass of red liquid that kept shape shifting seemed impossible to kill. She tried freezing it, only for it to shatter, melt in an instant, then renew it's attempt to enfold her. She tried to evaporate it with fire, only for it to become a red cloud that reconvened back into it's liquid form. 'How do you kill this thing?" Lorelei thought. She tried some basic explosion attacks only for it to reform quickly. All it did was buy her time to kill a few of those overgrown mushrooms.

Luvia and Bazett had a problem. The...shortcake was impossible to harm. Bazett's punches were immediately taken in like a lump of sponge. Instead of damaging it, the food monster absorbed it with no resistance then curled around her arm. Bazett nearly screamed as she felt acid coat her arm. She pulled her arm out, though it was like pulling one's arm out of glue and got back. Luvia unleashed a barrage of attacks, yet they did nothing. Sometimes there was enough of an explosive attack to cause the monster cake to bulge, but it remained undamaged.

On top of the Semi, Haru and the chicken rolled up and onto the trailer. Haru found his footing while the five chickens were all in front of him. Holding out one hand in front of him, he motioned for them to come at him. They charged en mass and unleashed a flurry of kicks, punches, pecks, and head butts that Haru could barely keep up with. Because there were so many of them, and they were so coordinated, Haru was begin beaten. One lowered it's head and tackled him wrapping it's wings around him. Haru raised up his arms and brought them down hard enough to send the bird into the trailer below. Yet, that small opening had been enough for the rest to barrage Haru down to the ground. One raised up it's foot and began smothering Haru.

"Mou, how many of you are there?" Rin asked as she destroyed more and more mushrooms with her signature attack. Yet, for every one that was killed ten more took their place. "It's like you're breeding."

"They are Rin." Chiyo warned. "Every one you kill lays spores that will soon make more. Fire is the only thing that keeps them from spawning."

"Why didn't you say so before?" Rin asked switching to a fire spell she knew.

"Kind of busy here." Chiyo yelled as she took down another Caeser salad. They were getting bigger. Had there only been one or two, there would be no problem, but the two dozen of them had been enough to make it impossible to kill at one time. And they were getting better by the minute. She and her father were being slowly taken down by Kiritsugu's cooking.

Haru grabbed the foot and threw the undead chicken off him causing it to "Buca" in protest. Haru rolled back a bit till his feet were in the air then began attacking the chickens with his feet. He flipped up in the air and prepared to attack them, only for him to see them jump off the truck. Not stupid enough to see what was behind him, he rolled off the truck in the nick of time to avoid being beheaded as the truck rammed into a nice restaurant. At least everyone had evacuated as the aerial battel above had scared them away. The chickens, all five of them, charged at him. Haru jumped back and grabbed a decorative light pole and ripped it out of the ground

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He began spinning and kicking at each of them sending them back a bit as he moved on to the next one. Every now and then, they smashed his face sending him back towards another one where he promptly kicked that one. He planted one foot behind the other then kicked off sending him spinning in the air knocking away two of his opponents that had tried to get him from above. Once landing, he smashed the pole into the face of another, then rammed it behind him into the guy of another chicken skewering it for but a moment. He swung the pole on high then below, knocking them off their feet. He punched one of them up then planted the pole down. The chicken fell onto the pole perfectly causing it to ram the pole all the way through it's body.

Not like it did any good.

The chicken kicked itself out of the ground while another yanked out the pole from it and began swinging it at Haru...only for it to go through air. The swing kept going, to hit another chicken. For a moment, the five of them stared. The Servant was gone. Their target was gone. For a moment, they looked at each other, then one pulled out a cell phone form it's body. Unlike the other monstrosities, these ones were very intelligent. It dialed a number and waited, two rings later, Kiritsugu picked up

"Buca.' the chicken said.

"He escaped?"

"Buca" the chicken said with one cluck indicating yes.

"On his own?"

"Buck Buca.' The chicken denied

"A command seal then. Well.. no matter, head to the rendezvous point, you know your job. Don't be seen."

"Buca." the chicken acknowledged before hanging up.

Back at the manor, Haru intercepted the eggplant monster that would have killed Rin and sent it flying into the air. Gathering a ball of power in his hand. Haru tossed the orb in front of him before jumping forward. "**First Impact: Heaven's Bolt!**" He then kicked it. As the orb shot forward, it stretched out slightly, like a short blade that impaled the monster. It exploded spectacularly. Killing it in an instant.

He dashed ahead and created a second orb. "**Third Impact: Heaven's Descent**." The orb scattered and homed in on the mushrooms annihilating the swarm in a moment. He looked at the remaining Enemies. The Gazpatcho was being held a bay by Lorelei for the moment, but Chiyo and Tou-san were being beaten back by the two last Caesar salads.

No time like the present to help them out.

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read and review.

I go sleep sleep now


	36. Clan wars 19

_In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king-Proverb_

_Courage is not the absence of despair; it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair. -Rollo May_

_"Atone for my Sins? I have no Sins to atone for, nor have I forced such ameaninglessconcept on anyone." Archer_

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Damn, Uncle Gilgamesh was p*ssed. He hadn't seen such rage in a long time. Wonder why. Was it because he was fighting like the last black knight? Plane versus **Vimana**. Nah, couldn't be that, had to be the grail in him. Kiritsugu was, as far as Uncle Gil was concerned, a thief that had taken the king's treasure.

Kiritusugu took his plane into a tight spin evading a dozen projectiles thrown at him. Yeah, this was not the best plan he ever had, but this was necessary. This was needed. He had to teach his father, had to teach him what he was, so this plan was the only plan Kiritsugu could choose. He hopped from one plane to another evading and blocking the projectiles as he tried to close in on Gilgamesh. He felt his blood turn cold as he barely evaded a fearsome and familiar red spear. Truly, it was a good thing that Gilgamesh was a collector and not a wielder of these weapons. Gae Bolg would have been the end of him in an instant.

Gilgamesh was roaring something at him, but at these speeds, Kiritsugu couldn't hear him. One might as well spit into the wind for all that yelling did. Probably just calling him a Mongrel or something.

Kiritsugu almost didn't make it as a hundred projectiles assaulted him. He ran to the edge of the F-15 and leaped. Behind him, he saw the plane explode in fire and give him a boost forward. That boost sent him on top of the other F-15 while his Noble Phantasm plane was busy rolling to the side. "too close." Kiritsugu said as he deflected more projectiles.

The **Hippalectryon **then fired off three missiles of a different sort. These three missiles stored various relics and were sent to three areas. All three went in the direction of the Einzbern Forest. If all went according to plan, this was the last time he could grab things from his Noble Phantasm. The last time to gather what he might need for battle. Finally, his Noble Phantasm shot off one last, slender missile right at it's master. As the missile approached him, it split sending a few jewels and a wrapped object at him. Each were easily caught by Kiritsugu and placed in pockets, save the wrapped object which he placed on his back.

Back on the ground Haru was a blur cutting the gazpacho monster's tentacles as he neared the source. The gazpacho monster, how had it come to this that Kiritsugu had used his cooking for weapons. Never before had he dome something this monstrous. Even worse, he took the most powerful of creations against his family. The Immortal Gazpacho, the Invincible Strawberry Shortcake, the Devastating Eggplant, the Legions of Mushrooms, and the Caesar Salad from hell.

At least he knew how to deal with them all.

"The Shortcake is weak to ice, don't know why, but ice is it's weakness, freeze it then shatter it." He roared at Luvia who took his command to heart. Chiyo and Tou-san were hard pressed with the last Caesar salad, but they were doing well with reinforcements now that the mushrooms and eggplant were gone. That left the Immortal Gazpacho. Haru shuddered, but knew what he had to do. He closed in on the monster and grimaced. He opened his mouth and plunged his head into the monster. Haru never understood the reason why the tomato soup monster was suicidal, but it had never been trying to kill anyone, instead, it had been trying to get them to feed upon it. Scary enough, said monster was rather tasty. Haru had found all this out when Aurora actually ate the first one. According to her, it was the best Gazpacho ever. Tasting this one now, Haru would have disagreed, but then, Aurora always did like to eat her food live. Much to the distaste of everyone else.

The others watched in horror as Haru ate the monster before them. Most shuddered at what they saw but Haru had to admit, the freak wasn't that bad. Wonder what the others tasted like? Ah well, whatever worked.

After it was done, Haru looked up and pointed in awe as he saw the dogfight above close in. While the monsters below had been taken care of, the battle above still raged.

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Kiritsugu smirked as he saw that he was close enough. He ran along the dying F-15 and leaped. His momentum took him forward enough to land upon the **Vimana** and tackled the King of Heroes off the vessel.

They fell

They fell hundreds of feet together as they fought in midair. Each time they clashed blades sending each other back, and each time, Kiritsugu slashed behind him creating a wave of wind throwing him back towards Gilgamesh. He needed to push the King of Heroes back. Push him into the target zone. It was close, but he Did it at the cost of a few slashes to the shoulder.

"Damn mongrel!" Gilgamesh roared behind him the Gate of Babylon opened revealing everything in his arsenal. Behind him, he could hear his father gasp as he instantly memorized every weapon before him.

"I am Emiya Kiritsugu Pendragon. Son of Emiya Shirou and Arturia Pendragon. My lineage stretches back millennia demigod. At least my lineage has been pure human since time immortal." Rider declared as he pulled forth Honor in it's wrapped sheath. "Come demigod, I will show you why humanity has always been greater than that of gods."

"Die, die die die, turn to ash." Gilgamesh roared as the weapons surged forward.

Kiritsugu closed his one eye. Above him, he felt his Noble Phantasm **Hippalectryon** overflow with Prana. It's hull became cracked and fragile, but it was now far stronger than ever, if only for a moment. "Lock on to my position and charge, full power." Above him, his plane turned and aimed for the ground. He opened his eye as he saw the blades come for him. He suddenly shoved Honor and it's wrapped sheath before him and grabbed a flap of cloth that bound the sheath.

"Behold my Inheritance!" he roared pulling on the cloth. The sheath was uncovered in an instant, a gold and blue sheath that Chiyo and Haru knew all too well.

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.com/watch?v=z5tU3QGalBc

**Flashback to when Kiritsugu and Arika were twenty in the Black Knight Universe**

"Come in." Shirou said seriously to his two children. Silently, they entered and saw that their mother sat beside her husband. Before them was a table covered in cloth that radiated power. The sheer power and authority Saber and the table radiated were staggering. Never before had they felt their mother act so regally or felt so much power concentrated in one area. Something big was in the air, their very instincts had been on the fritz all day, and now their instincts were telling them that something big would happen this day.

"Excuse me," Kiritsugu and Arika said as they entered the room and sat down. For a moment, they sat there in silence as they waited for what was about to occur. They saw their father inhale and collect himself before he spoke.

"As you know, I am now able to Project items that do not become rejected by Gaia." Shirou said. Kiritsugu and Arika both nodded. With Ichigo as the voice of Gaia, Tou-san had negotiated. For the price of never using his Marble Phantasm again, Tou-san could, if he chose, trace weapons that remained permanently. He could not do it often, he was not allowed to do it often either, but it was possible. Chiyo owned a pendent of Avalon that had the same effect. "Your mother and I have talked, and she has asked that you each receive something from her." He removed the cloth and revealed five Noble Phantasms.

_**Caliburn**_, the **Sword of the Victorious, the Sword of Choosing.** The legendary blade that Arturia had pulled from the stone and proved that she was the rightful king of England. The sword of a king.

_**Excalibur**_, the **Sword of Promised Victory**. The mighty warblade of Arturia given to her after Caliburn was lost. One of the most powerful Noble Phantasms in the world.

_**Avalon**_, the **Ever Distant Utopia**. The Hallowed Scabbard of Excalibur, and the embodiment of Arturia's dream of a utopia. Able to grant limited immortality and healing as well as provide an impervious barrier to harm.

_**Carnwennan**_, the **White Hilt**. A dagger that shrouds it's bearer in shadow. A lesser known Noble Phantasm, but a powerful one in the right hands. Able to grant Presence concealment to the one who bore it.

_**Rhongomiant**_, the **Standard Bearer**. The spear that once bore the standards of Arturia, Uther, Ambrose the brother of Uther, and Custennin the father of Uther. It bears the power to inspire an army to the bearer's cause and when carried in battle causes the army to fight harder.

Each of them were powerful Noble Phantasms. With any one of these, they could become legends in their own right.

"Choose one," Saber prompted, "But only one. Though you are my children and my pride, I fear that more than one would cause great strife for yourself and your family. Take one and hide it until you believe you need it. Choose, but be careful for what you choose."

Kiritsugu looked over at his sister who looked on at the weapons with glee, but for him... "I don't need one." Kiritsugu said, "I am sorry, but I have no need for any of these. Already Tou-san has given me armor and blades. You gave me the ability to fight and inspire others. What more gifts do I need?"

Beside him, his twin looked at him like he betrayed her. Then it occurred to him, he just had, in a way. If he did not choose one, then his twin could not in good conscious take one either. By doing this, he had stolen her ability to make a choice. "Is that what you wish?" Saber asked gently. He could feel a sense of pride in her, but also worry, and a bit of hurt. She was giving him a gift, and he was refusing. Could he really deny them this? He mentally sighed, Honor and Chivalry demanded that he accept the gift and not deny his sister choice.

"No, I thank you, I will choose, but I will choose second." Kiritsugu said pushing his twin forward a moment. He watched her as she looked on hungrily at the Noble Phantasms. He knew her wish, to surpass her mother, to be better than mother. Not a malicious thought, just the wish of a child to become better than the parent to make them proud. But for him, he had no need or wish to do that. He was a Knight, not a king. _**Caliburn**_ and _**Excalibur**_ were the swords of Kings. Those who bore them were bound to rule, a thought that made him shiver inside. He gave upon his mental throne of thorns and retreated. No, he would not choose them.

_**Avalon **_was also pointless as he did not desire immortality. If he should die, then that is what would happen, but it was not for him. The Sheath was too much, too powerful. _**Carnwennan**_ was also useless as he was not one for skulking I the dark. As a knight, they would see him coming, and he would inspire fear in them. But the most pointless one of all was _**Rhongomiant, **_he was a black knight. He had no standard to bear. He would charge into battle declaring he worked for no man but himself. The banner would only claim him to be more than just a man, and would inspire others to die for a cause that he did not wish others to follow. He would make a better world, but it would be his own way.

He watched as his twin Arika reached forward to almost touch _**Caliburn.**_ Before his eyes, he saw the blade leap into her hand. So, she had chosen _**Caliburn,**_ and it had chosen her. So be it. He watched her gaze upon the blade she adored most with content. She was happy, his better half was happy. So be it. Now, it was his turn...

No matter what he picked, he would do one thing with it, store it away in some trunk until he died, then it would be left for chance and fate to decide. He reached forth without looking and rested his hand on the one he chose. He looked down and saw that he had chosen _**Avalon.**_ So, he chose the ever elusive Utopia. So be it, for him, utpoia was easy to make. His home was one right now. Keeping it a Utpoia, that's the hard part. Constant vigilance, that is the only way to maintain a Utopia.

"Treasure these gifts for all time." Kaa-san told them. Treasure them they did. Arika was the one that ended up using it, becoming something very different than her brother. But him, he had taken it and carefully stored it away. In time, he came into possession of Chiyo's pendant and wore it as a reminder of her sacrifice as the Golden Seal. A sort of tragic end for his sister, but then, she did die at sixty nine, so how tragic is it really when the old die to save the world? He had done the same for his daughter and had no regrets. He knew Chiyo had no regrets as well.

Probably made his young alternate's day when he found the Sheath hidden in a compartment in the plane after his older alternate died saving Aurora.

End Flashback

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.com/watch?v=qxUZUnRwH7s

"**Avalon**!" Kiritsugu yelled activating his inheritance. The sheath glowed golden and blue before it burst into light and wrapped around him. Kiritsugu charged forward heedless of the weapons that tried and failed to harm him. With Honor in hand, he smashed his sword against one held by Gilgamesh. Again and again they clashed creating a mighty noise that drowned out all else around them.

Perfect.

Kiritsugu groaned in pain as he felt the darkness wiggle inside him. Though Avalon protected him from outside problems, it wasn't helping him with the worms. It was trying to reject them while they were deeply tunneled in his body. Not a pleasant feeling, and one he could not afford to have happen long. He needed the worms still, they had a task to perform. Every instant they were in his body was spent purifying the Grail. If he kept this up, he could very well eject his precious disgusting worms.

Again and again Kiri and Gilgamesh clashed each trying to kill each other, each failing to gain any advantage. Yet, Kiri smiled the whole way. '_Ten Seconds to impact._'

He smashed his blade once more against his Uncle's while raising his shield to smash it into Gilgamesh's face.

'_Nine_'

"Mongrel!" Gilgamesh roared as he unleashed a dozen swords upon Kiritsugu. Each and every one of them was blocked, evaded, or bounced off of him as he closed in for another attack.

'_Eight_'

Kiritsugu's eyes opened wide as Gilgamesh backhanded him with great power. He had forgotten the his Uncle was just as good with his hands as he was with weapons. He was the original king, and as king was expected to be the best at everything.

'_Seven_'

"Enough" Gilgamesh declared. "This has gone on long enough. He raised his hand in the air and opened his mouth

'_Six_'

"**Enkidu**," Gilgamesh said stretching out his hand. From everywhere at once, chains appeared from mid air and seemed to be bound to something that was invisible to the human eye.

'_Five_'

The chains bound Kiritsugu in the air. Holding him still, unable to move, unable to block, unable to defend himself. He saw Gilgamesh had noticed the noise of the approaching death.

'_Four_'

"Not, bad." Kiritsugu said as he took his left hand and aimed it at Gilgamesh. He could see the king was preparing to destroy his Noble Phantasm with countless blades

'_Three_'

"Burst." Kiritsugu said as a jewel flew in front of Gilgamesh. It emitted a burst of light blinding all who gazed upon it throwing off the aim, as well as distracted Gilgamesh from the true intent.

'_Two_,'

His hand burst sending the fingers flying to wrap around Gilgamesh and draw him back with thread both fine and strong. A secret he had implanted in his false hand to capture targets and bring them to him.

'_Goodbye Uncle_' Kiritsugu thought as he closed his eye not willing to see his former nanny and mentor die. He didn't so much hear the explosion as feel it in his ears. He could feel the impact of his plane on him, but it didn't hurt him. Yet, he knew the explosion was huge. Were it not that no-one was in the park save Tou-san and the others, there would have been countless innocents killed. Still, he knew Lorelei, Luvia, Rin, Bazett, Chiyo, and Haru would find a way to survive. They had not been intent on Kiritsugu, they had watched, and thus saw what was coming.

But Gilgamesh...

Kiritsugu opened his eye and saw that his Uncle was missing his head and half his back. Not even the mighty Golden Armor could deflect all that damage. Kiritsugu opened his mouth and inhaled as the King of Heroes turned to ash. Kiritsugu then took on of his last two Teleportation jewel and broke it, sending him to a predetermined location. Illya would not feel him as he did not cross the Bounded Field. None would know where he went. None would look, for a while, for a Servant in a ruined Throne room.

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.com/watch?v=2QLP4DCcOZA

_The road to hell is ordered by the righteous, planned by the well-meaning, and paved with their good intentions. -16 century proverb_

Kiritsugu looked up from his throne and stared as the sun rose before him.

He was laughing. He was crying. He was shedding tears of blood while he greeted the morning sun. Gilgamesh was dead, dead by his hands, though not before Tou-san was able to see the full armory of Gate of Babylon. May Tou-san make good use of what he had done and what it had cost his son. His plane, his beautiful plane that he had spent a lifetime working on was gone. His beautiful wings that he had made side by side with his family was destroyed. With both his horse and plane gone, could he call himself Rider anymore? No, now he was something else, something completely different. This night, Rider had fallen...so what was he now?

Avenger? Not yet. Not just yet, but feeding upon Gilgamesh had sped it up. The essence of the Fourth Grail that had spilled upon. The tattoos beneath his armor had spear across his arms and legs, his torso was completely covered in words of hate and condemnation. His armor, however, was beginning to crack again. And where it cracked, something black and evil oozed from his flesh. It was the armor that held the evil at bay, and only when he had removed it had he noticed what was spilling from within. He watched in mild horror as the dark sludge, when it touched the ground, changed the environment. The ruined and dirty floor became smooth and reflective. The chair he had sat upon had sprouted thorns where the darkness had touched it. He gazed upon the throne and shuddered, it was bringing his world into this one. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

He watched as another drop of pure evil touched the ground. Curious, he removed a bit of armor and let it cool in his hand. He took the sludge and wiped it on the wall hoping to see the mural of his world that he loved so much. He looked upon this one and almost screamed. The faces, the faces of his family were horrific. Dying in horrible ways wailing words of despair and cruelty. Kiritsugu balled up his fist and destroyed the image.

Bad, this was very bad. How long before more would splatter upon the walls? The ceiling? '_Oh God, Tou-san hurry, I don't think I can keep sane much longer._' Kiritsugu thought. '_Find the truth, find the answers and learn of your potential._'

Every Sibling he fed upon reversed the evil, but it came back faster and faster. At this rate, he would have to kill either Haru or Chiyo tonight to remain sane. No, it was getting faster. Too fast, it was happening too fast. Was this as far as he could go? _'Please, no, not yet. I may have won, but I can still make the world better. Just a little longer, just a little longer_.' Kiritsugu pleaded.

He felt something crack in the back of his head, and he felt something in him die. The knight that stood by the doorway had fallen, leaving the king upon the throne vulnerable to the darkness.

Time had run out

"I can help." A familiar voice called out.

Kiritsugu's sight went red at the voice growled, "You dare? You dare to tempt me in my darkest hour little sister?" he turned to see a lovely woman in a white dress with red hair in twin tails and red eyes. "Begone Shinra, begone and do not return. I have already seen your work upon this world. They adapt too well to the situation, they accept my words too easily. Begone." Behind him, the air swirled as something dark and monstrous with nine white eyes glared at her. The darkness that he had held back by sheer will was becoming free. The thing sent a hundred tendrils of darkness forward attempting to claim the life of the higher being. Shinra smiled sadly and phased out.

"It was not I that chose this route brother," Shinra voice said sadly in the air emanating form everywhere and yet nowhere. "You did. You chose to make a better world. You could have just accepted it and moved on, but you chose to make it better."

Kiritsugu sneered at her, "Do not tell me of choice doll. You are but an extension of Alaya. A branch, and Idea. You were bound to your route since you were born."

A sad sighed echoed in the wind, "And you have already fallen brother. I apologized, I wanted to help, but it seems that it was too late. Good-bye."

"Begone doll." Kiritsugu said in hate. "Torment me no longer. I will make the world better. So much more can be done."

"Buca." A voice called out from the door. Kiritsugu looked to see his five soldiers, his five undead cooking attempts come through the door.

"Ah, you have returned. Excellent." He said with a voice filled with malice. The chickens all stood very still feeling like mice before a serpent. Behind the black knight covered in red cracks, the tendrils rose in the air, then charged forward. The chickens all screamed for a bit, then were silent...The sound of crunching could be heard emanating from the manor.

As the sun rose in the sky, the manor looked far darker than ever before. It was as if no light could touch that place.

_**I h**__a__**V**__e_ _**b**__e__**E**__na_ _**kN**__i__**G**__h__**T f**__o__**R **__t__**O**__ol__**ON**__g_

_**I **__s__**H**__o__**U**__l__**d hA**__v__**e bE**__e__**N tH**__e_ _**K**__i__**N**__g a__**lL a**__l__**O**__n__**G**_

_**F**__o__**R t**__o__**O lO**__n__**G h**__a__**VE I aLl**__o__**W**__e__**D t**__h__**Em ch**__o__**I**__c__**Es**_

_**N**__o__**W I sH**__a__**Ll tA**__k__**E aW**__a__**Y tHe d**__i__**S**__s__**Id**__e__**N**__t v__**OI**__c__**E**__s_

_**If tH**__e__**Y wI**__l__**l nOt c**__o__**Me tO M**__e,_ _**tH**__e__**N I w**__i__**Ll cO**__m__**E to tH**__e__**M**_

_**T**__h__**Ey tH**__i__**NK I **__a__**M tH**__e_ _**S**__i__**nNer, bU**__t i__**t IS **__i_ _**ThAt sH**__ou__**Ld coNd**__e__**M**__n_

_**ThE**__y w__**Ho wO**__u__**Ld sT**__ea__**L mY rI**__g__**Ht**_

_**w**__i__**Ll dI**__e_ _**tH**__i__**S vER**__y ni__**GhT**_

_**F**__o__**R i aM tH**__e_ _BLACK KNIGHT_

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	37. Requiem for a Knight

_www.(youtube).com/watch?v=w8wyDWPpdhc_

_"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, 'Holy Sh-t, what a ride!'"- Unknown_

Kiri looked at the clock and shook his head.

"Father?" Aurora asked.

"Coming," Kiri said sadly. "I can't believe it's been a year. A whole year since he died."

He remembered his future self, his kindness, his laughter, his phenomenal skills with sword and shield, his terrible cooking...yeah, some things never change. It had been a year now full of joy of having a daughter. Kiri could not have asked for a better birthday present than to have his daughter. For that, his older self died at ninety years old. For that, his other had endured great pain to save Aurora and even gave her a name. For this gift, he would honor the man and continue the legacy. The Black Knight would continue to reign supreme on the battle field. It helped that much of the other's memories and abilities had transferred when they had interacted. Skills belonging to the older had flowed into the younger at an unprecedented rate.

And he had received the warning. In years to come the Einzbern would attack. Eiko had hinted at it, and with the revelation of the DA Haru, there had been more hints, but his older self had left notes hidden in his plane for what was coming. Speaking of hidden, the things he stored in that plane were fantastic. Though, Rin-kaasan and Luvia-kaasan had shrieked when they realized that they now had a second pair of their worst nightmare in the world. But still, the sheer amount of missiles that had been shrunk and stored were enough to fight a war. Thousands of prana storing jewel were boxed. Probably a billion US dollars of gold and ammunition. And of course, a Noble phantasm.

Avalon, to think that he had stored Avalon inside of the plane. His older self had left a note inside the Sheath that when the day came for them to choose one, he was to tell Kaa-san that he already possessed Avalon. No man should posses too much power, especially rouge characters like the Black Knight. Kiri nodded, but disagreed on one thing. He would give Avalon to Aurora. More than his own life, he treasured her life. So, he took the Sheath and inserted it into his daughter when she slept. He smiled a bit at that thought. She was now probably stronger than DA Haru. With her bloodline, Avalon inside her, and her magic, there was not much that could harm her.

Good.

Kiritsugu grabbed the flowers and walked with his daughter to Prodagos. The Two mounted the artificial horse and rode off for the hill. The two rode in silence as they headed for their destination. An hour later, they were there.

It was so simple a grave. Just a lone tombstone with a poem on it. No date, no name. The Emiya clan had bought the land for the older Kiritsugu and honored his request to be buried in this simple field where war had not touched it in centuries. This simple peaceful spot was all that the old man had wanted, and it was what he was given. Kiritsugu and Aurora dismounted and walked silently towards the grave. Kiritsugu and Aurora both placed their bouquets of flowers on the pile of flowers already there.

"She visits often." Kiritsugu noting the sheer amount of flowers laid around the grave.

"She loved him dearly." Aurora agreed. Poor Artemis, though she doggedly protected the daughter of her savior, the freelancer was at a loss of what to do with herself. She had dedicated her life to protecting the old man and helping him achieve his dream. Well...here she was, a girl out of her time, in a world similar, yet different than her had to be hard for her, yet Artemis never spoke of her difficulty. She merely spent her days tuning up the plane. waiting for the call to duty and whatever mission was available. Artemis had made it her life's calling to never fully acknowledge the Kiritsugu of this world and referred to him as a fake. Matsu-kaasan and a few others had joked that in ten years she would be married to Kiritsugu, but he doubted it. There was a bar she had set for the old man, a pedestal that was impossible to match. Some romances, no matter how much others might wish, would never work. this was one of them.

Kiritsugu had read the journals of the old man and had found that he had two more children in his life. Gwen and Bedivere. Both of them with mothers that had loved Kiritsugu, but never married him. They knew that while he was a good man, he was not the kind to ever settle down. In fact, there had only been one marriage in that man's life, and it had barely lasted a month before a divorce. Still, from the journals, the old man had done his best to be a father, providing funds, toys, books, and visits as often as possible. Yet, reading the journal, there was regret that he could not do more. An ache to have children he could raise, but could never stop for long. The man had a plan, to become an Epic Spirit while pushing the world onto a better path.

Kiritsugu had looked at the journal and understood. To be more than a man, to spent an eternity pushing countless worlds to better paths, one had to sacrifice something. But the biggest regret the man ever had was Aurora. The old man had gone into great detail telling of his confrontation of the Beast. Of Aurora, her atrocities she commited, her rampages, the hundreds of thousand kileld by her. Then he told of the battle, the twenty hour long battle that culminated with the death of Aurora. Not that he knew that it was his daughter at the time. Not until she was dying.

It must have hurt the man like nothing else, to be a kinslayer. To kill his own daughter. Yet, though he carried her memory forever, he had to move forward, to chase that ever elusive dream. So, for almost ninety years of work, he had fought and bled until an accident landed him into a parallel world in the past. And so, by living for the now and the present, a miracle was given. The old man wrote of his plans, his purpose, and the ultimate goal to save his daughter no matter the cost.

And so, the old man did it. He saved Aurora and died with a smiled on his lips. He endured hundreds of blades in the back, but he refused to die until help arrived. His spirit was strong enough to defy death long enough to save his daughter.

Kiritsugu hugged his daughter who was beginning to cry. Words were not spoken as they stood there, honoring the man. Kiritsugu thought for a while, then nodded.

_"The Knight has finished the journey and gone to rest_

_knowing he left the world in the hands of the best._

_Though his body lies beneath the tilled earth,_

_he left his dreams and hopes in men of worth._

_After a lifetime of pain, disease, death, and strife,_

_for his daughter's safety he gladly gave his life._

_Weep not for the end of the man little one,_

_for his task was merely delayed, not done._

_Though his ruined body returns to the earth_

_He sits in the throne of Heroes awaiting rebirth"_

Aurora sniffled at that then turned to him and hugged him tightly, "Thank you."

"He was the best of us, and I intend to do better. Follow me Aurora, for we shall make the world he wished for, one day at a time." Kiritsugu said

"Yes," Aurora said determined, "Until my last breath, i will make his world. Until I see that Elusive Utopia he wanted, I will not die."

Kiri rubbed her head fondly, "That you will. Remember us when our time comes my daughter. Remember our dream, our wish. Even if we are no longer by your side, we will always be with you."

Aurora hugged him even tighter thinking of what was to come. Humans only life for so long. As a half dragon, how long would she live? Dragons were immortal, and with her mother the Echidna, she had probably inherited her lifespan. "But-"

Kiritsugu bent down and hugged her tightly, "Worry not my daughter. There is still plenty of time before my end. And my end will not be the true end, if you ever get too lonely, remember, it is possible to summon me. Call for me when you need me, both me and him will always come." He hugged her for a long time, feeling the warmth of each other, enjoying the precious time they had as the winds swept around them lightly like another was hugging them in turn.

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www.(youtube).com/watch?v=-6gvprxUPdk&feature=related

**Untold Years later**

Five women watched as they saw the last structure of the city of Avalon grow from the ground with the guidance of Gaia. The crystalline city would be the symbol of a new age of man, An age of peace, and prosperity that would last for untold millenia.

"With this, everything is finished." Eiko said happily.

"Everything is done." Reiko agreed. This is what they had envisioned for all these years. The end of wars, and the beginnign of a new way for man to think. No longer were they greedy creatures that ook form the earth without a care. Now, they were one with the planet.

"She is pleased with everything." The voice of Gaia Emiya Ichigo chirped. "She will forever bless her children with happiness and health.

"Alaya has gone to sleep until she is needed," The spirit of mankind's willingness to adapt Shinra agreed.

"No, this is not the end." the fourth woman disagreed. The others looked to the one in black armor. Aurora stood there with two swords on her back and a black shield. "As my father was fond of saying, Utopia is easy to make. It is maintaining it that is the problem."

"What are you saying?" Eiko asked. This was not in her vision, not at all.

"The universe will always need someone to watch in the darkness, to answer to no one. To keep an eye out for dissident voices and strike down those that want to burn everything down." Aurora continued. "Be content in what you have built. But I will do as my Father's did throughout their lives. I too will wear the black armor till the end of my days and pass all I know to the next generation."

"But..." Ichigo said, "We don't have to."

Aurora shook her head and smiled, "No, you don't. But there must always be a Black knight. A being that is more than a man, more than a mortal. A symbol. I will be the guardian in the shadows." Aurora saved her hand dismissively, "Oh, I will not harm the innocent, the guiltless, the niave. But, I will be there to face the enemies of man."

"Good luck," Reiko said.

"Thank you." Aurora said donning her helmet. "Enjoy, the next Emiya tournament is tomorrow right?"

"Yes, are you coming?" Shinra.

Aurora shook her head, "It just wasn't the same without Rin and Luvia-kaasan ripping up the enviroment. But...maybe I can cook something up." Aurora began to chuckle at that while the others paled.

"Aurora, my favorite niece, please. Please stop trying to cook. The last time you did set back construction by a week." Eiko begged.

Aurora strode off chuckling, '_still got it._' She walked for a bit, until she found what she was looking for. The original tombstones had been worn away by the winds of time, but they had been easy to replace. Three tombstones stood side by side on a hill that hand not seen war in what felt like forever.

Three tombstones with only simple poems on them. Two of them were her fathers' death poems, each of them the same. But the third was that of Artemis. Unlike her father, hers had her name on it.

_Artemis_

_Loyal Squire_

_Faithful Attendant_

_Goddess of the Hunt_

_Best D*mn Pilot in the World_

It always made Aurora smirk at the self proclaimed titles. But still...it was good to see them.

"I'm home fathers, Onee-san." Aurora said sitting down next to the graves. "It took longer than I thought, facing things we never dreamed of...or cook out. I have seen things that would have driven you mad, haunted your dreams, and made you claw out your eyes. I have seen friend turn on friend, family turn on family, wars of unmatched devastation, but we did it. We made the world you dreamed of. And I intend to protect it." She swept the top of her fathers' graves. "Wait for me Tou-sans, I won't be able to join you any time soon."

Aurora looked up to the sky and watched the ships of the time fly through the air like dolphins in the sea. She sat there, drinking in the sights of the world, enjoying the feeling that everything that her fathers' had given up, sacrificed and endured was worth it. They had started the chain to make a better world. Even without her help, Aurora was certain that this outcome would have come to pass. Simple events from long ago had echoed into the now creating this world. A plan so complex she wasn't sure she ever would fully understand it had lead to this moment. This one precious moment.

Aurora sat there until the sun had set, then she stood up. "I'm off fathers Onee-san, to keep the world as it is. I don't know when I will return, but I will protect this world and carry your dream to the future."


	38. clan wars 20

Clan Wars 20

www.(youtube).com/watch?v=n226M5ZzkOE

They stared at the devastation before them, unable to say anything. They had just witnessed the end of an epic battle that defied words. Two heroes, one from the distant past, one from a possible future had collided. The one who had been once called the most powerful Servant ever had been destroyed.

"wow, I never expected him to break his Noble Phantasm." Haru said aloud.

"I know." Chiyo added numbly.

"Break a Noble Phantasm?" Shirou asked.

Rin sighed at Shirou's ignorance while the other magi in the group wondered why his father hadn't told his son any of this.

"You see Shirou," Haru said, "Every Servant has the ability to force their Noble Phantasm to become stronger than ever at a cost. For one moment of power, they can overload their Noble Phantasm to bypass the normal limits. But, there is a cost." Haru stopped and let his father figure it out.

"If it becomes overloaded...it becomes damaged." Shirou said as he thought.

"More than damaged," Chiyo clarified, "It becomes destroyed. The Servant, for that one moment of power loses the ability to use the Noble Phantasm again for the duration of the summons. Kiritsugu sacrificed his plane for an attack strong enough to bypass the King of Heroes' protective armor and kill him."

"So, he won't be able to fly anymore?" Shirou asked.

"Not unless he hijacks a plane." Chiyo assured him. "No the skies no longer belong to him."

"So what do you want to do?" Haru spoke up, "We can go back and forget the church, or we can press on. What is your wish?"

Rin looked at him and smirked, "We go on, if Kirei has done what Rider told us, we need to deal with it."

"You sure it's not because you have a personal grudge against Kirei?" Haru asked.

Rin's face blushed in embarrassment and began stutteringing, "w-w-what are you saying? D-do you think I would prioritize a grude over the war?"

"Yes." Chiyo and Haru both said at once.

"No offense Rin-kaasan," Haru said, "But you're the kind of person that prioritizes on getting back at people that affected you."

Matsu began chuckling at that while Luvia cackled. Chiyo rolled her eyes but refused to tell Luvia and Matsu how alike they were to Rin. Lorelei looked ambitious, eager to knock down the church a peg, while Bazett seemed nervous. Understandable really, after all, she did lose an arm to the man who she once trusted. As they drew near the church, they were more and more silent, as if something oppressive filled the air.

Finally, at the entrance to the church, they were completely silent. Not one of them uttered a sound louder than a whisper as they were silently breathing. The air at this church, it had become filled with something, something evil. Had they missed it before? No, something had happened.

They opened the door and froze at what they saw.

There was Kirei, Crucified on the church's massive cross, held in place with his own Black Keys in his arms and legs with one in his chest. Yet, the man still lived, if only just.

"Nanda, looks like someone took care of you first." Rin said looking a bit happy.

Haru bent down and examined the floor, "Giant chicken footprints, I wondered where they went to." He muttered. "Looks like Kiritsugu sent them here while he fought Gilgamesh."

"Kiritsugu?" Kirei muttered hearing a familiar word.

Chiyo walked up to the fallen priest and smiled, "Oh no, not the magus killer, Rider, the grandson of him." She saw the man's eyes open wide at the revelation. "Tell me Kirei, isn't it ironic how revenge comes along when you least expect it?"

Kirei looked at her for a moment then said, "You seem to know something, might I ask who you are?"

Chiyo bowed low smiling, "Emiya Chiyo, daughter of Emiya Shirou, granddaughter of Emiya Kiritsugu, beside me is Emiya Haru." She looked up with her most terrible smile, "every Servant in this war is a child of Emiya Shirou, your wish could never happen."

Kirei suddenly laughed causing him to cough up some blood, "Oh, seems like you think I am naïve, no, I could sense it upon my opponents. Tenacious creatures, they were, but tainted. Angra Mainyu is coming." The priest smiled at that.

"Angra Mainyu cannot, not when Kiri has an affinity for it." Chiyo countered.

"Wait, WHAT?" Haru asked.

Chiyo rolled her eyes, "Why do you think his cooking is so bad. On the day Saber destroyed the grail, a few drops fell upon her, tainting her. Hence her Alter self. You seriously thought he was just bad at cooking?"

Haru thought back to every horror he had witnessed, "So...he sucks because of Avenger?"

"No, he's also a bad cook, but he is tainted, far more than his twin. I suspect that he took in most of the corruption as he was male." Chiyo added. She looked up at Kirei and smiled, "Kiritsgu is strong, he can resist what no other could."

Kirei raised an eyebrow, "Oh, your bravado is impressive, however-" He was silence as Chiyo punched the blade deep in his chest.

"No-one cares, Kirei. It's time." She motioned for the others to follow her. She lead them past the dying priest to the dark stairs. Down, down they went feeling more and more darkness encompass them, muttering words of hate.

Down down they went into the dark. Not even illumination spells could push back the dark. But finally they arrived at the dark temple below the church. The smell of medicine and antiseptic was heavy in the air, but not even that could cover up the smell of death and disease. Stoically, Chiyo led them to a door in the back of the temple. "Here father, here are the one's Kiritsugu was talking about." She said opening the door, She gestured for him to go, but made no move herself.

Slowly, Shirou and the others moved inside and stared.

Bodies, bodies everywhere. Rotting, festering bodies laid in black coffins. The coffins seemed to feed upon the bodies, melting them, consuming them.

"Horrible," Rin said looking at it.

"What is this?" Illya asked as her two maids covered her eyes.

"these are the orphans?" Shirou said numbly.

"Every child sent to the church ended up here." Chiyo confirmed from the entrance of the room. "Only you were spared because you were never sent here."

"only me..." Shirou said looking at them all, there had to be over a hundred in here.

"mmmgh," One body moaned.

"Oh god, they're alive." Matsu moaned in horror.

"Mama? Mama, why is it so painful? Why is it so dark mama?" The body moaned.

"nee, what's going on?" Illya asked trying to shake off the maids' hands.

Lorelei looked over the corpse unmoved, she had seen far worse in her life. "He doesn't even know where he is, probably doesn't even know how much time has passed,"

"Ten years, ten years and I did nothing." Shirou said feeling disgust.

"You couldn't have known." Luvia said trying to calm him down.

"What kind of hero am I if I can't even save them?" Shirou asked in anguish.

"A human one." Haru said grimly, "The best kind of hero. One that isn't perfect, one that isn't something impossible to understand."

It was Bazett who spoke up next ending her silence, "Shirou, if you had tried to save them, you would have only gotten yourself killed. Kirei is one of the church's best. Don't blame youself."

Haru heaved a depressed sigh, "That's like asking the tide to stop rising. It's natural for him, he will blame himself for failing to save anyone, even when it's not his fault." Haru looked up for a moment, "On this I have to agree with Kiri. Tou-san should have been told long ago. He's still too raw."

"no," Chiyo countered, "We were not supposed to be here, we'd alter things too much."

Haru pointed at Shirou who looked on at the bodies and said, "And this isn't altered?"

Chiyo conceded the point then entered the room, "Everyone, please leave." They all turned to her as she pulled out a small pistol. "Go, I will free them."

Shirou ran and stood in front of her, "What are you doing?"  
>"Father, for ten years their souls have been leached from their bodies. For ten years they have suffered in a way that no human ever should. For ten years they have rotted here, they need to be freed."<p>

"That doesn't mean they need to die." Shirou yelled.

"Not even Avalon can heal the damage done to them. It goes beyond the body, beyond the mind. Their very souls are on the brink of death, yet never released from their bodies. They are dead in all but name." She pointed to the moaning one, "For ten years, they have slept here while the world turned, it's time to let them go."

"No, we can save them." Shirou insisted, pleaded. "It's not right to end it."

"So yo would rather they continue to suffer?" Lorelei asked.

"Shirou," Rin said biting her lip, "Not everyone can be saved."

"Sometimes it's more merciful to end their lives," Matsu said, "Some things are too horrible to ever recover from."

"Why do you care for the dead Onii-chan?" Illya asked

"They won't even survive getting to a hospital Emiya-san," Luvia said sadly.

"All we can do is give them peace, and remember them." Bazett said as she grabbed his hand. "Treasure your life Shirou, for you are the only one of them left." She pulled him close and hugged him, "It's not a sin to be happy. It's right to be happy, to live the life they should have had."

Haru and Chiyo narrowed their eyes at that. Those words...

Bazett lead the numb Shirou out of the chamber. Shirou moved like a man headign for the gallows, stooped and saddened. Haru lead the party back up the stairs while Chiyo turned to the bodies. She removed the safety of her gun and pointed it at the bodies.

"Rest now young ones, rest and be at peace. May the Root send you to a better life in your next reincarnation." She said as she squeezed the trigger

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

Shirou winced as he heard the shots echo up the chamber. They lead him out of the dark, and into the church proper. There they waited for Chiyo to return, the scent of gun power on her. As soon as she had left, Lorelei muttered a spell closing off the room until she could get someone to clean this up. The church had messed up big time breaking the truce, and she intended for them to repent for their mistake.

They walked home silently, the dark pressure was still upon them like a blanket. Shirou looked anguished that he could do nothing, Matsu felt great sorrow she could do nothing for him, Rin clenched her teeth hating the priest anew, Luvia found herself feeling depressed by what she had seen, while Lorelei was busy reviewing the proper protocols to contact the church when they mucked up. Illya and her maids were hard to read, there was no cheer in Illya's face, but she didn't seem disturbed either. As for Bazett, she kept looking off in the distance, like she was trying to hear something. They all soon arrived at the Emiya manor where most of them promptly fell asleep.

Lorelei was busy contacting the Tower informing them of the situation, while Bazett gazed at the moon.

She saw there for a time before Haru arrived holding out some tea. "Here," Haru said. Bazett reached out at took the cup. An experimental sip revealed that it was good.

"Thank you," Bazett said

"You've been dreaming," Haru accused. Bazett blinked at that. "I'm right aren't I, you've been seeing the Dream Cycle." Haru continued

Bazett nodded and blushed a bit, "I'm not sure why, but even after I lost the Command Seals, I still feel a connection."  
>"Because he is still your Servant." Haru told her, "The Seals were removed, but the connection is still there."<br>"Why? Why does he do this?" Bazett asked. "I saw how much he loved his family. He died for one of them and suffered for the rest countless times."

"And that's the problem." Haru told her, "He suffers for us, trying to bear the burden that we all would have shared. Every Kiritsugu I have met was an idealist in their own ways. They would bear the burdens so others would not have to."  
>"Kind of like his father." Bazett said with a smile.<p>

"Root yes, while he wasn't the closest adherent to the ideal." Haru said pointing to Chiyo who was on the roof keeping watch, "He was one of the more stringent, in his own way. For him, he would start a war if he felt that it was needed. He used both chaos and order in equal measure to destroy any threats. One time, the Kiritsugu I grew up with spent two years infiltrating the ranks of a drug cartel. He went from pusher, to distributor, to eventually one of the top bosses. Then, after understanding how everything worked, ripped it apart in days." Haru smiled, "He then went about it differently, breaking fingers from the bottom up to get to the top and destroyed everything with pure force in a matter of a month."  
>"Why?" Bazett asked.<p>

"To understand what he was fighting, and which was the better way to go about it." Haru explained, "It was more complete when he infiltrated, but he destroyed the cartel in a fraction of the time with outside force."

"All that just to understand crime?" She asked horrified.

Haru nodded, "Make no mistake, if he considers something a threat to what he holds dear, he will find a way to destroy it completely and utterly."

"So he is doing all this to destroy the grail?" Bazett asked.

Haru shrugged, "Maybe, or maybe something else is the enemy. Either way, get some sleep, the night is soon ending, and the day will be short."

Bazett finished her tea and bowed before heading to her assigned room.

Haru watched her go then stood up, he went to his father's room and peeked in. Tou-san was sweating, he was dreaming of something that scared him, frightened him. Yet, he was muttering a familiar Aria under his breath an all too familiar Aria that could reshape the world.

Haru then quietly moved to Rin's room and peeked in. Like Tou-san, she was dreaming, but unlike him, she was smiling, even laughing quietly. "Sleep well Rin, dream of a better time."

Chiyo looked to the horizon and tried to determine where her brother had gone to, but so far ther was nothing she could see. "What are you up to Kiri?" She asked

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

www.(youtube).com/watch?v=qMfoRqbS-Ko

**Die** "_you were supposed to be the best of us_"

All around him the darkness surged. The darkness had tried to consume him, but he had consumed it first. The sins of mankind? Pathetic. He was the Prince of War, war is the only sin of mankind, and he was the ruler of that sin. The knight might not bear the burden, but the king, oh yes the king could bear it easily. His will, his power, his charisma, all of it could bear the sin. Yet the whispers continued to haunt his hearing.

_**Elimination of human rights by castration, exile, execution**_

**Die** "_the pride and joy of the family_"

The darkness poured out of the cracks in his armor. The red cracks oozed liters, gallons, streams of mud over his white armor. It had changed, that which was black was now sickly white. The mud made it look like he was bleeding profusely from countless wounds while he sat upon his throne of thorns.

_**ScornGrudgesDeath LoveRespect SelfishConcealment MurderTheftWarCrimes**_

**Die** "_You are our greatest mistake_"

The Einzbern manor had changed under the rule of the prince. It's ruins had been repaired and remodeled. What had looked like a what manor had changed into a dark citadel. Great walls of mud were erected all around the building. A portcullis and drawbridge had appeared in front of the main entrance. All around the wall a wide moat of mud formed. Wails and curses seemed to mutter from the wall in equal measure. At the center of it, was a half completed tower, slowly rising from the ground. It would take time, but the dark tower would be made, then it would begin...

_**SelfInterestUnconsiciousCrime ViolationHomicideMassViolence **_

**_Die_** "_We hate you, we hate you we hate you_"

The trees all around had shriveled up and died. Shadows formed among the dead trees resembling horrors in the nightmares of men. Some were small as gremlins with red eyes and sharp teeth. Some were like hanged men waving in the breeze. Some had tendrils or wings. Horrors that haunt the night skulked the area as more and more trees died to the blight. It was quiet in the forest, no birds, no insects, no form of life could be heard. The few leaves remaining in the trees seemed muted in the wind. Little to no rustling could be heard, even as they fell from the trees. Like life itself was afraid to catch the attention of the darkness. Dead trees seemed to grow faces in their knots, evil malicious faces that seemed to smile and laugh at anyone foolish enough to come here. Evil faces that looked ready to feed upon the flesh of any within the reach of their roots and branches.

_**PenaltyImprisonmentCustody RapeDeathConcelament LiesFraud **_

**_Die_** "_We would have helped you_"

Within the walls a hundred shadows plagued the grounds stand up like ghosts over a forgotten battle field. The very ground had lost all form of plant life and became a barren wasteland. Yet, what was worse was what looked like bodies. Hundreds of bodies strewn about the ground looking like half rotted corpses. Each of them bearing a face of someone who died horrifically. The eyes, the eyes seemed to stare at everything that moved, as if afraid of something even in death. Something so horrible that not even their souls could go in peace. Each of them held their hands out as if begging for salvation, begging for release, but there was not to give or receive, for they were merely illusions made under the will of the sculptor. From their mouths dark tendrils crawled out and writhed, seeking something else to corrupt.

_**SelfConscious CrimeCivilWar **_

**_Die_** "_You stabbed us in the back_"

Yet, it was the inside of this new castle that bore the greatest evil. No light could be found save in the throne room. All other halls were darker than the darkest night. Hiding the murals upon the walls that showed all the ways a human can die. Disease, poison, gas, fires, hangings, decapitation, mutilation, on and on the walls bore things that man had done to fellow man. Every horror, every atrocity mankind had done in the dark was etched on the walls. The smell, the place smelled of rot and disease. Not even the foulest of morgues could compare to this place. This place was filled with sickness and death. Were anyone foolish enough to traverse the dark halls, they would hear the whispers, the dark evil whispers condemning any and all whispering the crimes committed and demanding death as payment for the sins.

_**TheftRobbery KidnapSuicideRapeArsonBombing AttackDirtyAtone KindnessMalignace EvilPenalty**_

**_Die_** "_We trusted you_"

Yet, it was the Throne room where it was arguably worse. It was here that the murals were visible. It was here that the parody of the mural from his mind and place in the Throne was displayed, corrupted and made perverse. On one wall, his family was etched, each of them were painted dark and cruelly looking at all with the throne room in condemnation as they died. On the other wall was all those he had met after death, and these were worse. It was pictures of him, killing them, everyone of them. Killed by the sword, killed by the shield, killed by his hands one way or another. Yet the worse was what was painted above him. Aurora, both in her human form and her snake form, he was feeding on her. The graphic image would be enough to send most people looking for the bathroom.

_**Kinslayer**_ "_You murdered us._"

Yet, here, in this place a bit of light remained. The broken ceiling had mostly been fixed, but small holes kept appearing randomly for brief moments before the shadow covered it up and in the process reveal a different hole for the light to shine through causing flickering effect to occur in the room. Even more, the floor, where he had scattered the path of crushed crystals glowed softly, like the last embers in the darkest of places.

_**Kinslayer**_ _**Kinslayer **_"_how dare you play the victim_"

And by the doors, waiting for a task that may never come for them stood the six golem knights, untouched by the corruption of the darkness. Patiently they wait for what they may be required to do.

_**Kinslayer**_ _**Kinslayer**_ _**Kinslayer**_ "_I wish you had never been born_"

"Go," The prince ordered his subjects in the dark. From the halls came various beasts. Black lions with one red eye prowled out. And left via the entrance. Centaurs, part man part horse clip clopped out. Yet, unlike the classic centaurs, these were different. They had the full body of a horse, but in the middle of their backs the upper half of an armored man was welded down. Finally, winged knights with wings as red as blood in tribute to the lost Noble Phantasm's red wings arose and flew through the roof exposing the light for a brief moment.

_**DieDieDieDieDie**_ "_We all would have been better off if you had never been born_"

"So it begins." the king intones. Beside his throne sat a small table holding a book with two glowing Seals upon it. This, the king had been unable to destroy. Every time he tried, something within him resisted. The knight, though dead refused to bow to the will of the king. Fool, so much more could be done without such a risk, but the knight was adamant, even in death. Such stubbornness, this is why the king had indulged the knight for so long. But now, it was time for the king to take over...

_**HurryUpAndDie**_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This music by the way is what I listened to while writing the castle scene. Be warned it will activate your fear response.

www.(youtube).com/watch?v=wwNAwkulMF0&feature=related

Those of you that listened to it, imagine listening to it in a dark room all alone and realize that's exactly what I did.

Some of you mention that this is getting rather dark, I blame HF for this.

If this depresses you too much, go watch Carnival Phantasm again. Always makes the day brighter

Read and review


	39. clan wars 21

_A murderer is regarded by the conventional world as something almost monstrous, but a murderer to himself is only an ordinary man. It is only if the murderer is a good man that he can be regarded as monstrous. - Graham Greene_

_There are men who struggle against destiny, and yet achieve only an early grave. There are men who flee destiny, only to have it swallow them whole. And there are men who embrace destiny, and do not show their fear. These are the ones that change the world forever -Flemeth_

www.(youtube).com/watch?v=29Mg1yS1VUI&feature=related

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They moved swiftly and silently in the night that army of evil and darkness. The normals could feel something in the air, something wrong, something that would devour them if they went out, so they hid in their homes, hid and prayed while their instincts screamed WRONG WRONG WRONG. Cars turned sharply and went into different areas as the army moved. No normal saw them, but all could feel the evil, all could feel the darkness pass them by. Above their city the skies became covered in storm clouds. The winds began to blow bringing in the scent of something metallic in the air, a few combat veterans could recognize the scent from battlefields, while others who had been at the edge of the great five ten years ago swore they were having deja-vu with a feeling of foreboding.

Beasts and birds were silent as the evil moved, all that could flee did so. Dogs chained to yards pulled at the chains till they injured themselves trying to get away. A few dogs strangled themselves in their fear. May broke their chains and began digging holes as fast as they could or went into hiding. Birds flew in great flocks disregarding differences in species as they flew to distant lands hoping to outrun that which was behind them. The sick and the slow were soon left behind as they flew as fast as their wings could carry them. Soon, no bird would be found within miles of Fuyuki and Shinto.

The one eyed black lions ran side by side with the centaurs while the winged knights flew in the sky like a giant flow of red winged crows. The leaped, bounded, and flew over buildings causing each structure they passed to suffer blackouts. If one were to watch from a distance, one would have seen a wave of darkness moving. Had one gotten closer, one would have seen hundreds or red eyes glowing in the dark, but at that distance, any human had already succumb to a massive wave of panic and fear. A few old men and woman died of heart attacks unable to bear the brutal assault on their senses while the rest felt more fear than they had ever encountered. Whispers haunted their ears accusing them of every crime they had ever committed and some that had never occurred to them.

Yet, as fast as the the darkness came, it left them. Making them wonder what had happened, but with the power out and the telephones not working, they were unable to contact anyone. It would fall upon them to try to brave the dark outside and seek the company of their neighbors to try to determine what had happened.

Not many dared, those that did were assailed anew in fear and rushed back inside. Seeking safety in their artificial caves of wood, plaster, and concrete. None could stand to stay in the dark that brought forth their nightmares, hobos and travelers banged on doors seeking safety. Some were rushed inside, while others were locked out where they banged on the doors helplessly until the fear caused them to pass out. Any who had been sleeping awoke screaming in tongues forgotten by men assaulted by horrors in their dreams. For those on the streets, they were caught in a vicious cycle of awake screaming, passing out, and dreaming of horrors to awaken and scream again. The dark had come, but...for a time they were still safe. Panicky, hysterical, but still safe. The dark had not come to consume them yet.

The army moved, silent, but swift in the direction of their first target. The Matou manor. Though it was in ruins, there was still some unfinished business there first. Though the manor was destroyed, the worm still lived, the vampire still lived. The army moved in shadows, covering the manor in a darkness blacker than the deepest cave, with an aura more evil than anything felt by man in a long time. Though the humans could not see it, the creatures began digging, throwing rock and debris fast and far clearing a path into the depths. Soon, very soon a way was opened and the creatures descended. With the bounded fields broken in the earlier assault, the place was almost defenseless. Some insects tried to top them, but they were consumed in moments as the army pressed in, hungering for their targets. The first one found was the worm.

The fool was there, curled up in a ball screaming hysterics as the army reached for him. The boy was knocked unconscious and thrown on one of the centaurs who took the boy back. The rest pressed on searching for the vampire. It took time, but they found him in the depths. He, Matou Zouken, stood there at the very bottom of the worm pit looking at the army arrayed before him.

"I see, then it is as you said, you do have the ability to control Angra Mainyu" Zouken said smiling. He saw a collection of nods. "I see, I see, it is good then. So I will soon have what I desire." The man slowly walked up the stairs and stood before the group, "Very well lead on." Whatever he expected next, he did not expect one of the lions to pounce on him, feeding on him. The vampire broke his concious up into the worms to preserve himself but they were hunted down by the army. The last thought the old man had was of a woman much like Illya. "Lizleihi" Zouken's voice called out as he died. For a moment, he remembered why he truly wanted the grail, not for immortality, but because he loved her and wished to complete her dream.

The army dispersed and hunted down every worm, every insect in the place killing them to ensure the vampire was really dead. It took some time, but the old man was dead. This had been part of the knight's plan, so it was a king's duty to finish what his other was unable to complete.

So it was time for the army to move once more, to the final objective...The Emiya Residence.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was scary, so scary. D*mnit D*mnit, why was it always him? Why was he always getting the defective Servants? Lancer was useless and got herself offed first, Rider had betrayed him, and Gilgamesh was even more useless then Lancer. At least Lancer hadn't let the manor get destroyed. All that knowledge, the entire library of the Matou's gone in an instant. Grandfather had beat him bady after losing not one, not two, but three Servants. Each had been more powerful than the last, but they had all been useless to him. How was he supposed to be a magus now?

They took him through a path of pure darkness, all he could determine were the hysterical screams of others, drowning out his own screams for mercy. Yet, the black thing ignored him, holding him tightly. How long he was there in the dark he could not tell, but suddenly there was light. Shinji's eyes hurt as the sudden light of the moon assaulted his eyes. Blinking, he focused and noticed that he was being taken through a forest. At first, there were green things, but then it became brown, then black. The trees were dead now, and there were things in the trees and under the trees, staring at him with a single red eye on each head.

"eeeiiiii" Shinji shrieked anew as he saw the things move silently along side him. Monsters of every make and size from goblins to giant spiders. Four winged birds to creatures that stalked on three legs. Such monsters, and each of them radiated evil.

Then he saw it, the fortress. What else could it be called? The first was was easily thirty feet high and it looked like there was a second wall behind it even taller. There was a moat around the wall where a drawbridge was falling to allow the centaur that held Shinji to enter. The walls were lined with more creatures keeping watch. Their red eyes were staring at him, glaring at him, as if they were accusing him. Why? He wasn't anyone important now? D*mnit, why him?

Shinji went through the first door and saw massive Gargoyles spewing dark mud into the moat, yet even these statues held red eyes that always seemed to be watching him.

**RapeIncestFalsetestimony**

What was that? What was that noise? He heard as he crossed a second drawbridge across a second moat to get through the next wall. The eyes were everywhere staring at him. The creatures were everywhere, even thicker in number as he approached the heart of the fortress.

**TortureApathyBrutalitySadist**

What was that? Shinji was freaking out as the words and accusations seemed to fill his head. He crossed the next wall and began to vomit as he saw the countless bodies rotting before him. Those brown, disgusting bodies that lay there looked like someone had sculpted the earth to parody the most horrific battlefield ever. Shinji whimpered and wanted to close his eyes, but feared that doing so would be his last.

**MutilationAbusePlannedMurder**

He gazed upon the dark fortress and felt his gut turn to ice. The voices, they were listing every crime he had committed. Everything he had done to Sakura and for the war. They were seeing his soul, and he was being judged. They took him to the great doors to the fortress and threw him off like garbage. The centaur turned and headed back out the dark castle while Two other beings grabbed him and dragged him inside.

**_d_**_I_**_d Y_**o**_U eN_**_j_**_O_**y r**_A_**_p_**_I_**_n_**_G hE_**r**_?_**

**_D_**_i_**_D _**_y_**_O_**_u_**_ E_**_n_**_J_**_o_**_Y bE_**_a_**_T_**_i_**_Ng H_**e**_R?_**

What was that? This was different, worse. The whisper came from everywhere and yet nowhere. He was dragged inside and stared. A dark throne room with no illumination save a small path towards a throne that emitted a light atop the throne casting the ruler in shadows, but there were great rents of red on the king. Yes, it was a king, he displayed an aura of ruling. An aura of power. It was frightening. Shinji squealed in fear and curled up as much as he could while being dragged

"So, the worm realizes where he stands. It is good for the worm to realize how low he is." A familiar voice echoed in the room. Shinji looked up and saw who it was, Rider. Yet, Shinji did not dare yell at him, for Rider had changed. Much of his armor was covered in large red cracks streaming dark mud that trailed down and flowed through the room. "Well boy, the wheel has turned and that which was the slave is now the master. What say you?"

"Hiiiiii." Shinji screeched.

"So, what would you do to save your life boy?" Rider asked him "How far are you willing to go to live."  
>"P-please. M-mercy." Shinji begged.<p>

"How many time?" Rider asked darkly, "how many times did she beg you to stop? How many times did you rape her? Beat her? Torture her for your amusement?" Shinji paled. How? How did this man know? D*mned b*tch must have told him. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That was the rule of Solomon the Wise. So, beatings for beatings, torture for torture...you understand" The king snapped his fingers and the two mooks dragged the boy to a side corridor where the darkness was thickest causing the boy to scream as he was taken away.

The king frowned at his words, this was not right. He should have mentioned the last crime...the knight was still thrashing at him...altering his words and interrupting his thoughts.

"So, even in death you defy me. Even in death you refuse to bow little knight. I commend you on your will, but I spit upon your stubbornness. Your time is done, I rule now. I reign now and forever. A better world? I can grant that for you my old companion. For your trials and tribulations, for your deeds that granted me immortality, I will reward you. I shall make this world better than you could have hoped." Kiritsugu spoke in the dark.

"First I will force him to marry them. Then I will hunt down Minaka and kill him and take over the company. I will gather the 108 and present them to our father. I will hunt down and drag Altrouge to the alter. I will beat down the sisters and show them who to marry. All within a year, all within a month even. Just give up this pointless struggle, you've fought long enough." Kiritsugu closed his eyes and felt within his world, but the knight did not respond. Of course not, he was dead. Dead men do not respond, not even to kings and princes. "Fool, I can bear the sins of Man. I can control the evils of the world. With this power, not even ORT can stand against me. Not even the combined might of the Ultimate Ones can stop me. I can save humanity, ensure their survival for all eternity. I can preserve Gaia till the last star turns cold. What can you do corpse? Where is your will, your drive?" he began to recite his poem to signify who he was, yet he could hear the echo of the knight within him.

Fool

**I am the Prince of War**

_I am Bound by an Oath _

**Piercing my Body, and Drinking my Blood**

_Guard the Helpless, and Protect the Family_

**My Throne is made of Countless Thorns**

_I have fought over Countless Battlefields_

**With War as my Master, With War as my Slave**

_Hands stained with Blood, and head full of Horrors _

**I have inflicted Countless Pains upon my enemies**

_Withstood Countless Pains that others might not _

**And yet my Kingdom is Infinite in size**

_Yet I have no Regrets for my Life _

**And this I will always be the White King**

_My path ends today as a Black Knight_

www.(youtube).com/watch?v=tIkp-roj3Mc&feature=related

Had he only had a connection to one Servant, he might have dreamed differently, but with so many Servants related to him, Shirou's dreames altered. Shirou had dreamed of many things, family, children, foes. Countless events of a time that was not to far off. He saw his mother, his sister, he saw the man that gave hald his genes to his mother. That man was no father to him...He saw himself in love, he saw himself get involved in the Sekirei plan, he saw himself involved in wars of the strangest fronts, made friends and allies with martians, aliens, wizards, and time travelers. He saw the paths available to him. A devastated family, a family that made Utopia, a family that just went on to enjoy life. So many routes, so many paths to take...

_I am the bone of my sword_

But what he dreamed most of was a world.

_Steel is my Body, and Fire is my Blood._

A world with gears in the sky and an ever present dawn that would never come

_I have created over a thousand blades_

The ground was smooth, hard, and unyielding, never causing anyone to trip

_Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain_

No signs of life could be found in that world. No grass, no trees, no birds, no animals, nothing.

_Withstood pain to create many weapons_

Only swords, infinite swords planted in the ground as markers for graves. But who's graves.

_Waiting for one's arrival I have no regrets_

Swords of legend, swords of mundane quality. Infinite swords

_this is the only path_

And in the middle of that world was a hill

_My Whole Life was Unlimited Blade Works._

It called to him, hypnotic as a Siren's call. So, he climbed, climbed for an indeterminate time, using swords for purchase he climbed until he reached the top. What was at the top, was it worth the effort, the pain, the dirt and the mud on him? He looked around and saw only more sword, more graves. Yet, he was content for some reason, Why? Why was he happy on this hill?

"No matter how much we changed, there is nothing like this spot." A voice said to him. Shirou turned around, but saw nothing. The voice had sounded like a hundred men with the same voice all talking at once.

"For all we endured, for all we faced, fought and beat, we all knew where this would end. We all knew we would come here to this place." The voice continued.

"Who are you?" Shirou asked.

"A better question is who are you?" The voice said. "We know who we are, what we are. But what of you?"

"I am Emiya Shirou." Shirou declared to the voice.

"Indeed, what a coincidence, so are we." the voice said. The air shimmered and revealed a man, no, two men...three...ten? Uh...their numbers kept increasing. Each of them had tan skin, white hair and a distinct outfit. Most wore the same red on black, but a few had odd colors, blue on black, dark red on black, camo on black, and even one wearing pure black. There was also one who was different, dark hair instead of red and normal cloths

"Who, who are you?" Shirou asked.

"Emiya Shirou," they said as one

"We are who you are." One said

"We are who you could be." Said another.

"We are infinite in number." Said the one in blue.

"Infinite possibilities in infinite worlds." Said the one in black clothes.

"Though not all of us took the same route, the same choices," The first one said.

"We each climbed the hill of swords following our ideal."

One stepped forward and stared into the eyes of Shirou. "We did not expect to see you here yet, but this is an opportunity in of itself."

"Nani?" Shirou asked.

For an answer, the older men, as one raised their arms causing every blade to rise up. "Learn, learn quickly.." The spoke as one.

Shirou gasped at the sheer number of blades aimed at him. The blades descended. Shirou stared for a moment then some sort of instinct kicked in causing him to suddenly summon enough blades to counter the ones coming for him. Another wave another counter, for a while all he did was fight endless swarms of blades with his own. How or why he was doing this was beyond him, but it was happening.

"You are a wielder, unlike the King of Heroes, all weapons are yours to use to the near fullest of their potential. Use them." One spoke as the waves of blades ended. Another traced a pair of Chinese swords, white and black in color and began to attack. Shirou was forced to defend himself against the onslaught. He was unable to gain any advantage, but he did not lose any either.

"We are one, we are infinite, we are Emiya Shirou." The group declared one last time. "Awaken Emiya Shirou, destiny awaits."

Shirou suddenly opened his eyes as Rin shook him awake. "Wake up Shirou," she said urgently.

"Tohsaka? What's happening?" Shirou asked groggily

"Hurry, you need to see this." Rin said.

Shirou bolted up and noticed how dark it was. He must have been tires since it was nighttime. He followed Rin quickly who took him out of the house. There he saw Chiyo watching something nervously on the roof with the others. Haru was suddenly in front of him and grabbed him and jumped taking him to the roof. It was from there that Shirou was able to see it.

A wave of pure darkness was approaching.

**Fast**.


	40. Clan wars 22

_"You reap what you sow Artyom: force answers force, war breeds war, and death only brings death. To break this vicious circle one must do more than act without any thought or doubt"_

_-Khan from Metro 2033-_

_"Honor in battle is to recognize and respect your opponent's strength. The fact that I need to use your weakness against you in a fight shows that I recognize your strength, and respect it enough to know that taking it head on will hurt me a lot." - Emiya Kiritsugu II_

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Chiyo gritted her teeth at the sheer number of creatures coming for them. Kiritsugu had gotten strong if he was able to create such an army. There had to be thousands of them coming for them. "Haru, If you have any trump cards left, now is the time to call them up."

"Understood," Haru said grimly. "It appears I need to call upon one of my two Noble Phantasm." Haru's eyes suddenly glowed red. "**Monster H****arem**."

All around Haru, six summoning circles suddenly appeared. From each of them a beautiful woman appeared. Each of them sent a look full of love to Haru before they took up battle positions.

"Monster...Harem?" Rin asked dubious.

"Don't ask," Haru said. "Long story." He watched as Kurumu and Mizore stood back to back in their Black and White duet. Yukari and Ruby began chanting in tandem preparing a massive spell. Valkyrie and Moka went into their battle stances preparing to fight to the death.

Yet, as the army approached, something happened. About a third of them went from bearing glaring red eyes to green ones. For a moment, that meant nothing, then chaos broke out in the ranks. Those with green eyes attacked their fellows with unmatched fury.

They stared in surprise as they saw the army attack itself. Lions leaped upon Centaurs and ripped heads off, Centaurs sliced Centaurs and cleaved Angels with blades, Angels cleaved apart Lion and Angel alike in their civil war.

"What's going on?" Rin asked. Before them Centaurs cleaved apart lions with blades while being torn apart by angels form above. Lion pounced on Angels and ripped them apart with their teeth.

"Kiri, he's still resisting." Chiyo said with a bit of pride. "Not even the collective sins of man can keep him down."

Lions rolled atop Lions biting out massive chunks of each other. Centaurs dueled Centaurs with blades cleaving off limbs and head. Angels ripped out the wings of other angels in their fury.

"Daaaaaamn brother, you sure know how to make a day interesting." Haru said watching the army tear itself apart. Though the green eyes were fewer in number, they had been able to get the drop on the enemy killing half in an instant. Now, it was just a matter of numbers. If left alone, the army would tear itself apart to nothing. But Kiri would not fight the evil alone. Chiyo summoned the Black Bow while Haru and his Girls waded into the fight.

The Masters, Magi, and Lone Sekirei looked at each other for a moment, then proceeded to assault any creature with red eyes. For an hour, battle raged outside the Emiya Manor. Lorelei blew up shadows left and right. Rin and Luvia stood back to back firing countless shots at the enemy. Sakura chanted words of power while Matsu covered her with a pistol she had hidden. Illya and her two maids crushed opponents left and right. Bazett punched and kicked apart monsters while Shirou sliced the enemy apart with his signature twin blades. The blades had called him, had he had traced them. It felt tright to fight with them in hand. Chiyo fired arrow after arrow killing the monsters while Haru and his girls destroyed many more.

But still the armies of Kiri had suffered greatly. By the time the last enemy was slain, only five hundred of the creatures under control of Kiri remained. All the magi save Lorelei and Illya were exhausted from the amount of magic used. But still, the attack had been repelled.

"Nice work Kiri," Haru approved "Glad you finally saw which side you had to be on. For a moment, the creatures looked at Haru, then opened their mouths and spoke as one.

"_**The Bl**__**ack Knight**__** is f**__**allen**__** and de**__**ad,**_

_**The White King now rules in his stead.**_

_**For all he claims of working for purity and light,**_

_**His goals are now corrupted and spread like a blight.**_

_**Towards the Einzbern manor we must depart,**_

_**for the final battle between ideals and heart.**_

_**We shall cover you in the charge**_

_**Buying you time to storm and barge.**_

_**The Black Tower is rising and will soon be complete,**_

_**if it is finished, then we will have to admit defeat.**_

_**Get on quickly for the sake of speed and haste,**_

_**or my sacrifice will be for naught but a waste."**_

The centaurs lowered their bodies and indicated for them to get on. Everyone looked at each other and felt a sense of unease, until Shirou stepped forward and mounted one of them. The others looked at each other and got on one each save of those that could fly.

"Brother, we need to rest before the last battle." Chiyo voice her concern.

"_**All l**__**ays in re**__**adiness,**_

_**don't doubt my steadiness**_

_**Such an event was foreseen and prepared.**_

_**Gifts lay ready to show that I cared.**_

_**Weapons and Tools of need lay hidden,**_

_**to**__** them I will t**__**ake you if bidden**_."

"Please," Chiyo asked. The centaur nodded his head.

"_**Forw**__**ard, Forw**__**ard into**__** the night,**_

_**for we sh**__**all cut**__** the he**__**art of th**__**is Blight.**_"

As one the tattered remnants of the army charged towards their destination. They ran in darkness, in silence with only the sound of screams of civilians tellign them they were moving.

"Brother, what is this?" Chiyo asked. "Why are they screaming."

"_**The Devil's M**__**adness wh**__**ispers in**__** their e**__**ars.**_

_**Offering n**__**aught but De**__**ath to e**__**ase**__** their Fe**__**ars**_." the army said as one. Their tone was mournful. Apologetic.

"_**Our p**__**ass**__**age ste**__**als**__** their Hopes**__** and Dre**__**ams,**_

_**ripping**__** at**__** the edges of S**__**anity, pulling**__** at**__** the se**__**ams**_."

"I see," Chiyo said, "Then we must go quickly lest we increase their suffering."

"How are you in control?" Shirou asked.

"_**We**__** are not Whole,**_

_**just**__** a lost little Soul.**_"

"Tou-san," Chiyo chided, "It's probably taking everything he has to hold back the madness."

"I do not like this," Lorelei commented, "We are trusting him too much."

"_**Trust**__** is not**__** the re**__**al problem,**_

_**there is a much worse goblin**_

_**The Darkness spreads through the night,**_

_**Scouring the land with unmatched fright.**_

_**Hate me, Despise me if you must,**_

_**I do not require your Trust.**_"

"Cocky little b*stard, aren't you?" Lorelei commented.

"Only when it comes to war," Haru said, "Frankly, not many can match him when it comes to battle. He is right though, it's not like we trust him, it's just a necessity."

"He'll backstab you all," Lorelei said eying her mount.

"Maybe, but he'll get us to where we need to first." Haru said with confidence. Lorelei snorted, but kept her peace. She contented her self with having a spell at the edge of her tongue prepared to take down a traitor. For a time, they rode in silence, in darkness blacker than the void. But then...

"What happened here?" Illya asked as they suddenly broke out of the darkness into a familiar forest.

"_**The Blight spre**__**ad h**__**is influence**__** across**__** the world.**_

_**Soon, Primate Murder and the true Ancestors will sow discord**_

_**Gaia will cry out in pain and agony**_

_**And**__** they will**__** arrive**__** accordingly.**_"

Haru shuddered at the thought, "He's actually trying to bring forth Primy and the Ancestors? "_**Soon**__** the White King will be un**__**ass**__**ail**__**able.**_

_**Once that happens, he will be invincible.**_

_**Primate and Ancestor alike will not stop him**_

_**They will be corrupted**__** by h**__**is unending sin.**_"

"Wait, not even the Ancestors can stop him? Why?" Rin asked.

"Angra Mainyu is the collection of the sins of humanity. If Kiri becomes fully under the influence and can no longer hold onto control, then every sin of humanity will manifest on the world. Not even Alaya will be able to match him in power." Chiyo explained. "Only one person has ever been able to hold back such a creature...at the cost of her life." (At least that's what I got from HF. Frankly, If Sakrua can bring about the end of the world, I fail to see how Kiri couldn't)

"The Golden Seal." Haru whispered in fear and awe looking at Chiyo. "Yes, that Noble Phantasm should be able to take him down."

"It will." Chiyo said confidently.

Shirou looked at her in sadness, "Wait, it's not right for you to plan to die."

"_**Worry not for**__** the future when**__** the present**__** is uncert**__**ain.**_

_**Th**__**at**__** is not for you to decide till**__** the Fin**__**al Curt**__**ain**_."

"He's right." Chiyo admonished. "Don't worry about it until we get there."

"It's not right, you shouldn't have to die." Shirou pushed on.

"She's not worse than you." Haru shot back. "She just copied you." Shirou flinched at that, he wanted to save others, even if it cost him. Was he nothing more than a hypocrite?

"Shut up." Chiyo said looking at Haru who flinched under The Smile. "He is entitled to his Ideal."

"Yet, you know where it will lead him." Haru pushed on

"I won't fall." Shirou said, "I've seen the path ahead. And I'm not wrong."

"No, no you are not." Chiyo said softly. "Just...try to stay alive. Your life is not just your own any more."

"Ah, I promise." Shirou said. He looked around and saw that the army had moved away from the path of darkness into a new area. Behind them, they paved a new path of darkness, but it was not as bad as the path they had been on. The army moved swiftly off the beaten path through the woods that were still alive. They soon came upon a ruined church. The ceiling had caved in a few places, the glass had been broken, roots cracked the foundation while vies crawled up the wall.

But it was what was beside the church that caught everyone's eye. It was a missle. An unexploded missile that had landed next to the church.

_**"Take what you need from the chest**_

_**Find what suits your needs the best"**_

With that, Chiyo jumped off the Centaur and went to the missile. She looked at it, the grasped a handle. Pulling it, a door popped open revealing a chest. Chiyo pulled it out and looked inside at the treasure trove. "Thank you brother, we should be fine." Chiyo said.

_**"No, he is not ready to face the apostle**_

_**He still cannot cast Reality Marble**_

_**Without it he cannot win**_

_**and the world will be covered in sin**_

_**Get him ready for the fight**_

_**We will keep the enemy at bay this night."**_

At first, Shirou didn't understand what Kiri was talking about, then a memory from the dream came back to him. Reality Marble took a lot of Prana, Prana he could not access enough of at the moment. Therefore, to increase his Prana reserves, there were but a few options available. His dreams had shown him the most common way his alternate self had done.

Tantric ritual ….Shirou began blushing heavily. He looked around and suddenly Saw Bazett, Rin, and Luvia all blush while Lorelei looked away, not allowing him to see her face. Kiritusugu must have left that in the dossier he compiled.

Haru suddenly began laughing, holding his side. "I knew it, I knew it would end up like this." he began laughing even harder. "A million different things occur, but somethings never change."

Chiyo gut-checked her brother, "Hush. Besides, look at what your girls are doing." Haru stiffened and looked to the side and saw all six of his girls look at him hungrily. It had been a long time since they had been together in the material world.

"Oh Root." Haru and Shirou both swore at the same time.

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The King sat upon his throne and snarled. "Your death spasms are annoying Knight. Why do you continue to thrash? You are dead in all sense of the word. Your mind is gone, your ambition is dead. Your plans unravel and mine are going smoothly. Why, why do you persist on this?" Only silence answered him. It wasn't like he expected anything. The dead are dead, silent and unmoved.

"They think they are safe, they think they have time. Fools, we have already won. The King growled. "Yet, you still persist. Why? What meaning is there in continuing this farce? We are more than this, we are more than anyone ever suspected. For too long they thought we were separate identities. They are wrong, we are two sides of a coin. Together, we are more. So much more. Please, stop this. We should be one. We should be whole."

Only silence answer the king's plea.

"Together, we would have been the greatest thing in the world for mankind. Instead, you spit at my request. Spit upon what we dreamed of. A better world, a world where our children can roam free. So be it. Stay in your tomb, your grave Knight. The King shall never falter where you refuse."

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The throne room shifted and swirled. What had once been a straight path up a staircase became a long winding tunnel. What had become a tunnel began to turn counter clockwise and rise. The Throne room was ascending. Rising up the tower that would soon be complete. Above the tower a black orb was forming. From the windows of the tower, large streams of black mud poured out flowing to the ground covering the states of the dying in the courtyard. The countless bodies began rising screaming and moaning in pain and fear. These things looked around wildly for a moment before they felt the taste of the lash. They turned and headed for the bridges leading out of the tower. From the main tower, beasts of unimaginable shapes walked, crawled, hovered, and flew out and joined the horde. More Centaurs. Lions, and red winged Angels flew out of the dark tower, bent on death and destruction.

More and more gargoyles appeared on the walls spewing black mud all over. From the mud rose shapes that would drive men upon their sight. Yet, from the heart of the darkness, rose four shapes that were solid.

One was a man with a thick mane of hair and mustache wearing the armor of a crusader. His back was covered in countless blades. The man thing looked hungry and radiated evil. He looked around with disdain at the sight before him, like he found nothing of interest.

Another was a woman in a brown uniform missing one arm, yet the missing limb was replaced with a smokey wing that shifted it's shape constantly. One of her eyes was constantly covered up with her air. In her hands was a gun far too large for her to properly bear.

The third was that of a man wearing the cloth of a man of god, yet his hands held two bayonetts held like a cross. His glasses reflected all light available obscuring his eyes. Yet, the most frightening thing about him was his grin, feral and hungry.

The final was a man wearing the clothes of a butler. Though he looked old, there was a glint of death in his eyes while he held some wires in his hand. This one looked eager to try out his skills, yet bored at the sight before him.

"Go." The King's orders reverberated on his shades. Though not the real thing, he imbued them with the power of Anra Mainyu enough to make these copies just like the originals. More than enough to deal with an over powered brother. More than enough to deal with anyone until the time was right.

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	41. Clan wars 23

__I have learned____ to hate all trai____tors, and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery. ____-Aeschylus__

__Statistically, you will almost certainly die when assaulting a well-maintained fortress with a competent commander. - Warhammer 40K__

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_The King sat upon his Throne of Thorns and contemplated over what a familiar of his was seeing. Though it was only the size of a gnat, it had been able to see everything in and around the castle. Because of its small size and the fact that the entire area was covered in the embrace of Angra Mainyu, none could tell it was there unless he were foolish enough to bounce in front of their eyes. Chiyo stood atop the church watching, waiting for the attack that was to come. Haru was...fighting off his wives citing that they were on a battlefield. He was winning the argument, for now. So this is why he hadn't brought them forth before. Once summoned, they were impossible to control. After a bit of analysis, Kiritsugu figured that they were not technically Servants, but also not technically a Noble Phantasm. The closest of any instance like this was the Rider of the Fourth Grail war and the hundred of his closest bodyguards and men. But, not even Iskander had to deal with this..._

_The turn coat army, or at least the remnants were patrolling in various distances keeping an eye out for an attack. Kiritsugu smiled at that, naïve, so very naïve. Illya and her maids were sitting outside with Lorelei while the inside of the church had a small bounded field around it. Kiritsugu was annoyed he could not find out who was exchanging Prana with Shirou, but regardless, it was clearly being done._

_"Was this your plan my old self?" The King asked the Knight. "Truly, was this your plan? No, can't be. You've probably been winging it for a while now. Plans, we both know the value of plans on the battlefield. So why? Why did you go this course?" The Knight did not respond, how could he? The dead do not respond to the requests of the living. "Yet, I understand the role you wish me to take. For old times sake, I will do this request. Just this once, I will fulfill your request. This inefficient and useless plan will be put forth, but only for so long." The King held up one finger. "One chance, only once chance, after that, it's my way. Any objection?"_

_The Knight does not respond, the corpse cannot move, cannot hear, cannot see, cannot speak._

_The king contemplated as he gazed through the eyes of the familiar. "They dance so easily to our strings. Shinra messed up badly by making them more agreeable. This is going too well for my liking."_

_He looked up and focused his mind on the troops. The hundreds of thousands of horrors were on the move, and his four champions were hiding in the middle until it was time for them to shine. Still, just in case they failed, it was best to have another trump card._

_Kiritsugu raised his hand and snapped his finger. Before him, a pile of mud converged and slowly, slowly grew into the form of the most terrifying thing in the World, a being that could not be denied by man or monster. Armies stood no chance against this one, not even the mightiest of Heroes had a chance when the mood struck this one. He gazed upon the being and bowed before it in equal parts respect and awe. "It is good to see you once more ____" (yeah, if anyone wants to use this text for a Berserker roar, go for it. I stole it from TV troupes on Written Roar. Epic, still have no idea how anyone was able to make this text, but it is epic.)_

__

_Chiyo was the first to notice the change in the air. It was sublte, but there was a ripple in the air. "Haru, Kiri, they are coming."_

_"__**We feel them. Let's kill 'em**__" The remnants of Kiri shouted as one. Chiyo shook her head, Kiri's influence was weak, broken. They could only speak in rhymes, and not all that good one in her opinion._

_"Tou-san isn't ready." Chiyo commented._

_"__**After glow makes a no show**__." _

_"Kind of, Bazett-kaasan is a real tiger in bed." Haru muttered. She wasn't as bad as Kazehana, but sometimes Bazett had been frisky at the strangest times._

_"__**The resonance is strong in her. The dreams told how her life would stir. Though she commands me naught, she is the one who was the most taught**__."_

_"Brother, it might be best if you saved your strength." Chiyo said as she watched the black tide advancing._

_"__**I say Nay, we fight this day.**__" the remnants roared. "__**Summon our father, we go to their slaughter.**__"_

_"Our slaughter," Chiyo said as she gazed upon the countless creatures coming for them. "We're going to have to punch through that somehow. The centaurs need to spearhead the attack cutting a way through while Tou-san and the others ride some of the Lions. The Angels are going to need to give us air cover."_

_"__**The risk is great, but we must reach the enemies gate**__."_

_"Can you do it?" Haru asked_

_"__**Father and mothers will get to the gate, but I cannot guarantee our fate. Servants were born to fight and die and leave this would without a sigh.**__"_

_"If he can get there, then it should be fine." Chiyo said, "He knows the words, he knows the path. Reality will bend to his will and be forged into his ultimate battlefield."  
>"<em>_**So the hint did it's job as expected, I only hope the future isn't too affected**__." The shadows said as one. _

_"You? Worry about the future?" Haru asked, "Little late now brother."_

_"__**Fool? That's you. You were weak and dumb, so blind and numb. I am the one willing to cover my hands in blood. Destroying my soul and covering it in mud.**__"_

_"Enough, we do not have time to bicker with one another. Haru, get your girls ready. I'll get father and the others. Kiri get into formation."_

_"__**Forward, Forward, Always Forward! Into the deepest pits of Hell and the highest peaks of Heaven I go ever onward!**__"_

_Chiyo smiled at that, this Kiri was much like the one she knew before that day...something had died in Kiri that day. But then, everyone else had something die in them the same way. This one, however, still retained that spark of pride and power, even in his shadows. "Hold on brother, we need father first." She went up to the door and knocked. She waited a moment, then opened the door wrinkling her nose at the musky scent lingering. There was no doubt that the ritual had been performed, Had it succeeded was a different matter however. "Tou-san, we need you up. They are coming." She said loudly._

_She heard the sound of ruffling clothing and had to refrain from smiling. The first one to come out was Bazett who was wearing a wrinkled outfit with a messed up hairdo, soon Luvia, Sakura, and Rin walked out all in a state that was less than immaculate. Finally, Tou-san came out lookinga bit pale, breathing heavily and looked like hell._

_"Hang in there Tou-san, there will be longer nights than this one." _

_Shirou looked even paler at that causing Chiyo to have to fight hard from laughing. Still, it seems like he had picked up a few things from his future from her timeline if he was able to do so with four Magi. She looked around, and finally Matsu walked past her looking like a kicked dog._

_"Nande? When will it be Matsu's wedding night?" Matsu wailed._

_"You would drain him of Prana." Chiyo reminded her, "That's the last thing we need right now."  
>"Buuuuu," Matsu said with tears streaming down her face.<em>

_Chiyo patted the alien on the shoulders, "At least you know what he's capable of."_

_Matsu perked up at that and began to chuckle evilly. "Fufufu, oh the experiments we will have."_

_Chiyo shuddered remembering the time she had caught Matsu and Tou-san hanging form a chandelier. Somethings scar you for life and beyond..._

_Chiyo was the last one to leave the broken sanctuary and shut the door behind her. That sanctuary, a place full of mystery was left to continue it's losing battle with nature, defying Gaia's will as long as it could..._

_It was then that Chiyo began handing out the various treasures that Kiri had left for them. For Matsu, a gun that had been long looked for after it was lost after the 4__th__ grail war. How Kiri found it was beyond her, but somehow he had found the Thompson Contender belonging to the first Kiritsugu. With that, he had left a pallet of enchanted bullets fro the gun to fire. No magic required. Lorelei refused to take anything from the horde and nothing suited Bazett. She had spent years refining her own magic. Illya already had the pendant of Kiri, and the maids were already armed. So, the only thing left was to bring forth the nightmares._

_"Rin, Luvia." Chiyo said seriously. "I will only ask one time? What are you willing to sacrifice for victory?"_

_"What's that supposed to mean? I am a magus." Rin said. A magus, a person who studies magic and walks with death by their side their whole life._

_"Indeed." Luvia said._

_"Death is easy." Haru said seeing the briefcase in Chiyo's hand that was chained and covered in seals keeping the nightmares sealed away. "But, there are some things that might feel worse than death to some."_

_"Nani?' Rin asekd suspiciously._

_For an answer, Chiyo placed the key in the lock and turned it. The chains broke and the seals ripped apart. Chiyo opened the box and reveal...two wands?_

_One red and one blue, both of them looked like some child's toy._

_"Behold, the treasure of the Second true magic. The kaleidosticks, Ruby and Sapphire, created by the Second Magician __**Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg**__." Chiyo intoned. For a second, she could not believe what she was seeing. Luvia and Rin were practically drooling at the sight. Why? Why were they not cowering in fear or preparing to attack?_

_Oh...right...they didn't know yet. _

_"What's the problem?" Lorelei asked suspiciously. She had heard something about these things...but not much._

_Chiyo sighed, "Never mind, you'll see."_

_"Ah, nani?' Ruby suddenly said waking up. "What's going on?"_

_"Eh? What's going on nee-san?" Sapphire asked._

_"Hello you two." Chiyo said._

_"Ah, Chiyo-sama, Sashiburi. Yah, how long has it been since we saw each other?" Ruby said eagerly._

_"Too long," Chiyo said fondly, "Ah, but it seems that we have need of you, and we're short on time."_

_"Ah, so you are going to make a contract. Yatta." Sapphire_

_Chiyo shook her head, "No, they will." She directed their gaze at Luvia and Rin._

_For a moment, the two magic sticks just stared at the two magi...then they began to chuckle...evilly._

_"Finally," Shapphire said, "Finally, after these long years it's happened."_

_"Yes, revenge will be sweet imouto." Ruby concurred. They began chuckling even more evilly._

_Rin and Luvia were suddenly wishing they knew what it was they were missing because their very instincts were telling them to run away._

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_And so they charged, heedless of the numbers of creatures facing them, preparing to kill them. The centaurs charged in a wedge formation with the Lions acting as war hounds to disrupt the initial charge before the centaurs got there while the angels provided what little cover they could. In the center of the formation were a few Lions that had been tasked as mounts for the groups hauling the humans, and Sekirei through the only relatively safe area of the battle while Haru, his girls, and Chiyo ran along side them to give cover for anything that got past the formation. _

_The Lions were the first into the fight, leaping heedless of their own lives into the enemy dragging them down with them. The Centaurs were suddenly over them and began trampling and cutting down everything in their path like farmers through field of wheat. Few Lions survived the initial attack, but that was fine, they had done their job well._

_Forward, forward they rode into the horde of darkness. Monsters of every shape and size were cut down as the Calvary cleared the way while the others followed close on their heels._

_It was glorious, it was awe inspiring. Like the heroes of old and the tales half forgotten, they _rode_ through the valley of shadow and death. They rode heedless of the odds, heedless of the risks knowing that they and they alone were all that could stop the evil from spreading. For Emiya Shirou, this was possibly the greatest moment of his life. A hero, he was being a hero._

_Course, everyone else thought this was plain suicide._

_**Five a mile, Five a mile,  
>Five a mile onward,<br>All in the valley of Madness  
>Rode the five hundred.<br>"Forward, the Magic Brigade!  
>"Charge for the gate!" they cried:<br>In**__**to the valley of Evil  
>Rode the five hundred.<strong>_

**"Forward, the Magic Brigade!"  
>Was there a man dismay'd?<br>None the magi knew  
>Someone had betrayed:<br>Theirs not to make reply,  
>Theirs not to reason why,<br>Theirs but to do or die:  
>Into the valley of Evil<br>Rode the five hundred.**

**Monsters to right of them,  
>Abominations to left of them,<br>Freaks in front of them  
>Few and outnumber'd;<br>Charge'd at with evil and fel,  
>Boldly they rode and well,<br>Into the jaws of Evil,  
>Towards the Lord of Hell<br>Rode the five hundred.**

**Flash'd all their blades bare,  
>Dash'd as they flew in air,<br>Sabring the monsters there,  
>Charging an army, while<br>All the world wonder'd:  
>Plunged in the dark smoke<br>Right thro' the line they broke;  
>Freak and Abomination<br>Cleav'd with the sabre stroke  
>Forward, only Forward<br>Then they rode back not,  
>Not the five hundred.<strong>

**Monsters to right of them,  
>Abominations to left of them,<br>Freaks in front of them  
>Few and outnumber'd;<br>Charg'd at with evil and fel,  
>While Centaur and Angel fell,<br>They that had fought so well  
>Came thro' the jaws of Death<br>Deeper into the mouth of Hell,  
>All that was left of them,<br>Charged the five hundred.**

**When can their glory fade?  
>O the wild charge they made!<br>All the world wondered.  
>Honor the charge they made,<br>Honor the Magic Brigade,  
>Noble five hundred. <strong>

_The king finished reciting his version of the Light Brigade as he watched his father, mothers, and siblings charge through the horde. Those shadows he had first sent had been carefully designed for war, unlike the horde he sent now which only had numbers going for it. So of course the shadows that had changed sides were cleaving through the horde. Every now and then, a Centaur would fall, only for another ti push it's way to take the place._

_Slowly, they were being cut down. Angels were assaulted in the air by things large and small. Ripping them apart or tearing their wings off and throwing them down to be torn to shreds by the horde._

_Perfect._

_They were all heading right for the first four champions, and the fifth was moving into position._

_And nobody knew they were dancing in the palm of his hands._

_He watched through his minds eye when the first strike began. The Lion bearing Mizore was hit on the side. The lion tethered and tilted but tried to keep up, but he could not. The damage was too much. It fell behind, then stumbled and went head over head. Mizore was sent flying, but by luck Haru was able to catch her before she fell. _

_Still, the damage was done. That lion was slowing and Haru either had to leave it for Mizore and run or have it bear the weight of two. So Haru chose to run. To leave it for Mizore._

_And thereby showed a weakness to exploit._

_Haru barely dodged as a massive bullet hit where he had been. Yet, more and more can at a phenomenal rate. He slowed down, and even had to leave the safety of the Brigade. Chiyo noticed who it was. A blond girl in a uniform. Chiyo turned pale as she saw who exactly it was._

_"Seras Victoria." Chiyo whispered in fear. How? How had Kiritsugu recruited the dog of Helsing?_

_She did not have long to think as she watched a few Centaurs get cut apart from a wire. The wire flew towards her, but Mizore and Kurumu blocked it and faced the butler that emerged. To Chiyo's other side, more Centaurs died from bayonets while she heard someone say "Amen" Moka and Valkyrie had to stop and cut off the priest that emerged. Both Yukari and Ruby flew off to take on Seras before she could snipe off any of the humans._

_"Walter C. Cornez, Traitor of England's Anti-vampire Organization Hellsing. Father Alexander Anderson of the now disbanded Section Thirteen Iscariot of the church." Lorelei said in awe. "how did he bring the dead back to this realm. This is the work of the Third True Magic."_

_"It is the Heaven's Feel ritual." Illya said matter-of-factly. _

_Lorelei winced at that. That had not been in her briefing, and she had not done enough research on the Grail War. So now, she was off to face basically a Dead Apostle with the power of a magician. Something in her pounded fiercely. How long? How long had it been since she had a challenge like this? She felt shivers crawl up her back in anticipation. What other horrors would be brought back from the dead?_

__

_Haru had no time to aide his family. He was now facing the greatest foe of his life._

_ He stood there in his crusader armor from centuries ago. His long black hair waved in the breeze that was not there. His mustache and beard made his features look ancient yet powerful at the same time. In his hand was a broken sword while dozens of blades _

_"Alucard." Haru hissed. "How many times must I kill you for you to stay dead."  
>"Oh? Do you know me boy?" Alucard asked, "Do not bother telling me, I am but a shade, a memory of a monster the Creator forged from my collective sins."<em>

_"Ah, then you are but a shadow of him." Haru said unleashing the First impact. He watched as the __attack blew up the shade...only to see it reform_

_"Though I am not the real one, I am his sins. Tell me, can you kill every sin I ever committed?" Alucard asked. Behind him, an army of darkness came from his billowing cloak._

_To the side, Haru saw Mizore and Kurumu dodging, blocking, and redirecting the wires thrown at them, but they were getting cut up. The Shinigami of Hellsing was living up to his name as he slowly cut up the two girls._

_"___Ah em ah God's Representative. Aen earthly instrument o' Divine Punishment. Mae mission is Tae Destroy doon tae the Last wee bit thae fools wha' would oppose our God___." The priest declared as he faced off with Moka and Val. His glasses reflected the small bit of light in the area. Oh, he worked for a god all right, a god of wickedness, a god of evil. Angra Mainyu. Moka and Val prepared to fight the fallen priest to the death._

_"___Amen___." the priest intoned._

_Off in the distance, Haru saw Yukari and Ruby charge the second vampire under control of Hellsing. Yet, as they fired off spell,s the Vampire evaded them easily taking to the sky as well. It became a battle of projectiles. Ruby sending hordes of familiars at the vampire while Yukare sent ballistic and energy projectiles at the Draculina who fired her gun and evaded with the one wing that was her left arm. Sera's one visible eye seemed to glow in the dark with anticipation._

__

_A Centaur went down again but while the gap closed quickly, something small and had too many appendages dashed for Tou-san's Lion._

_Chiyo knew she had to make a choice, in the split second before Tou-sans lion was hit, she pushed hers in the way. She was sent tumbling out and landed on her feet swords drawn in preparation to fight. Heart and Soul, two blades forged by her father. The two would serve her well this day. She saw Tou-san and the others leave and felt a small lump develop in her body. Kiritsugu had just separated the Master's from the Servants. Oh, they could use command seals to bring them to their side, but until that happened, they were vulnerable. Something that Kiri would take advantage of. Chiyo prepared to dash after Tou-san when she felt something slash her back._

_Chiyo evaded the next attack as she saw the green eye Lion try to kill her. Chiyo slashed once and took off it's paw._

_"Brother, why?"_

_For a response, the green eye turned red, and she understood. Kiri hadn't been resisting the evil, he had just been manipulating. Chiyo killed the Lion in an instant and wanted to run, to warn father of the treachery. But something stood in her way..._

_Chiyo stared in horror at the sight of the being before her. His skin was the color of a corpse, a dark grayish color that belonged to something form a zombie film. His hair was white as snow with a few strands of red peeking out. One arm was covered in a black cloth that was coated with red veins that formed into words and symbols of hate if one looked too deeply._

_ The other arm had a long black glove that went past the arm with a white bulb on the back of the wrist. This too had a few veins of red, but not nearly as many. He wore a sleeveless red leather vest that did __not hinder the man's movements. On his waist was a short black cloak with gold trim that went nearly to his ankles._

_ Beneath the billowing cloak, the man wore a black pair of leather pants with black painted metal bands on them. On his feet were metal covers that promised pain if he ever kicked. Upon his face was a black visor with red cracks on it that covered the figure's face. A most familiar face._

_"Tou-san." Chiyo said fearfully._

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_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_As soon as I saw this,_

_.com/art/Alter-Archer-206269173?q=gallery%3Ashugokunisaki%2F27637941&qo=4_

_way back when I was first researching for the clan wars, I knew I wanted this. I wanted this scene real bad._

_Read and review and let me know how many of you saw that coming. That, and what you thought of my version of the charge of the light brigade_


	42. Clan Wars 24

Clan Wars Chapter 24

"_We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm" -George Orwell_

"_War is always a matter of doing evil in the hope that good may come of it." Sir Basil H. Liddel-hart _

"_Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go" - T.S. Eliot_

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Forward forward the magi charged through the horde. Mighty and many were the enemy, but the Centaurs cleared the way. Above them the Angels flew cleaving those that came form above while the Lions protected their riders. The Masters and magi gave it their all supporting the few remainders of what they thought were their allies. Matsu shot time and time again with the gun of Kiritsugu the first destroying dozens of foes with each shot. The enemies were that tightly packed as they tried to kill her. Lorelei fired basic, but over powered spells incinerating monstrosities with ease. Rin and Luvia, both who swore never to talk about their appearance this day, fired beams of pure power with their Kaleidosticks while the maids cleaved apart monsters with their halberds while Illya paralyzed her opponents with her magic. Only Shirou refrained from combat. Only he was told to stop fighting, to save his strength for the battle to come.

"**Forward Forward Always Move Forward! Into the deepest pits of hell and the highest peaks of Heaven ever onward!**" The shadow men screamed as they charged through the horde. To the Masters and the Magi, these men were their allies

But Chiyo knew differently.

Again and again she clashed blades with the thing that looked like a corrupted for of her father while hordes of minions assaulted her. The monster roared as it slashed at her like a berserker, fought with the strength of a berserker, yet...it still had the grave of her father as it fought. That beautiful, suicidal dance that challenged all to kill him if they could. Sword clashed with sword. Overhead swing met a block that caused her teeth to rattle as she killed some sort of crab creature with her other blade. A side swing that was barely blocked with the guard and a roll to evade a tentacle from another freak.

'_Dammit, he separated us just for this moment._' Chiyo thought as she faced the corrupted version of her father. Tou-san was blindly trusting the man that was leading him to the slaughter. "Dammit," Chiyo roared as she barely blocked the blow. "Of all the Dead Apostles I ever faced why is my brother the worst?" Chiyo slashed at the corrupted but was blocked with ease. With each blow she tired, with each blow they came closer to killing her. For the first time since she entered the war, she regretted that she was Archer, not say Saber. Her stamina was the weakest of Servants, and she was tiring fast. Even worse, her one Noble Phantasm, the Golden Seal was useless. All she could do was remove any resistances to her opponents, and they had none.

Kiritsugu had effectively countered and nullified her Noble Phantasm. Damn him.

Yet, as bad as she had it, Haru had worse. Everytime he Killed Alucard, the bugger regenerated in an instant and continued to attack. The man was as deadly with his blade as he had been with a gun. Heck, maybe even better with a blade. Seras was easily countering Yukari and Ruby. Val and Moka had nearly been killed by the priest a dozen times and Mizore and Kuruumu were being whittled away by the butler.

And that wasn't counting the hordes of minions attacking them. Unlike certain other evil overlord that have hordes stand back while champions dueled, Kiritsugu sent the meat shields against Haru and his girls en mass. Haru and his girls were all powerful and they were all coordinated, but the numbers were telling. Kurumu and Mizore were covered in wounds from the Butler and had nearly lost their heads and appendages several times. Moka was clearly in pain from the one bayonet stuck in her shoulder and even with her flying ability, Val was close to screaming from the bayonet in her leg. Ruby, for all her masocisitic tendencies was close to screaming in pure pain from the bullets that had bypassed her Iron Maiden armor and Yukari had screamed when Seras had shot her in the side.

And above all Haru was beginning to bleed out from his wounds and tire. No matter how many times he killed Alucard, the monster got right back up laughing all the same. "That's it, that's it. That's the expression I love to see. A man preparing to gamble it all to kill me." Alucard said happily.

Haru growled at the man as he unleashed a flurry of blows on the fallen creature skewering it a dozen times in a second. "Hurry, hurry hurry, the night is young. The night is still so very young. Hurry, hurry hurry, show me what else you have!"

Haru closed his eyes as he jumped back. "All right, I'll show you." Suddenly, Moka and the others all looked at Haru as if he were insane, then they vanished ash canceled his Noble Phantasm. Seras, Alexander, and Walter all turned to Haru. Something was very different in the air if he chose to negate his Noble Phantasm. "Last time, last time I fought to prove I was still human. Last time, I proved that I was more a man than a monster." Haru opened his eyes revealing glowing red orbs that held no pupils. Above him, the moon suddenly appeared and turned bright red. "This time, I need not prove myself anymore. Today, I will show you something that I inherited from my mother and an ancient ancestor." From the moon came hundreds of massive chains as thick as buildings that pierced the ground. "Let me show you something that I have only used twice in my existence."

Haru raised his hand up as something burst from the ground. "My name is Emiya Haru Brunestud, remember the name Vampire. For my bloodline is infinity older than yours. My power is infinitely greater than yours if I choose."

Alucard gazed upon Haru in disappointment. "So, you choose this path. You who braved and broke through my stronghold to finally stand before me choose to do this. You seriously plan to transform your soul into that of a monster of the earth? You dare to make an attempt at becoming an immortal and almighty toy of providence? Spare me your bulshit. One who denies the planet and one who accepts the judgement of the planet are one and the same."

"I told you Alucard. My Name is Emiya Haru Brunestud, descendant of Type Moon himself. Last time, I proved that as a man I could stand against you and win. Today, I have nothing to prove. I am as much a monster as a man, but I have choice. And I choose to save my family." Anderson, Walter, and Seras all had surrounded Haru at this point.

"And yet you now choose to be a monster like me. To give up your humanity and dsiplay your weakness in spades. You can't do it as a man, so you stoop to becoming a monster. A creature that's destined to be toppled by my Master." Alucard looked genuinly sad at this point. "Stop it human. Do not become the monster that I am. You have fought this far on your own and even claim to have defeated me before. Therefore, deep down you know my words are true. Come, defeat me as a man and prove that your strength is greater than mine."

Haru gazed upon Alucard in contempt. "I say it one last time Alucard, I have nothing left to prove." He looked up at the countless chains that had come from the moon. "**Millennium Castle Brunestud.**" The world shifted and turned as the area changed. The chains rose quickly as something appeared all around them. They were now standing in a throne room with a massive chair bound in chains sat.

In a city in the same country of Japan (No clue what it's name is. Looked it up but never could find the name) one of the last True Ancestors felt the ancient power of Brunestud awaken. Only on other person besides herself could use that power. To think that she was here. The woman that cut off her hair. "Shiki, we need to go somewhere, now." she told her boyfriend interrupting their nightly rendezvous. Shiki had no time to protest before she grabbed him and began dashing at her tops speed.

Half way around the world, a Dead Apostle felt the power of a dead Ultimate one. The power that only she and one other possessed. If that woman was using her power, and this much of it, then she had to see this. "Lets go Primate." If Acrueid was going to use the full power of her Marble Phantasm to bring forth the complete castle, she had to see this, and possibly deal with her for the last time.

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The White King gazed upon the mightiest castle in existence that had been summoned by his little brother and smiled. Everything was going according to plan. Time to begin the next phase of the plan. Before him several pools of shadow coagulated and formed new champions, these ones to face what was coming to his gate.

"Are you sure this is the path you wish to take brother?" Shinra's voice called out.

"My path is set imouto. None can bar my way. I will play the scenario set for me for now, but if Tou-san fails, I will play my own game." The king spoke "You made it too easy little sister. They should have never been this easy to manipulate. But then, you are the one that altered their fates. You are the reason why we were called. Why?"

"Nothing can repeat itself twice brother, and if I had not, father would have met a bad end in this world. I chose to stop it before it began." Shinra said. "If I did not, Tou-san would have died in the grips of Angra Mainyu killing Kotomine. I chose to stop Heaven's Feel Route before it began and change it."

"Route?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Never mind brother, it's not for you to know how the forces of existence move." Shinra dismissed. "This is the Black Knight Route, not Heaven's Feel."

"Hate to ask, but how many Routes are there?" Kiri asked

"Too many to count, but this one was among the worst." Shinra said

"Then I shall play my part to the end of this...Route." Kiri said looking back at the champions before him. "Go await your positions."

Before them was the castle. They could see the massive tower that was nearly complete. Three of the four pillars where finished while a fourth one was forming with cracks on it. Above the tower was a massive black orb that was slowly taking shape.

"Why is there no Counter Guardians or True Ancestors to deal with this?" Lorelei asked, "Surely the danger Rider is creating should cause them to react."

"Because this is the collection of Man's sins." A female voice answered. "Gaia has no interests as it will only harm humans. Some life will die, but the planet will remain whole and healthy. A for Alaya, this...thing is almost equal to her power, but has no intention of killing of humanity anyways, just rule over them."

"Who are you?" Lorelei snapped. Before them floating in the air was a woman with almost pure white hair save a few strands of red and pure red eyes. "Servant Savior. A wild Card Servant that defies the laws of the Grail. I am neither your enemy, nor your ally as I am not technically a part of this war, but I did come to warn you, you all have about an hour before **he** wins."

They flinched at that. An hour, they had a mere hour. Not good, this would be tight.

"**Let no man show his fear, and never shed a single tear. **

**Forward into the night and bring forth a terrifying sight. **

**Let the king's knees shake, when his tower begins to quake. **

**We are men born for war, and we shall fight forevermore.**"

Before them as they charged was the massive double layer of walls with the bridges pulled up and the portcullis down.

"Joto, how are we supposed to get through that?" Rin yelled.

"Ah, let me get that for you as the last gift I can give you." Shinra said. Her right arm swirled and distorted until she was holding a massive drill the size of a building in her arm. "**Giiiiiiiiigaaaaaaaa Driiiiiiiiiiiiill.**" Said drill ripped through the defenses like paper. "ORE WO DARE DA TO OMOTTEYAGARUUUU"

Everyone looked at her like she was crazy, of course.

Shinra smiled once more and vanished while they leaped over the first moat of mud and passed the first gate. Just as quickly, they passed the second moat and gate while the gargoyles behind them sprang up and charged spewing mud form their mouths. But...it was when they had bypassed the fortifications that everything went wrong. Tendrils shot out of the ground trapping the Lions bearing everyone save Shirou and Bazett. Those two had no time to react as the Lions kept going for the gates. Then there was a resounding crash and Shirou saw that the Centaurs all had been impaled by shadow pikemen. The two Lions bounded over the dying shadows and entered the hall leaving the others behind.

Rin and the others leaped off of their mounts as the Lions were quickly ripped apart. They were surrounded on all sides by another horde of monsters. Yet...the horde stepped back as several figures walked out from the group.

"Tou-san, Kaa-san." Illya said as she gazed upon two of them. The corrupted forms of Emiya Kiritsugu the first and Irisviel von Einzbern stood before her.

"It's been a while Illya." Iris said happily while Kiritsugu took a draft of his cigarette and smiled. "Too bad, but we have to fight you now." Kiritsugu said.

"Impossible, there's no way you can be here." Rin cried as she gaze upon her own father Tohsaka Tokiomi. The man merely looked upon his daughter with a raised eyebrow. Considering she was in her Kaleido Ruby form, not surprising. Rin felt her cheeks heat up from the sight.

Lorelei found her eyebrow twitching as she gazed upon the former 10th Dead Apostle Ancestor Nrvnqsr Chaos.

"Hmm, so it seems that I am to face the queen of the tower." The fallen alchemist said with disinterest.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Zouken asked his adopted granddaughter. "Hurry up and show respect to your elders." Sakura gazed upon her greatest fear and wished she was a hundred miles away right now.

"Edelfelt-san, though I hate to admit it, I need help." Rin said through gritted teeth as she gazed upon her father.

"Understood." Luvia said seriously. This was no time for petty fights.

"Lysrett, Stella, kill them." Illya ordered.

"Understood." The two maids cried out.

Sakura slowly backed away from her grandfather, until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulders. Sakura looked up to see Matsu aim her massive gun at him and fired.

"Need help?" Matsu asked seriously.

"Ah, onigaishimasu." Sakura begged. She did not want to face this man, this monster, even if it was a fake.

Shirou and Bazett barely made it through the door when the Lions finally gave out and died. Behind them, the great doors closed and the sound of something heavy falling was heard sealing the door. For a moment, they could see nothing, just darkness within darkness, but then their eyes adjusted. Before them was a path of crystals glowing in the dark leading somewhere.

"_The time has come_." six voices echoed. On the side of the doorway stood six suits of armor. Theeir visors were suddenly glowing green. "_Come, let us go to the final showdown father_." The suits of armor drew their blades prepared for what they had been created to do. These six golems and the path of light were all that was left of the Knight.

Shirou and Bazett looked at each other then shrugged and followed the suits of armor that were now moving. At first, they walked, then they jogged, then they began to run. Shirou and Bazett followed them along the path that went up some stairs, then turned a bit to the right. Then they began to ascend a long winding stairway that just kept going up.

*Clang*

One of the suits of armor stopped something from attacking Shirou in the dark.

*Clang Crash Bang*

Again and again they were attacked in the dark, but the golems protected their charges. This was what they had been made for, this is what they had waited for.

"_Time is short father, so listen well._" The armors spoke. "_Every man has the right to choose, the right of choice. Whether good or evil, they have choice. That is the core of my own ideal. I walk a path that is neither good nor evil, but my own making. You also must choose your path. I cannot guarantee my sanity in the final domain. All that you knew, all that you thought you understood I false in this war. I made sure of that, so that you would only have to concentrate on one thing."_

"Why? Why did you do this?" Bazett asked, "It's so different from how you lived your life. Why are you doing this?"

"_Because it was never about me, but father. Him...and his ideal._"

One of the armors suddenly went down from something and was ripped apart, the rest cleaved a path through and led Shirou and Bazett forward. "_Would I have chosen this way willingly? No, there were much better ways to fight this war that required much less sacrifice. No, this is not how I fight, this is how father fights...how he might fight if he does not choose well._"

Another armor was destroyed followed by a third in rapid succession. "I_ played the roles of Lancer, Berserker, and Caster as needed, but the most important role of this was was always Archer. The role of the betrayed idealist. Thus, I fight as you would fight father. Beware the path ahead of you, for this is where it might lead."_

Two more were destroyed, but the last got his father to the top.

There was the White King upon his throne of thorns.

"Ah, welcome father. You were almost late." The King said. He waved his hand and pointed at the last golem. That one was suddenly skewered by a thorn root that burst from the ground. He then pointed at Bazett who was suddenly encircled by the thorns and risked being skewered herself if she moved. "Now then, since there are no more distractions, let us have a chat you and I."

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Chiyo fought the corrupted man with less and less vigor with each blow. The clone of her father had no such problems, it fougth with the same strength from the beginning as the end.

"Brother, why do you do this?" Chiyo asked "Please tell me."

"_**T**__o __**m**__A__**kE a bE**__t__**T**__e__**R wO**__r__**L**__d__**.**_" a voice from the horde called out.

"So you would corrupt the world to make it better?" Chiyo retorted as she clashed her blade against the clone. She felt her teeth rattle hard from the last blow. Her swords were chipped and showing signs of cracking.

"_**Y**__o__**U w**__I__**l**__L__** nE**__v__**E**__r u__**N**__d__**E**__s__**T**__a__**n**__D__**.**_" The voice called out.

"Then make me understand." Chiyo yelled.

"_n__**O, **__m__**Y sI**__n__** To b**__Ea__**R.**_"

Chiyo was unable to respond as a blade found it's way to her chest. It caused her to stumble, to stagger, and in that moment, the horde overwhelmed her, dragging her down and clawing at her. "brother, no, please top."  
>"<em><strong>nO<strong>_."

Chiyo slashed a few of the monsters with her own blades, but could feel the fatal blow already delt with. She regretted, she regretted a great deal. Tou-san was in the hands of her brother, a murderer and a monster. D*mn him. "Kinslayer." She muttered as she died.

"_i w__**I**__l__**L bE**__a__**R tH**__e s__**I**__n__** fO**__r__**E**__v__**E**__r__**M**__o__**R**__e__**.**_" the voice promised. "_**i w**__I__**l**__L n__**O**__t k__**I**__l__**L h**__I__**m**__ t__**H**__ou__**GH, I P**__r__**O**__m__**IS**__e__**.**_"

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**The Troupe is Ready**

And so the battle raged across the forest.

**The Stage is Set **

In a castle made from the corpse of an Ultimate One, Haru battled some of the greatest monsters the world had ever seen.

**The Actors have Assembled**

Magi and Sekirei faced their darkest nightmares made manifest.

**The Audience has Arrived**

A boy with a broken dream faced against a King of Sin and a woman was forced to watch from the side.

**The Curtain draws up**

From the distance a Dead Apostle and a True Ancestor dragging a boy that could see death were arriving. Soon they would witness a battle unlike anything they had ever witnessed.

L**et the play begin...**


	43. Clan Wars 25

_Do you know what a soldier is, young man? He's the chap who makes it possible for civilized folk to despise war. - Allan Massie_

_I long for death, not because I seek peace, but because I seek the war eternal. - Warhammer_

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"Now then, since there are no more distractions, let us have a chat you and I." The King said to Shirou. "Do you understand the truth of this war?"

"Yes, you are fighting because you claim to be using my ideals to warn me." Shirou said

"Wrong." The King declared "Was that what the Knight told you? He is the believer in choice, I am the King. Sins are my realm. I fight because of your sin, because of your flaw. You suicidal fool." The king pointed at the boy. "You come here, into my fortress without any plan save that which I laid out for you. You, who should have realized this was a trap came heedless of the danger to fight me because you seem to believe that I will kill people. What people? All I killed were a few dozen thugs, murders, gangers, and pedophiles. Nothing that the human race doesn't despise anyways. By killing them, I saved hundreds, maybe thousands. Crime is down because of a few acts of violence."

"So that excuses your actions?" Bazett asked.

"Excuses? Excuses are for those not willing to take responsibility. I am King, I will bear the weight of the sins of man on my shoulders." The king sneered.

"And the skyscraper, not to mention your siblings?" bazett cried out.

"I evacuated the building, none were killed and few were injured. Buildings can be rebuilt easily, in the mean time, it actually saved time and money. With the attack, security tightened. Drug cartels had to shut down lest they get caught. Hundreds, if not thousands will have to either kick the habit or dirve large distances to get their high. One reaction saves their lives, the other stimulates the economy." The King dismissed the building. Murderers have to stop lest they get caught. And while the building is rebuilt, and it will, the unemployed will find jobs. "As for the Servants...you cannot kill that which is eternal. All I did was destroy the body and slay a copy. The originals reside in the throne, safe and sound from the influence of the mortal plane. I did not kill them, just destroyed some fakes. Well made fakes, but not originals."

The King snorted, "They won't even remember what I did. They are immune from changing...unless they are counter guardians or found the loophole to retain their memories."

"You...how can you so callously talk about killing them?" Shirou said angrily.

"Callous? **CALLOUSE!**" The King roared leaning forward in his throne. "Do you have any idea what it did to the Knight? It killed him, slowly, painfully. When he ran his sword through you, he nearly committed suicide on the spot. He only halted because he knew you would be healed. If Rin did not, he would have activated Avalon to keep you alive. When he stabbed Ivone in the back, another part of him died. Same with Takeshi, Keiko, and even Gilgamesh and Riko. Each time they died, a part of him died as well. The only thing keeping him going was the good he was doing in the process. By his actions Illya was saved and would not die. Sakura was saved from the Hell you were ignorant from. He brought forth Matsu to tell you of the plight of the Seikirei before the mad plan of your birth father Minaka was implemented. Two years, there is still two years to undo the madness."

The king pointed at Shirou and spat, "How dare you accuse the Knight of callous. It killed him a thousand ways doing what he did. And even worse, we will remember for eternity what we did. We found the loophole to ensure that we would remember. By living anonymously for our entire lives, playing dead, or being nearly dead countless times, the people still think we are alive. When we passed the mantle on to our children, they kept the Identity I created alive long after I was dead. Even after countless years, the people still think I am alive. The Black Knight does not die, he only heads for a different battlefield."

"I will remember for eternity what I did, do not think that I will ever have ignorance of my actions. So, who is the callous one? The boy who ignores a girl's plea for salvation even when she is by his side? The boy who does not see two sisters separated by the traditions of Magic and forced to see each other as strangers? The boy who does nothing to investigate his father's past and miss how abused his sister was being treated? Or the man who plans as best he can for everything, to ensure that every minute he is alive will bring a better world and then implements it?"

The king opened his arms wide, "This, father, is the ideal you dreamed of, a way for everyone to be saved. To save everyone by yourself without inconveniencing anyone and not having any victims. Once the tower is complete, I will launch an assault on mankind. I will take them all prisoner and show them the horrors they inflict on each other and the world. My army is an infinite legion of darkness. In darkness I will drag them and show them their sins. I will unite them under my banner seeking redemption for our sins. We will be united in the darkness and seek salvation in the light. I estimate this will only take about a year to fully conquer the world. A year, imagine it father, within a year, everything you dreamed of will be complete. Everyone will be saved, none will be left behind. All will see their darkness, and reject it, seeking to be saved, and I will save them all."

"No,' Shirou said, "No, this is not what I want."

"It is, you admit it yourself, you just want everyone to be saved. With this, I will save everyone. From the filthiest child to the richest noble, from the most innocent woman to the cruelest Dead Apostle, all will be encompassed and will be saved."

"No!" Shirou said tracing Kanshou and Bakuya. "This isn't saving everyone, it's killing them."

The king tilted his head, "Then your idea of being saved is flawed. To save them, they must be in danger. First, all must be threatened, then they can be saved."

"Indeed, my dream is flawed, but...this is not my dream." Shirou said charging forward.

"Then show me the flaws father, show me how your ideal is different than the one I show you. Show me everything, or drown in your ideals." The white Throne of Thorns shivered and shook. It curled around the King encompassing the King. Wrapping around him protectively. In a moment, the King stood, over twelve feet tall in a suit of armor made of thorns and vines. His helmet looked like the head of a dragon. One hand held a massive circular shield of thorns while his other hand held a massive vine sword with large thorns on the edges making a blade. The vines on the blade shook and shivered like a vibrating saw preparing to cleave anything that stood in the kings path.

"You still do not understand father, and thus I must make you understand, or the Knight's sacrifice will be for nothing, and I will not let that happen"

Beneath them, the floor began to move, to rise, above them, the ceiling vanished. As the floor rose. In a moment, they were sanding at the top of the tower with only the four incomplete spires on the corners to mark the edges of their battle field. Above them, a full red moon shone ignoring the fact that the moon should have been waning and more of a half moon. In the distance, a white castle covered in chains stood as explosions ripped from the building. On the ground Rin, Luvia, Illya, Sakura, Matsu, Lorelei, Illya and her two maids fought their nightmares while a horde of monsters surrounded them.

A more perfect scene for a final battle could not be asked for.

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_Fist to Alucard's face shattering it in an instant_

Haru fought them in the Millenium Castle.

_Unleashed a First Impact on Seras blowing her lower body to shreds while Pip appeared in a swirl and show at him with a revolver_

Alucard, Alexander, Seras, and Walter, the four great powerhouses from the Mad Major's plot.

_Walter's wire wrapped around his arm and cut it, but the wire was snapped before it could do any real harm, like cutting off the limb. "Trash. When a human dies, it becomes trash."_

Only the Werewolf Captain, Integra, and the Major were missing to complete the scene. For which, Haru was glad. Alucard and the others seemed to be nothing more than players in a story, a story that they were not aware of playing out.

_Alexander was on the ground kneeling while his body shifted from the foreign mass changing his looks, if not his aura or smell. _

To them, they seemed to think that they were elsewhere, in another place in another time. Anderson had just impaled himself with the Nail of Helena and become the Thorn Monster. Not that it made him any stronger, but the mad priest was playing out his part.

_Alucard unleashed countless minions at Haru. "The Bird of Hermes is my Name," One was a man in a white outfit shooting cards out faster than a dealer in Vegas. Another was a woman with an old fashioned rifle that fired tracking bullets. "Eating my wings to make me tame."_

Walter seemed to be getting younger as he fought, like time was reversing. Seras only summoned the captain of the Wild Geese company to aide her.

_Seras discarded her rifle that had run out of bullets and closed in on Haru trying to tear him apart with her claws. From behind her, Pips arm appeared and fired a machine gun. The castle unleashed massive chains around them, but did nothing to stop her rampage."We're going to kill them Mr. Vernecead. We're going to kill them all." Seras roared._

On and on these copies fought him in the castle, ignoring when the great chains bound them. They ripped off their limbs to free themselves and threw themselves back at him again. "Damn brother, I know you obsessed over that battle, learning everything you could so that you could always counter the possible recreation of that black night,but to go this far? I know you scrimped and saved every tidbit on the battle, trading favors and gold for secret documents on how everything truly went down. But...to memorize the words they spoke, the passions they held. Madness. This is not London, you are not the mad major. You fight war because you hate war. Right?"

_"Monsters don't cry."_ Anderson said as he rose from his position. Haru smashed his face in lest he have to hear that speech.

"Do not patronize me copy. I am not Alucard. I still cry." Haru snarled as the body began to reform.

Above him two Dead Apostles and a True Ancestor with her boyfriend watched the battle with interest. For all the darkness the area was filled with, there was no malice, save for those fighting before them. Acrueid was not hearing the scream of Gaia that should be here, and Altrouge noticed that Primate Murder was the same. It was as if Gaia was not worried at all. So that left them with the puzzle before them. Who was this man that held the power to summon the Millennium Castle and therefore have the right to the name of Brunestud?

Altrouge was also wondering why Alucard was here in that form. He hadn't worn that form in an eternity. So why was he in his original form? Why was Seras so weak? Why was the infamous Anderson before her? So many questions, so many puzzles before her. She ignored her half sister and focused on the battle.

Beside Acrueid, Shiki kept his eyes shut. The darkness before him looked so wrong to his eyes. So many ways to kill it, yet no lines, only the massive death spots. It was wrong, and this battle was going to make him blind. He had to focus on using his other senses to make sense of the battle.

Below them, under the red moon, Haru fought on tiring all the while facing the foes that would not die.

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"The Superhero you want to be is no more than a cleaner. You can only hope to save those that survive father. Even though we warn you time and time again, there is still something in you that refuses to make you see the truth. Keep down this road and all you can hope to be is a Counter Guardian. The way to change is simple, it's not hard. All you have to do is simply ask. Ask for help, rather than try to do everything on your own. While we fight, Bazett is just stuck there. How hard would it have been to cut her loose? A second maybe, and in that second she can cover your back. But instead you choose to go it alone, to take everything on yourself."

Shirou had the grace to glance at Bazett then focused on Kiritsugu. While it would have been a good idea before, now that he was committed, he could not afford to show his back.

Right?

"And because you choose to go it alone, your methods will not allow you prevent or reverse a sad event or a miserable death. That is the limit of going it alone. A lone superhero is only capable of tidying up events that have already taken place. You will never save the people you want to save the most. At best, you can save the survivors, those who would probably survive without your help. If that is the case, be a doctor or a nurse so you get the same results and get paid for it. You will change nothing on your own."

"No, if I reach out to save someone I must be able to save them." Shirou yelled as he clashed his blades against the King's.

"An ideal is only an ideal. Embrace it and reality will wear away at it creating a gap between the dream and reality. Someday you would have to face reality an paid a dear price for your compromises. All you could do to compromise would be to kill people to save people to save the greatest amount. That, or take the route I show you now. If you cannot save them with good intentions, you will damn them with bad ones to save them. You are just one man. If you would just realize how small you are, you could be so much more. But you do not, you keep clinging to the dream until you will one day be force to throw away the dream as it betrays you for the last time."

They clashed blades again and again. Shirou was sent back with each blow forced to trace new blades each time his were shattered. Rider was powerful, more powerful than Archer could hope to compare to. The Servant was fueled with the power of every Servant that had died as well as Angra Mainyu. Normally, this would only increase the number of times he could use his Noble Phantasm, but with his last one destroyed, all that power went to him and his abilities.

Kiritsugu continued "Understand? No matter how powerful one man is, no matter how that man tries, he cannot save everyone alone unless he is willing to sell his soul to the devil. Alone, people that cannot be saved will exist. All you can save is with your ideal alone is the ideal itself."

Bazett heard a soft grinding noise to her side. A sound of metal being ripped. She forced herself to look away from the duel and looked at a sight that surprised her. The last golem, the one that had been skewered, was still working. Trying to free itself from the impaled vine.

Kiritsugu flicked his blade again sending Shirou back with a yell of pain.

*Sigh* "It seems that you still cling to your innate flaw father." Kiritsugu turned away ignoring the gasp of surprise. "I have two appointments to make, take this time to reflect. I will return in a bit once I deal with my brother and your sister." With that, Kiritsugu stood at the edge of the parapet. From his back emerged great black wads of mud that shifted and shaped themselves into wings. "In the meantime, he will do well for an opponent.

The sound of someone walking up steps could be heard. In an instant, it appeared. The corrupt Emiya Shirou came through the door and faced Shirou

"Do try not to die" Kiritsugu said leaping off the ground and taking flight.

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	44. Clan Wars 26

(Right I decided that rather than tack this on to the last chapter which you all have probably read by now, I jsut decided to make this a separate chapter. So...I now present to you Clan Wars chapter 26)

_"Why do they even try to invade, why do they try to conquer? Why do they risk everything for such a small dominance? Because war isall they know, and without war they have no meaning for life, no meaning for the future. They are born into a world of such violence, and ignorance. The final battle is near, and their annihilation is at its peak. We are coming, and our numbers will darken your skies, you cannot run, you cannot hide. You cannot pray to the gods, we are gods, and we punish everyone." -unknown_

_A man should never neglect his family for business- Walt Disney_

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The King flew overhead flapping wings as black as night leaving drops of mud behind him as he flew.

Below him Rin and Luvia tried to destroy the fake image of Tohsaka Tokiomi. Their powers fueled with the power of the Kaleidosticks gave them near unlimited amounts of Prana, but even that did no good. No matter how many times they destroyed the image, Tokiomi reformed in an instant and fired gandrs far larger and more powerful than should have been possible.

"_Anfang, Zeichen, Gleiphnir!_" Rin roared firing a massive attack that reduced the body to a pile of goo. Instantly, her false father rose up and pointed his finger at her.

"Is that all?" Tokiomi asked. "Disappointing."

"Luvia, now is the time to make our justice known." Sapphire yelled. Shifting into a giant hammer. Luvia swung it as hard as she could sending a wave of crystals at him. The crystals grew around the corrupted man, freezing him in crystal. "Ara, looks like that's everything." Luvia declared

*smash*

Tokiomi broke free in an instant and fired more shots at her. Luvia barely dodged the attack.

"My turn. With one attack let's end this battle." Ruby yelled

"Leave it to me." Rin yelled releasing Ruby who began shifting It's form shifted into a giant red gun with wings that stood twice as tall as Rin.

"Form set up complete." Ruby yelled as Rin grabbed the handle and flew into the air.

"Target acquired, _Schweinstein" Rin yelled. This time the entire area was turned to glass. Hopefully that would take him down..._

_"Anfang Zeichen Geliphnir_." Tokiomi uttered unleashing his own attack.

"Mouuuuu, what does it take to bring you down?" Rin bemoaned.

"Are you truly my daughter?" Tokiomi asked. "I thought you were better than this."

Rin flinched at that, but reminded herself that this was a fake. "Yes, I am your daughter. Who else should bring you down?"

"Someone actually competent." Tokiomi said dispassionately. "It is good that I was brought here, to see your flaws and know I should have given you to Zouken. Sakura would have been a better heir."

Rin gritted her teeth at that. "You...you are no father. To send her into that place without a second thought."

"I am a magus." Tokiomi stated.

"You are a monster." Rin yelled while Luvia shot him from behind. Not that it did any good. The man reformed to look at her and raised his arm to fire, but was suddenly encased in ice from Rin. Luvia and Rin raced around him firing shot after shot into him at point blank range. Rin kicked his feet out from under him and Luvia Pile-Drived him smashing him to the ground.

All around them, the others fought as ferociously to survive against their worst nightmares. Lorelei kept trying to kill Chaos, but the Dead Apostle was living up to his name as an immortal. Killing him did nothing as his 666 beasts charged at her. Each and everyone of them died trying to get near her but she was being drained by the effort to bring that one down. Sakura and Matsu kept firing their attacks at the false Zouken, but the Worm would not stay down even from shots from the gun of Emiya Kiritsugu the first.

"Sakura, why are you fighting me?" Zoken asked as he sent a swarm of insects at her.

_"Es wird staerker, Meine Gestalt hilft dem Kirschbaum_." Sakura yelled sending a wave of magic at the insects destroying them in an instant. Matsu added her shots into the mix firing as fast as she could into the corpse of a man.

"Mou, Sakura-tan do you have anything better to hit him with? I'm running out of bullets." Matsu yelled.

"But, but." "We don't have time for a speech about not worrying about the darkness within you and how you can conquer it like everyone else does. Just bloody use it!" Matsu roared. Sakura had been in the dossier with clear instructions to get her over her fear of the darkness within her. Not exactly the best time for it, but Matsu doubted she could do anything truly effective right now.

Sakura flinched at that, but nodded, "Okay, I'll do it." From her hand came a bow of pure darkness. "_Kirsche Gral Drang!_" Sakura yelled as a massive beam was shot out of the bow and hit the old man.

For a moment, the vampire vanished...only to reform once more

"Mou, Kiri-tan this is so not fair." Matsu yelled, "What kind of boss doesn't die?"

_**"tH**__e o__**N**__e_ _t__**H**__a__**T **__w__**I**__n__**S."**_ came a voice from the dark.

"Cheater." Matsu yelled.

"_w__**I**__n__**N**__eR_." The voice countered

Unseen by Matsu, Sakura began panting from exhaustion. Unlike Rin and Luvia that had access to unlimited power, and Lorelei that had the power of the Barthomeloi, she had given most of her power to Shirou. She was tired, extremely tired, and using up much more of her power was going to kill her.

Illya and her maids were doing what they could to take down Irisviel and Kiritsugu, but the older Homunculus's alchemy and Kiritsugu's aim were deadly and precise. Stella was limping from the shots in her leg and Leysritt was covered in slashes from Irsivield's creations. Through it all, Illya gazed upon the fakes in hate. How dare Rider use their images against her. How dare he...

***Smash***

Illya turned around to see a giant white gauntlet covered in thorns reach for her.

"Aaaah." Illya yelled as the White knight grabbed her

"Oi, be careful with her." Irisviel warned him.

The White king looked upon her and Kiritsugu and snapped a finger. The two exploded instantly and did not reform. "I am the King, you are my subjects. Obey or die." The King looked at Illya in his hand and held her up. He took one finger and ripped the front of her clothes to find what he was seeking. He reached daintily down and grabbed the Avalon Pendant on her chest. "You will not need this any more little human." He took the pendant and put it over his missing right eye.

"Thief." Illya called him

"Is a man a thief when he takes the cup of poison and drinks it himself? Is a man a thief when he knows it is poison and drinks it to save another? If that is a thief, then I bear the name proudly Illya." The Knight spread his wings and flew upwards a bit. Below him he saw the magi and Sekirei fight for their lives against the champions while the horde stood back.

"It seems I made their nightmares too strong. Ah well, they have played their part." He snapped the fingers on his free hand causing them to be destroyed. "They have come to realize a bit of themselves...probably." The magi and Sekirei looked at him as he opened his hand and jerked his palm straight up

Rin looked at him and her arm began to glow. Suddenly a large root encircled her arm.

"Try to use a command seal again, and I will rip your arm off Rin." Kiritsugu warned her.

They were suddenly ensnared in his thorns. And were dragged towards the tower. "I have no need for anyone to interfere." He directed the thorns and shadows to take them to his dungeon. There they would watch all to unfold, but they had no part in his grand scheme. These very grounds were like a Reality Marble, and he could control it to his every whim. Only a few beings could face him equally here.

He then turned to Illya, "So little Homunculus turned human, what do you wish? To join them, or are you willing to stand back and watch?" Illya looked at him suspiciously but said, "A lady is not dragged anywhere. Kiritsugu dropped to the ground and landed hard. Releasing her, he directed the shadows to escort her to the top of the tower.

"I won't forgive you." Illya said

"I don't want forgiveness Illya, I want him to see what his is doing. Your brother is a great man, but he is a fool. Frankly, needs someone to show him how wrong he really is."

Illya stuck out her tongue then followed the shadows into the darkness.

Kiritsugu watched her for a moment, then turned away. He spread his wings again and flew off towards the white castle before him.

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"Hurry Hurry Hurry the night is still young." Alucard cried as Haru smashed his face in.

"Why won't you die?" Haru yelled as he fired a First Impact into Seras.

Every time, every time he killed them, they kept getting back up. Hell, the last time he fought Alucard hadn't been this bad. At least he could tell he was killing the old vampire last time. This time, it was like trying to drain a lake with a leaky ladle.

He avoided an attack by the mad priest and slit the young Walter's throat with a slash of his hands, and a kick to the priest sending him flying into a wall smashing him to bits. He caught Alucard in the crook of his elbow and knocked him off his feet and smashed his face in with his foot. Haru ducked under a shot from Seras and punched a hole in Walter ripping out his heart and throwing it with deadly accuracy into Seras' face.

Above Haru, Alrouge and Acrueid watched in fascination as the Brunestud below them fought .How? How had there been another Brunestud born without them knowing? The world should have spoken when another descendant of Type-Moon appeared. Yet, Gaia had not. Now, they watched in fascination as the man fought below them. Both could tell that there was something not right about him. He was neither a full True Ancestor, nor a Dead Apostle, but something else. Actually, he was a lot like Altrouge, but there were great differences about him. One was that he had a more spiritual feeling about him. The second was that he was a lot weaker than any other Known Brunestud. Even in her weakened state, Acrueid could easily kill him. Yet, for all his weakness, there was a passion about him. Something that refused to back down or compromise. Something that made him greater than the both of them. Shiki on the otherhand had to keep his eyes closed lest he go blind. The creatures, they were so different. Normally he could see lines, but these things were nothing more than spots. Any and all of them should have been the deaht of the creatures when hit, but they were connected. One would have to destroy all of the spots to end them forever.

Haru killed the shades of Alucard Seras, Alexander and Walter time and time again, yet, he could tell that every move was pointless. Every death they suffered did nothing, not even in this Reality Marble. Something they were made of was too powerful to stop with these weak attacks of his. That left him two options Fourth impact and Heaven to Hell. Fourth Impact was rejected instantly. To use that was to kill him, something he could not afford to do with Kiri still living. That left him one option. Around him, massive chains converged and held his enemies They would break free in a moment, but it bought him time. In one hand glowed an orb as red as fire and the other held an orb as blue as the sky.

_"My Humanity in my left hand._

_My Madness in my right hand._

_The combination of that which makes me human and that which turns me to a beast._

_Hell to Heaven!"_

Haru yelled as a massive force smashed into the false monsters erasing them completely. The very Castle shook from the impact of one of the two most powerful attacks Haru had. But...it had done the job. The shades were no more. From above, the two women were impressed while Shiki just stared in awe at the sheer power displayed before him. That would have killed Chaos in an instant reguardless of the beasts within him.

"Impressive brother, but foolish." Kiritsugu said from above. "You wasted your strength killing globs of mud shaped by my memories and imagination." All looked up at him as the corrupted Servant descended.

"Did you get some sort of perverted pleasure out of this brother?" Haru asked.

"Hardly, I just thought you might like it to fight Alucard when he actually wanted to fight you." Kiritsugu said dismissively

"Been there did that already." Haru snorted.

"Not really, you were never Alucard's true target brother. He actually had no interest in fighting you. It was father, it was always father." Kiritsugu said bluntly causing Haru to look at him incredulously. Kiritsugu sighed, "Alucard was never interested in you, only father. You, you were just something to rile father up. Something to get him to fight him once more and finally kill him." Kiritsugu snorted, "Oh? Did you actually think the monster that wanted to die by a man's hand cared about a half breed?" "Yes, to prove that I was more of a man than a monster." Haru said.

Kiritsugu shook his head as his arms shifted into sword and shield. "Brother, you were bait, bait that kept coming back to fight him. Alucard had no interest in you, you just obsessed over him. It was you, always you that kept challenging him. Always you that believed in the destined fight. Alucard saw you as nothing more than an annoyance. Which is why he died when he was at his weakest moment."

"Weakest?" Haru asked scoffing.

"Brother, he lost everything in the Mad Major's plot. All the millions of lives he fed upon, most of his powers. Lost forever. Then, just as he was regaining power and was freed from Interga's control upon her death he met father. He fought father to a standstill, barely alive, but not dead yet. That moment, that sublime moment was really what Alucard wanted, but father was still too young, still too inexperienced to finish him off."

Beneath the King, massive cracks could be heard. The floor of the castle was sowing signs of something moving through it. Surrounding the two of them. The cracks moved up the walls and to the ceiling. Acrueid pulled Shiki out of the path as the cracks came under where he stood. Primate growled quietly at the cracks, but did not move. Altrouge watched as vines emerged from the cracks and began growing around the countless chains in the castle. Both of the older Brunestuds could feel it. This Reality Marble was being overwritten by another.

"After he faced Father, Tou-san had no interest in fighting again as he had other things to deal with. One cannot focus on just on small threat that can barely move. Seras went on her way and we both know how she died. God bless Arika and her swordsmanship."

"Huh? Arika didn't..." Haru started

"Doesn't matter, in my world she killed Seras in a one on one fight." Kiritsugu dismissed. "As for Alucard, he used you as bait, bait that father never took up because you insisted on taking him on by yourself. Fool"

"Acrueid, isn't Alucard still alive?" Shiki asked.

"They're Epic Spirits, time is different for them." The Princess answered figuring out the puzzle before her, "He might have be dead in their world or will be. Doesn't matter."

Kiritsugu strode forward towards his brother. "You fought him when he had barely began to regain his power. Thirty five years isn't much time for a man or monster to recover anywhere near the level he had in the Major's mad plan. Humbling isn't it? To know that you were forced to use your greatest attacks to kill him. And in all probability, you wouldn't have been able to kill him anyways." Haru sneered at his brother. "Is that what you think?"

Kiritsugu stepped forward and slashed at his brother, "I think, you don't."

Haru evaded the attack and punched his brother. _'Ow, bloody thorns._' Haru thought. Ignoring the pain, Haru unleashed various attacks both Muay Tai and Katoryu, but Kiritsugu's defense, power and speed were greater than ever before.

The two clashed time and time again, but while Haru began to tire, Kiritsugu just kept on coming. Haru almost didn't see it when the sword split and became long whips that slashed him on the face.

"Gah, what the hell? Did Fuuko give you lessons or something?" Haru screamed as he covered his right eye.

"Yes." Kiritsugu said as he whipped the vines to the ground where they pieced the ground. Haru had to leap back as the vines shot out of the ground and attacked him. The vines that entered the ground on Kiri's side broke off and reformed into a sword while the shield switched into a gun and began firing at the speed of a minigun.

"Gah," Haru yelled as he was nicked by some of the tainted bullets. He could feel the evil tryign to consume him. Haru ripped out parts of his flesh to keep the taint form spreading. '_Dammit, at this rate, Kiri will win. Where the hell are you Rin_?'

"Rin? Oh, she a bit busy." Kiritsugu answered.

'_What? I didn't say anything.'_ Haru thought.

"hmm, it seems I can hear your thoughts brother." Kiritsugu said happily.

Haru winced at that. If his brother could hear his thoughts then.

"Then I can tell exactly when you are going to attack." Kiri said as a horde of vines burst from the ground.

"Then You know What I am going to do and know that you cannot dodge it in here." Haru said as energy swirled around his arms. A massive orb of power flew up in the air and burst, yet rather than an explosion, the shards reconvened in Haru's right hand causing it to glow pure red. All around the King, Massive chains burst forth and wrapped around the king and held him in place.

"**Dai yon eikyo:-Shin no migite (Fourth Impact: Right Hand of God)**" Haru yelled sending a wave of death at Kiritsugu. The Servant had one time to look upon his death before the beam disintegrated his body. A massive explosion tore through the castle causing it to quake and lose most of it's foundation. Acrueid, Altrouge, Primate Murder, and Shiki all had to move quickly to find safe places to stay.

When the light vanished and the smoke cleared. Haru was on the ground holding a bloody stump of an arm with a smile on his face. "How was that?"

"Not bad." Kiritsugu's voice could be heard Form the ground, A man in simple white armor appeared. "You actually destroyed my Throne. Too bad I can just make another one." Thorns rose from the ground and covered the King back up. With a gesture, Vines burst from the ground and held Haru in the exact reverse position as he had been a moment ago with Haru now unable to move and Kiritsugu. "You forgot to keep an eye on the prize brother. My body is **not** made of Thorns."

With three strokes of his sword, Kiritsugu removed the three remaining limbs from his brother. Kiritsugu released the vines holding his brother and held him up. "Haru Brunestud Emiya, son of Emiya Shirou and Altrouge Brunestud. Have you any last words?" Kiritsugu asked as he held his limbless brother in his face.

"What did he just say?" Altrouge asked aghast

"Kinslayer." Haru spat at him.

"Of course." Kiritsugu sad as his armor opened wide. The jaws of the dragon helm went over Haru's face and clamped down ripping Haru's head off in an instant. "So long Brunestud. It was a good fight."

Above him, Altrouge gnashed her teeth. That was her son? That boy had been her son in another time frame? And this man had just eaten him? Oooooohoho, she was going to deal with him soon. Yet, below her, she saw him spread wings and fly up. The all heard him mutter about "Father better have done his job."

"We're going after him." Shiki declared to his girlfriend.

"Of course." Acrueid declared.

From her position, Altrouge stood up and prepared to annialate the man, but was stopped when a girl with white hair and a few streaks of red appeared before her. The Dead Apostle knew instantly that this was a force on par with Gaia and Alaya.

"Please hold back your claws for just a little longer Altrouge-kaasan now is not quite the right time." Altrouge looked at her and considered her options before deferring to the request of such a being. Not even at her strongest level could she hope to deal with this being. Not even with Primate Murder and her two bodyguards could she hope to harm her.

"Thank you." Shinra said bowing

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The king flew back towards the castle wondering how it was going. The time was upon him, the time was now. The time of sins and choice, the time of valor and vice.

"What will you do father? Resist my rule? Aide my rule? You may choose to die by my rule but I will not allow it. Come father, show me your choices and the sins you will bear."

_All is ready_

_All is set_

_Now is the time,_

_Time for the end of the Clan Wars._

_Will it be a grand end?_

_Will it be a bad end?_

_Everything has been laid for this moment._

_Everything has been for this end._

_Come all who have a part in this obscene play_

_The final scene is here_

_Come, and see what's there._


	45. Clan Wars 27 Final Black Zero Start

Clan Wars 27

_A great source of calamity lies in regret and anticipation; therefore a person is wise who thinks of the present alone, regardless of the past or future. - Oliver Goldsmith_

_From now on it is only through a conscious choice and through a deliberate policy that humanity can survive. - Pope John Paul II_

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The King landed on the platform and sighed at what he saw. "You still haven't broken her free yet? Really? Really? Did you learn nothing from what I told you?"

Shirou at least had the idea to turn red at that. The fact that the first thing that Rider cried out was his lack of fixing his problem really was an issue. He'd have to work on that later. On the other hand, the Corrupted Archer was on the ground pinned by a dozen blades. Shirou turned to Kiritsugu with his blades, only to be swiped aside by Kiritsugu and slammed into one of the four pillars on the tower.

Kiritsugu sighed...then began screaming. On his back, something was growing, not wings, but a blob of something, something dark and new. After a minute, The blob jumped off the King's back. The king turned to face this threat and wondered what it was. It felt like a Servant, yet not...

Below, Rin, Lorelei, Luvia, Sakura, Illya, the two maids and Matsu were suddenly free, as well as Shinji. The suddenly felt the floor shift and shake and a sensation of the floor rising was felt.

The blob looked upon the king then slashed at him. Kiritsugu blocked it easily, and slashed at it, only to see his attack parried and countered. Kiritsugu blocked the attack with his shield and slashed again, only for the pattern to repeat.

The King swung again and again at the blob of mud who countered his every stroke with one of it's own. Yet, as he fought, the blob became more and more solid taking a shape. Taking a form.

A most familiar form.

"So, this is the identity of Avenger..." The king stated as the blob fully formed before the King. "I see...that makes so much sense and yet none at all. To think that you are the great evil of this world...Tell me, by what means did you take upon that form?"

"Is it not obvious?" The figure asked.

"Not really." The king said indifferently. "Though if you will be so kind as to enlighten me."

"As I feed upon him, so to did he feed upon me. In the darkness we were made anew with the flesh of each other. What was once two became one and was born into a being that was not the same as before. A being that was not completely the sum of the parts, but more of an alteration of the parts." The Black Knight said to the White King. "We are now something more and yet less than Avenger, more and yet less than Rider. We are Outcast, Pariah. We are the last Servant in this War. As promised:

_Only when two remain in the fight_

_with the last one appear in the night_

I have come, I have come to fight oh fallen King." The Black Knight declared drawing his blade.

"Hmph, arrogance. I am the one who bears the burden of the sins of man on my shoulders Knight. Not you, you who were swallowed by the sins, I have borne with pride."

The Black Knight advanced with sword and shield in hand, "It is you who are arrogant oh King, you claim to bear it, but I am the one swimming in the sins. I found the boy in the mud forced to bear the name of mankind's sins and dragged him up with me. I who have saved him am the true inheritor of this power."

"So we cannot agree then." The king decreed, "So be it then, then we must fight."

The Black Knight snorted at that, "Fight? Fight? I who didn't trust you to complete the objective now gambling everything on a single fight? You are so stupid King. You who should know me the best are so currupted that you have forgotten how I fight" He pointed over to Bazett. There she was, free of her cage with the last golem by her side. In her hands was a book. Not just any book, but the Book of False Attendent with two command seals still on it. Though none could see the Knight's face, all could tell that he was smiling broadly. "I am a soldier King though I bear the name of Knight. I do not fight fair." 

"Rider rip out your heart." Bazett ordered causing a seal to vanish.

The King sighed in defeat as he gazed upon that book. "So that's why you would not let me destroy it. Very well, you win oh Knight." He raised his hand and plunged it into his chest. In a moment, he brought out his heart beating like a drum and glowing brightly. "The Grail is pure. Do what you will. " The Black Knight walked slowly to the King and took it gently from the dying king. "Thank you for your hard work King. It wasn't easy."  
>"Maybe, but the right path never is." The King decreed. The Knight turned his back from the king and looked over at his father laying on the ground. "With this, everything is complete. Honestly, I never expected us to reach this final end. One in a million I figured, no, more like one in a billion. Yet, here we are. At the time of choice."<p>

"Choice?" Shirou asked

"Yes, the time time for you to decide your fut-" The Knight suddenly jerked and stopped. He looked down to see a white armored finger sicking out of him. With a sudden lurch, the finger disappeared as did the feeling of his heart. The Knight turned around to see the King take the heart of the Knight into himself and begin to glow like gold. "King?"

"Make no mistake Knight you made a massive error." The King pointed to the book that was on fire. "She should have told me to rip out my heart, then kill myself. She did not, so I lived, if barely."

The Knight fell to his knees, whether in despair or from the lack of a heart is debatable. "gnh." The knight grunted. "gah, ah..."

The King reached down and took the heart from the Knight. "Hmm, with Seven Servants, the Grail was already full, so what happens when there are Eight Servants in the Grail?" He stared as the Knight turned to dust. For a moment, the King swore he saw a grin on the face of the Knight. Strange, but still...no matter.

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"_I am the Bone of my Sword."_

What the? The King looked up to see his father look on him in rage and hate.

"_Steel is my Body and Fire is my Blood._

The King frowned, but sent several vines at his father. Best to silence him now. Yet, as the vines neared him, The golem jumped in the way taking the blow. More vines were sent, but Bazett was suddenly there knocking them away

"_I have Created over a thousand Blades._"

Vines burst form the ground and charged at Shirou form all directions

_Unaware of loss, Nor aware of gain _

These vines were destroyed from various forms of magic. The King looked up to see that somehow, Rin and the others had not only gotten out of the dungeon but made it to the top._  
>Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival<em>

The King snarled as he sent massive waves of attacks at them, yet...three new players had entered the field. Acrueid, Altrouge and Shiki. Each of them cleaved through his attacks like they were nothing.

_I have no regrets. This is the only path _

Damn them, how the hell had they all gotten here. What had he missed in the Knight's plan? ...Oh...right...millennium castle. Bloody Corruption, it was altering his mindset.

_My whole life was unlimited blade works _

All around him, the world caught on fire. His world of darkness and sin was erased and covered up in a world very different than his own. It was a barren world with an ever distant and unending dawn. In the sky were countless gears churning out countless weapons. The ground was littered with countless blades piercing the ground live grave markers. And in the center of this world was a hill, a hill covered in swords. The King gazed up at the hill and Saw his father standing upon it proudly as he reached down and plucked a familiar blade from it.

'_Of course, she would call to him, offer her blade now and forever._' Kiritsugu thought. "Well father, it seems that we will play out another of the Knight's schemes."

"Emiya Kiritsugu." Shirou said looking down at him with a golden blade in hand. "I will defeat you."

"See, you still aren't accepting help if you can avoid it." Kiritsugu said blandly. "You really need to work on it." All around the king, countless shadows rose up. "My army is infinite in size, do you have enough blades to take them down?"

The King's legs changed to the legs of a horse making him look like centaur all around him his creatures dashed forward on one last charge to take down Shirou.

From all directions, countless swords fell killing all that were hit. The King grabbed various minions and used them as shields as he charged through the rain of swords Unrelenting, never hesitating to charge forward. Not retreating, nor asking for quarter, the King would live and die by how he had since he was a boy.

He charged forward as he army was decimated uncaring for the end, he would do what he could with every breath that was in him, as was expected of the king. He felt his armor shudder and tear under the onslaught.

'_Must go faster._' Kiritsugu thought as he dashed up the hill slashing blades in his way. Forward Forward Forward he went shedding the Thorns and Vines until he was merely wearing his armor. Even that torn under the onslaught and fell off revealing his body to be covered in tattoos spelling words of hate and pain while he bled from the tattoos.

Finally, he had made it, he was on top of the hill where his father and the others made it. Forward, forward forward he charged. His shield shattered and his sword broke until there was nothing more than a shard, but he kept going forward, forward forward.

Shirou raised his blade to deal the final blow...but it was unneeded. Kiritsugu fell onto his knees just short of Shirou.

"Heh, well done father. Well done indeed." His back was covered in blades. His right arm was missing and he was blind, but the King looked so proud.

"Anything you want to say?" Shirou asked.

"I win." Kiritsugu said proudly as he fell on his face. From the crook of his Left arm fell the Grail. Kiritsugu placed his hand over the Grail and smiled. As his body turned to dust, the Grail glowed then split into three different orbs. Blue, Red, Black

"What is this?" Shirou asked canceling the Reality Marble

"A choice." Shinra said appearing. "A choice for you and you alone Shirou."

"What is the choice?" Shirou asked.

Shinra pointed to the Black one. "This one will restore the lives of those that died in this war. Any human that died will live, saved by your wish." She pointed at the red one. "This one will send you back in time and have you relive the Grail War with the correct Servants involved. You and you alone Shirou will remember this war and will be far more adept at the war itself." She pointed at the final orb. "But this one...this one will bring forth they who loved you from the Throne, they who were the heroines that loved you and married you. If you choose that one, they will come and Serve you while you gain enough Circuits to support them." Shinra then opened her arms wide, "Of course, you also have the choice of walking away. To reject these offers and live your own life. That is the gift Kiritsugu gave you, the gift he died to grant you. Choice."

Shinra walked around a bit. "The funny thing is, he won a long time ago. For to him, victory was to give you choice, to free you from the mechanization of the fallen Priest and grant you the ability to choose your own path. To him, he had won a long time ago ignoring the Grail itself." Shinra pointed at him, "He won, for your sake he won then proceeded to make the world the best he could with the time he had. Remember that Emiya Shirou, he gave you choice. There are few gifts greater than that."

"It didn't sound like choice in the end." Lorelei muttered, "He was manipulating us from the beginning."  
>"Was he? He called you to come here and see for yourself, to choose your own path. Choice is a powerful thing, a dangerous thing, yet Kiri believes in it intensly. So, though he damned himself, he gave you choice. Do with it what you will." Shinra snapped her fingers and suddenly all that Kiri had spread, the treasures he had left behind were in her arms. The book from Lorelei, Matsu's computer, Kiritsugu's gun, The Kaleidosticks, etc. All that was in her arms. "I return to him what was his to guard. You will not need them anymore."<p>

With that, Savior vanished, her duty done. The others looked at each other then at the orbs.

Choice, this was what they had been given. The ability to choose. Powerful, dangerous, yet...empowering at the same time. Shirou looked at the orbs and made a decision. He knew what he would do, his dreams had told him much as had Kiritsugu. He had listened, and now he would make a choice and bear the sins with it.

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The Black Knight closed his eyes and absorbed everything from the War, the betrayals, the schemes, the lies, the death. Everything. For the first time in his existence on the Throne, the Kiritsugu wanted to die. Wanted everything to end, to be dragged into the deepest pits of hell or be obliterated from the Throne.

"Kinslayer, am I always doomed to be a kinslayer?" Kiritsugu moaned as he drew his blade and impaled himself, not that it did any good. Here he was eternal, here he was immortal. Above him, by the mural of him saving Aurora was now surrounded by him killing his siblings in the war. This...clan war had forever scarred him. Time and time again he tried to commit suicide, but could not. He was immortal, he could not die. There would be nothing he could do about this, nothing at all could erase this...except for one thing.

Kiritsugu laughed as he cried tears of blood at the thought, '_To forget this mistake I would have to commit the mistake again. No, nonononono, I am not EMIYA!_' Kiritsugu took a knife and impaled his good hand. "I swear upon this dagger and this blood. I will remember what I did forever and know what a monster I am."

"If you are a monster, then what does that make me?" A familiar female voice called out. "I, who called you to stop Heaven's Feel, to save father from a Route worse than death. To save him from being torn apart in Angra Mainyu's grasp and die sealing it away while having his soul dragged into hell?"

"If so little sister." Kiritsugu said to Shinra, "Then we are both monsters."  
>"Maybe, but it had to be done. Your sacrifice, your sins brought about a world better than we could have imagined."<p>

Kiritsugu closed his eyes and was silent for a minute. "Tell me what happened."  
>"He summoned them, he chose to bring them to him. Their love called to him and he called them back to his side. From there, he went straight to MBI." Shinra then laughed, "Father apparently forgot what a reaction he had on unwinged Sekirei."<p>

Kiritsugu smiled at that, "Let me guess, Matsu brought him into a room with most of the Sekirei were."

"Fifty six." Shinra said almost laughing, "In one day, he had Fifty six Sekirei. And that's not counting those like Miya, Kazehana, Kusano, and Akitsu who had various circumstances that came a bit later."

"How many?" Kiritsugu said almost laughing himself.

"He ended up with Seventy four." Shinra told him.

"Almost ¾ their entire population." Kiritsugu muttered.

"Yup, Minaka's plans died in an instant. Tamaki-obaasan nearly had a heart attack."

"Doesn't surprise me, however, there are more important things." Kiritsugu said getting serious.

"Tou-san wanted to summon you to be like Uncle Gil, but none of the others trusted you to not mess up the children."  
>"I don't care about that, I would have accepted that punishment with pride." Kiritsugu dismissed, "What did I end up doing?"<p>

"You accelerated everyone's dream by a few millennium for starters. Avalon was built much earlier. Um...no one dared to even contemplate another Grail war lest you show up. Um...waht else are you looking for?"

"Who was born? Who was not?" Kiritsugu asked tensly.

Shinra looked at him sadly, "Brother, it is impossible. All of the Clan's souls entered the Throne. They did not return to the Root. None of them were born. Many Many many children were born, but none with our souls."  
>Kiritsugu deflated, "None of them? Not even Arika?"<br>Shinra shook her head, "There was nothing you could have done Brother. The odds of that happening even if they had entered the Throne were too astronomical that it is not worth calculating."

"I killed them, I killed them all before they were born." Kiritsugu moaned. "My god, the countless lives I destroyed."

"And the infinite more that were spared." Shinra pushed forward. "Brother, you must not blame yourself for them. Nothing you did affected them one way or another. Besides, you have plenty of other things you should blame yourself for."

"Like what?" Kiri asked nervously

"Well...tensions between Japan and it's neighboring countries took a nose dive for a while after your air stunt. No wars, but a lot of tension and covert ops."  
>Kiritsugu flinched at that. "Knew it would happen, but nothing I could do about it."<p>

"Lots of UFO fanatics were also born that day." Shinra said with a smile.

Kiritsugu muttered at that, "Lala and Val crashed spaceships all the time and no one worries but one advanced aircraft and suddenly everyone is a believer..."

"Also, no one was named Kiritsugu again in the clan." Shinra said. She saw her brother clench a fist at that. "I'm sorry brother, but you took that name that was already tainted and buried it in the mud."

Kiritsugu sighed, "Anything else?"

"Yes, I need you to go fight for the Grail again." Shinra said.

Kiritsugu jumped out of his chair and punched her hard. "No! Never again, I refuse."

"Brother please."

"No, I will not taint my hands again. The next time I meet one of the clan I will gladly die by their hands." Kiritsugu roared

"Father will die. As a child." 

Kiritsugu halted for a moment "What?" He asked quietly.

"There is a world where the Master of the Fourth Grail's Caster will kill father if you do not go now."

Kiritsugu looked at her, his eyes begging her to tell him that she was joking.

"I'm calling in one of my two remaining favors." Shinra said. Kiritsugu flinched at that. HE had promised to be summoned by her three times if she told him how to retain his memories as a Servant. That was how he knew the loophole, that was how he found a way to remember. And now, now he was paying the price.

"You will have only one left." Kiritsugu warned

"I don't care. Go." Shinra said pointing to the door. "Save him. I'll alter the fates a little as you are no Caster."

Kiritsugu nodded and drew his sword and dashed out the door. As he passed, he suddenly felt his mind bend and break. '_What? WhaT iS__** tH**__i__**Sssssssssssss**_▂▂▅▅▃▃▄▄▅▅▂▂_**?**_**'**

"I can't alter things too much brother, I can only change a few things." Shinra said as her brother lost his mind and plunged into madness. She felt nothing but sadness at what she had to do to him. Her beloved brother was one of her greatest assets. Though he would never form a full contract with her, he would be willing most of the time to work with her. To do this to him felt like a betrayal, but she had to do this.

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**Three days earlier than it should have been**.

"Let's see," Uryuu Ryuunosuke said reading the book, "Ah, looks like I don't have enough. Che." The serial killer was a little let down. He had though the blood of the two geezers would be enough, but he had missed a portion of the script on one side. He turned to the boy and shook his head. Well, if he only took a bit of blood from the boy, it would be enough, and he still could offer the boy to the demon.

He bent down and looked at the kind, little thing was in almost a daze. He was coughing and wheezing and it looked like he had chicken pox. Kind of disappointing really. The kid's red hair had attracted him as it was a rare color in Japan and would make a good sacrifice. He had followed the kid here and saw that there had been a woman with black hair turning a bit white and a little baby. Perfect ingredients, but those two were missing, only this elderly couple remained. Looks like the woman and child had bailed while leaving the sick child alone.

Uryuu took his knife and cut the boy so that blood dribbled on his finger. Ryuunosuke then went back and finished the circle. "Let's see now, ah perfect. Fill Fill Fill 'er up, fill... Repeat four times... Five times? Ah, five times. Destroy each time is filled...right? Ah, yes. Got it!" He watched as the circle began to glow, but didn't see the boy's hand glow as well as three symbols were burned onto the boy's hand making the shape of a shield.

"So cool, so totally f*cking cool." Uryuu cried as he watched his demon come forth. It was a black creature covered in shadows with one red eye on the left and something that glowed like gold on it's right eye. So totally cool. No wonder his ancestors were trying to summon demons if they were all this cool.

"Ohiyo!' Uryuu called out as he looked over the creature. Not the tallest thign ever, but it was soooo coool. The demon did nothing. Was it waiting for something? Ah, a name! Demons always needed names in the old tales. "My name is Uryuu Ryuunosuke. I'm unemployed. My hobbies are murder, murdering and stabaaaaaaaaagh!"

The serial killer was cut off as the demon shoved his hand through him then the other one and ripped the man in half. His blood splattered the room and drenched the creature with his blood. The last thing the Serial Killer thought was this was a pretty cool way to go.

Finally, the Shadow shut up and got out of his way. Berserker looked down at the like and enjoyed the warmth. Such a delightful light, it was good, warm, familiar? What is familiar? Ah, the light was moving! Yes, yes! Wait...why is it struggling? Ah, something hinders the light! Berserker reached down and cut off the tape that bound the light.

Why? Why block the light? Who would want to block this light? It was so nice and pretty. Ah! Did the light just flicker? Strange little light...

'_Where am I? Who am I?_' A voice asked he tried moving, but felt only chains binding him. '_What is this? What's going on? Who? Who am I?_'

**Kiritsugu**

'_What? What's that?_'

**Save him Kiritsugu Save him**

_'Kiritsugu? Is that my name? Save who? Why am I bound? Why can't I move? Why can't I see? Why? Why? WHY?'_

**Clan Wars end**

**Black Zero begins**

_The future starts today, not tomorrow. - Pope John Paul the Second_

**We are the core to our dreams**

**Computers are our voice and Characters are our souls**

**Infinite stories are made, read, and forgotten**

**Unknown to consistency**

**Nor known to contradictions**

**These are our tales, these are our stories**

**Here in our Unlimited Fan Works**

(Bow before me in awe and then review. The White King demands it)


	46. Black Zero 2

Black Zero part 2 (to find part one, look at the end of the clan wars)

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I feel…contained, chained. I can't see, I can't…I can't move. My arms and legs are chained.

*Drip Drip*

Something is dripping on me like rain. Water? No, not water, tastes wrong. Can't see it. Too dark

I test my bonds. The chains won't release, I'm hanging in the air. Arms above me, legs chained to something below me dragging me down. What is this? Where am I? Who am I?

**Save him Kiritsugu Save him**

Kiritsugu? Is that my name? Is that who I am supposed to save?

**Save him**

"Who are you?" I ask only to receive no answer.

**Save him Kiritsugu Save him**

"Who are you?" I ask louder

**Save him**

"WHO ARE YOU?"

In a church on a hill, a priest frowned. His son had only just summoned Assassin. For the next Servant to be summoned as Berserker was unprecedented. Normally a Knight card such as Saber or Lancer would have been summoned, but instead, someone had summoned the mad warrior Berserker. The most unpredictable and possibly uncontrollable Servant was summoned so quickly.

Had this Master pulled out such a weak Servant that they were sure that a_** Mad Enhancement **_was needed? Foolish, this war had been planned for sixty years, if not longer. Maybe the Makiri or the Einzbern would do something like this, but they would have pulled a strong Servant anyways with the preparation time they had.

No, something was wrong….

"What is it Father?" Kotomine Kirei asked coming up from the depths of the church.

"Kirei, another Servant has been summoned." Kotomine Risei answered. "Berserker."

"Hou. Why would that class be summoned so early?" Kirei asked.

"I don't know." Risei said. "Whoever summoned Berserker did it on this land, but it was either poorly executed or hidden well enough that I cannot determine a rough location of the Summoning."

"I see. What do you think father?" Kirei asked.

"Hmm…considering how early it was, I would have to say that it was done deliberately. Someone summoned their Servant as fast as possible to ensure that they were able to participate." Risei considered.

"If that's so, that would indicate someone both anxious, yet ambitious at the same time." Kirei supplemented.

"How amusing," A voice from the dark spoke. "The only other class that has the ability to be designated at will is already here."

"It matters not, Berserker is the least dangerous of the Servants." Another ghost of a voice spoke.

"Berserker's instincts are hindered and weakened. A straight fight is foolish, but Berserker will never see the knife in the dark." A third voice spoke.

All around the priests, the many personalities of Assassin stood or sat.

"As long as we remain in the shadows, we will surely win against him." One assassin warned. "However, if we dare to take him head on without preparations, we will surely fail."

"Scout the city; see if you can find any sign of the Servant or Master. The others should be summoning their Servants soon, and we must be ready." Kirei ordered. The servants bowed as one and vanished. It was as if they weren't even there.

Risei looked at his son and nodded before departing. His son then turned to the chapel and spoke. "Did you hear all that Master?"

"I did," Tohsaka Tokiomi's voice echoed. "It is interesting, but of no concern. The holy relic I prepared will arrive tomorrow morning. It was everything I was expecting. The Servant I will summon would certainly be advantageous against all of the enemies, even Berserker no matter his Identity. If the opponent is a Heroic Spirit, then it will have no chance of victory against mine." Tokiomi's voice sounded like it was brimming with the unrivaled confidence.

"The summoning ceremony will be held tonight - if no other Masters are spying on us, Kirei, you can be present too, as well as your father."

"Father too?" Kirei said surprised. Magi were wary of Church members, even those they had allied with.

"Yes. If '_he'_ is successfully summoned, then our victory is assured. I want to share this happiness with everyone." Tokiomi said proudly. "In the meantime, come over and see what my sources have picked up on the other candidates for the Grail war."

The light was strange. It was flickering now, and dimmer. Why? Why was that happening? The light was pretty, warm, comforting. Why was the light going dark?

"_Cough_ Cough" the light said

Ah! The light is wrong, sick! Yes, yes, that had to be it. The dark shadow looked around. Hmmm…there! It strode over to the corpses of the elderly couple and ripped off the fabric on them. Taking the ruined clothes, it covered up the Light. Yes, yes. The light was a bit warmer, maybe a bit brighter.

_*Cough Cough*_

The light was still wrong, flickering. Though, it wasn't flickering as much. The shadow placed a hand on the light. So warm, so comforting. So why was it making such wrong noises?

If this were a normal person, said person would have known the boy had a high fever. Not to mention chicken pox. But this was not a normal person.

This was Berserker.

Ah! Maybe the Light needed something else. Food maybe? It looked around and saw plenty of food. It grabbed chunks of the shadow it had ripped apart for getting in the way of the light and held it out for the Light.

…

Nothing.

Ah, right. This was a Shadow. Shadow is not good for the light, might make it darker. No, need something. It wandered the home knocking over things looking for small bits of light to feed the big light. Tables were overturned, chairs and couches were ripped out of the way. A futon was ripped to shreds. It ripped through walls and the floor looking for light. There was nothing. No light.

…

Then Berserker entered the kitchen.

As soon as he entered, he could smell something. He sniffed around and found it came from the metal box thing. Opening it, he found light. So much light, it was a cold light, but it was light. He reached in and grabbed something that smelled good. Smelled like meat and herbs and such. Yes, a good offering of light for the Light.

Most people would have called that chicken noodle soup. Made earlier in the day for a sick grandson.

_*Knock Knock*_

"Hello." A voice called from behind a door. "Anyone in there? It's the police. "Is everything all right in there? We've been getting calls about strange noises coming from here. May we come in?"

Wrong, Wrongwrongwrong. No light for them. All for him. Light was nice. Not these shadow beings. Berserker grabbed some cloth and wrapped it around him in a sling and hooked the Light to his back. The Light was then covered by his shield to protect it while he drew his sword. In one hand was a sword; in the other was the offering. With that, Berserker charged the door, the police had no idea what happened. One minute, this had been a routine disturbance of the peace inspection. The next, the door exploded on them dropping one of them to the ground and the other one was bisected. The survivor was given a glimpse of something black and wavy killing his partner, followed by the shadow moving very rapidly with something on his back.

It looked like a kid.

Said policeman blacked out from the pain of the door smashing him with the full impact of Berserker behind it. Unseen by all, a passing insect wafted in. Zouken's familiar gazed into the room and smiled. So, a Servant had been summoned here. Rather violent one at that, probably Berserker. Looking around, he saw the corpses. Two beheaded elders drained of their blood which was used to make a summoning circle. Crude, but effective. He looked over at the next body which had been ripped apart from the middle. Yes, definitely Berserker's work.

…

What's this?

Zouken's familiar flew over to the corpse's hand. Fascinating. It was a book on demon summoning. Zouken sent many more familiars out to collect that. He had originally planned on giving Karia a fragment of a sword as a catalyst, but this…this would do well. Since Berserker was clearly taken, this would do nicely. No sense wasting a catalyst on a boy that was doomed to fail. Give this to Kariya and hold onto the fragment until another War. Karya was clearly going to fail anyways….

Across the world, in Germany another summoning was taking place.

Using a legendary scabbard of a legendary blade, there was no way for them to not summon the King of Knights

"Would such a simple ritual suffice?"

For Irisviel, who was standing aside overlooking the procedure, it was surprising that the preparations were so plain. Normally such things would have taken several, if not hundreds of circles. Circles for summoning, for control, for preparing a vessel for the spirit. So many things. One simple circle was not what she was expecting at all.

"Maybe you are disappointed, but the summoning of Servants never needed an extravagant spiritual evocation ceremony." Kiritsugu explained as he carefully checked for smudges on the patterns drawn on the floor. Finding nothing wrong with the circle he nodded. "Because it is in fact not the power of the magus that summons the Servant, but the power of the Holy Grail. As a Master I am only a cord that connects the Heroic Spirit with the world we reside in, and then merely provide him with prana necessary for materialization in this world." Kiritsugu looked at the clock and saw that it was time.

"Lets begin." Kiritsugu said

"Kariya," Zouken said. "Have you learned the summoning ritual?"

"Hai grandfather." Kariya said

"Good, I've found a good catalyst for you. Since you are below the other Masters…with one possible exception by a slight margin, we have to do something to make up for it." He pulled out the book he had found from earlier. "This should allow you to summon a Servant of the Caster Class."

"Caster?" Kariya asked. Caster was usually considered a joke compared to the others. "Oi, what are you doing grandfather?"

"It's simple. If your Servant will have lower parameters, then we need a Servatn that doesn't rely on them. Casters typically have lower stats anyways, but make up for it in their arcane knowledge. In your case, it's matter if Caster is weak or strong." The old vampire grinned. "Don't worry about it, I wouldn't sabotage your work so casually."

Kariya looked at the old vampire and reached for the book. "Fine. I'll figure something out."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Waver dripped the blood of the chickens carefully so that a circle was formed around the runes and arcane arts he had made with the rest of the blood. He chanted "_Shut, shut, shut, shut, shut. Repeat Five times. But when each is shut, destroy it_." By the circle was a pillar with a small scrap of red cloth he had stolen from Archibald. That small scrap could be the key to his greatness, or his death. No, it had to be the key to greatness. He had risked too much to lose now.

Before him, his circle of power glowed

Soon, very soon he would show everyone who looked down on him and they would respect him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

In the underground workshop of the Tōsaka residence in the same small mountainous town, the same preparations were being made for the same ritual.

"_Ye first, O silver, O iron. O stone of the foundation, O Archduke of the Contract. Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus Schweinorg. Let the descending winds be as a wall. Let the gates in all directions be shut, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked roads to the Kingdom revolve._"

Tōsaka Tokiomi chanted the incantation loudly as he inscribed the magic circle, using not the blood of sacrificial victims or poultry but the molten essence of magical gems. To prepare for this day, Tōsaka have liberally used up all the gems that were full of prana stockpiled in his hoard. To many a magi, this was a callous waste of years, even decades of work for a single spell. But Tokiomi was not doing this for something so simple as a single spell. With this, he would bring his family forward into their true greatness. After tonight, he would give Rin something that could never be matched.

Beside him were the Kotomines, both Risei and Kirei.

Kirei gazed intently at the holy relic placed on the altar. At first glance it looked like a broken fragment of a mummy, but in fact it was the fossil of the first skin that was shed by the first snake so long ago. Amazing. Kirei cannot help but feel a wave of fear at the thought of the Heroic Spirit it would summon. Tokiomi's reasons for his confidence were finally understood. No Servant can defeat the Heroic Spirit that Tokiomi have chosen.

No one, not even this unknown Berserker could face the King of Heroes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade._"

Across the world in his workshop, Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi stood over his circle looking angry. This was not what he had planned on summoning. He had planned on summoning a King, not a knight. Damn whoever did this to him. As soon as he found out who had stolen his property, he was going to have his Servant kill them. Beside him, his wife Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri watched with annoyance. She had helped him gather this second catalyst in a hurry since he had lost his first one. Fool of a man, for all his bloodline and supposed genius, he was a fool.

"_If thou submitteth to the call of the Holy Grail, and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond._" Kariya called even as the insects in him twitched and spasmed within him causing him great pain. He ignored it, he ignored it all as he continued the ritual. He would not fail now, he had to save Sakura. Even if he died in this war, as long as Sakura was saved, it did not matter.

Zouken looked on with a grin. So the boy was actually going to be able to do it. Foolish really. He, the Great Makiri Zouken knew that the hope the man had was so slim, so fragile, yet he clung to it so hard. What would Kariya's face look like when he found out that his grandfather never expected him to win?

"_ – I make my oath here. I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heaven. I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades._" Kiritsugu chanted unaware of how true that statement might be.

The Emiya family crest, that was passed down through the generations and carved on his back, began to separately chant the incantation as individual entities in order to support Kiritsugu's thaumaturgy. Kiritsugu's heart, in a dimension that escaped his mind's control, began to beat rapidly so rapidly it might as well be a heart attack.

His flesh that was tormented by the prana gathered from the air had already forgotten its functionalities as a human; instead, it had turned into a component of the mysterious ceremony, into a circuit that purely connected the ethereal with the material.

His body was becoming a weapon, a tool that he had abused so many times. But Kiritsugu gave no thought to that or the pain created by the magic. His world was cold and isolated as he focused. Even the presence of Irisviel, who stood beside him holding her breath, was no longer present in his consciousness.

He was for all purposes, dead to the world in this ceremony

"_Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words, come past they restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance_" With this as the end of his chant, Tokiomi felt that the acceleration of the prana that raced in his body had reached its uttermost limit.

Thunder and lightning roared, brought forth by black clouds that had appeared on ill winds. The circle glowed Finally, the Magic Circle connected with the Throne and brought forth a being in a display of blinding lights light that shone forth, a golden silhouette of an upright man emerged.

"…We've won, Kirei. Our battle is won…" Tokiomi said arrogantly

Epic Spirits, or Heroic Spirits as they are also known as. Originally belonging to the race of men but separated from the mortal plane and elevated to the level of elementals through the power of worship. The place where these supernatural primates gathered, the Throne of Heroes. The oldest of them all stood before him.

xxxxxxxx

Then in perfect sync across the world with each other though unseen by all except Shinra, Alaya, and Gaia, the Five Servants spoke as one.

Though each of them said it with different tones ranging from respectful to curious, to proud, to sneering, they spoke the words old as the system itself.

"I ask thee, art thou the Master that called me?"

It's raining harder. Pouring down on me till I almost drown in the fluid.

**Save him Kiritsugu Save him**

I can feel it, the fluid's rising up to touch my toes. If this keeps up, I will drown.

**Save Him**

If I am to save anyone, I need to save myself. I have to try, to break free lest I drown. I grab the chain a bit and pull. Surprisingly, I can move, pull myself up a bit. I take a deep breath and pull as hard as I can. The weight below my feet threatens to pull my legs out, but it gives; and I begin to climb.

**Kiritsugu**

What's up there? Safety? Salvation? Kiritsugu? I don't know, but I have to do something or I will drown. The fluid feels like it wants to blind me, but I cannot see anyways. I ignore that, the problem is the chains are slick. One wrong move, and I might end up losing all my gains. I have to move slowly, carefully.

**Save Him**

If I save him, will I save myself?

The boy dreamed feverishly countless things. All was scattered, fragmented, broken…distorted. There were battles overlapping moments of happiness, tragedy matched with ignoramus ends. Men meshed with women and children. Good was evil, evil was good. All was one, all was nothing. The boy tossed and turned in the wrap unable to see…but he began to understand…

_"I am….the Bone of….my sword_." The boy muttered as he dreamed

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	47. Black Familiar 2

_(Black Familiar is a small side story I will write in between the normal chapters, but since I am going on a trip, I decided to post this while I go enjoy a small family reunion, then I will post the next chapter of Black Zero. Enjoy)_

_[Oh, and if you don't remember the last chapter, go look it up in the Black Knight collection I posted]_

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**Black Familiar 2**

Unlike most other mornings, Louise woke up like a bolt of lightning.

"Gah, ha. Ugh." Louise groaned. "Urg, what was that?"

"What was what?" a distorted voice asked.

"Aaaaah!" Louise yelled. She twisted in bed and smacked her head on the stone wall from surprise. "Itaiii."

"Are you all right?" The voice asked again concerned. Louise looked up and saw the great black armored man in front of her.

"Who are...ah, right. My familiar...oh God I forgot, you're a Noble." Louise said as her memory was jogged.

"Servant is the correct term to use, and again, if you don't tell, I won't tell." The man said. "So, what were you talking about when you woke up. It must have been frightening."

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_What did I dream about on our first night? So many things, so many things that I cannot list. It was like years flew past me as I dreamed. His childhood was what I saw if one were to be specific, but that is too indistinct from what I dreamed. _

_I saw...I saw his father, a man that was distorted from a trauma and believed in an ideal so convoluted, so crazy it was doomed to failure. Yet, that man lived his whole life following that dream. That dream was so simple, so pure, and so inspiring he passed parts of it on to his children and grandchildren. Kiritsugu told me that the dream would live on so long as the Clan existed. I believe it. I watched the man juggle so many responsibilities that would have crushed lesser men with ease. He was the greatest idealist, and the greatest fool that I ever saw...and I admired him for it. He was a great man, and I pray that someday that I might meet him. If I did not summon Kiritsugu, then he would have been the next greatest person to be my Servant..._

_I saw his biological mother. So proud, so regal. They called Henrietta the Saint Queen, but for all the regal aura that she gave off, she would never compare to Arturia. Arturia was born to rule like no other. Kiritsugu said that she her twenty year rule had been so successful in a country constantly at war that her legend was held as the highest cultural treasure of her land thousands of years after her supposed death. She was so strong, so proud, it was no wonder that she was remembered. I can still close my eyes and see her smiling at her children._

_I saw his twin sister, who also bore the aura of a ruler. Yet, even more so, she was the rock of Kiritsugu. Kiri didn't have much in the way of stable relationships. His one marriage only lasted a month, but Arika, she was his other half in so many ways. His twin, his pragmatic twin was everything he was not. At least to him. I think he worshiped her a bit and put her on a pedestal, but that's not for me to determine. They were twins, and there is a special bond between twins that I will never understand. She was the greatest swordsman I ever saw save possibly her own mother. In many ways, she was stronger, smarter, and faster than Kiri, but funny enough, she only beat him in spars one in three times. She may have been the greater swordsman, but Kiri was more diverse. One on one, with no restrictions, Kiri used everything he had to win. Only in a true spar of swords, no cheap tricks or environmental advantages, did Kiri have no hope to win._

_I saw his other mothers and their quirks, his siblings and the madness they brought. The Hanyas, the weapons, the explosions, the insane plans and pranks they pulled. Honestly, the whole lot were nuts...except for that one guy, Kyon, but that just made him even crazier being the only sane man in a mad house. I saw his protective streak with Chiyo, his rivalry with Takeshi and Haru. I saw his development of his own Ideal of Choice and the beginnings of his dream to be a Black Knight._

_Idealists the whole lot of them. No wonder they shook the world in a single generation._

_But above all, I saw his cooking. And I thank the Root and whoever made the dream cycle everyday that it warned me of what he was capable of on the first night. Some people wonder why I blew him up every time he offered to cook or tried to cook, there is a good reason for it. Pray, pray that we didn't miss killing anything that he cooked. If any of those horrors he made in this world survive, they will come back stronger and more powerful than ever._

Louise glared at Kiri and pointed her finger at him "I don't care if that was a dream, I don't care if that was a hallucination, you are never going to cook as long as you serve me." Though she could not see his face, she could tell he winced at that.

"Ah, so you witnessed the dream cycle...on the first night. Fascinating. That indicates, a strong tie between Servant and Master." "Dream Cycle?" Louise asked.

"You will see my lifetime in your dreams...it's due to a resonance between Servant and Master. It helps both sides understand each other better. The greater the bond, the clearer the dreams and the sooner they appear." Kiritsugu said, "Since you seem to have very clear memories of last night, we clearly have a strong bond."

"hauuu," Louise exhaled. "Those were real? All those woman, all those children. The explosions, the fires, the-the..."

"Sounds like a slow Tuesday to me." Kiritsugu said.

"Tuesday?"

"Ah, third day of the week."

"Ah, the day of the wind." Louise said understanding "...wait, that was a slow day? But things kept changing, people getting older." "Well, you were just seeing images from my past, not the whole thing. That would take a lifetime itself to see."

Louise nodded at that. The man did look old, probably in his fifties.

"So Master, do you always get up this early?" Kiritsugu asked pointing at the sky.

Louise saw that the sun was just beginning to rise out of the sky. "Ah, yeah. Breakfast comes soon."

"hmm...breakfast huh..." Kiritsugu said.

"NO COOKING" Louise said pulling out her wand. She startled and turned red, "Ah, I mean, please..."

"Hmmm, what's with the deference? You are the Master." The Black Knight asked,

"But, you're a prince." Louise said

"And I cast that aside when I put on the black armor." He pointed to it. "The moment I put this on, I knew that this would be my coffin, my grave would be a ditch on the side of the road. Once this armor went on, I had already prepared myself to die. He opened his arms wide. "So I fought, over countless battlefields, against countless foes countless times...and then I died. I died in my armor protecting something I thought was worth my life, worth my pain, worth ending my path."

Louise looked at him and saw pride in the way he talked about it. "You died, I know you're not human after last night, but how can you talk of dying so easily?"

"I gave my life to save my daughter's. What kind of father wouldn't make that sacrifice in a second?" Kiritsugu said. He sounded...happy.

Louise thought of her own father and nodded, though he hadn't much time for her, she was sure that if it came between her and him, he would choose to save her. Same with her mother. "Ah, I understand."

"I think most people would understand." Kiritsugu said, "And I think no one would blame me for that choice...except maybe my daughter, but I left her in the most capable hands possible. She will move on without me." He then looked up, "Master, it might be best if you got dressed if you want to have breakfast."

"Hmm? Ah, yes." Louise said heading for her dresser. Had she summoned a human, she might have made Kiritsugu dress her, but something this...inhuman, this powerful, she did not dare to offend him. She looked at him and saw that he stood by the door, still as a statue, watching the door like a sentinel no, he had always been watching. He was wary, like he was always expecting a fight. But then...he did say that armor was to be his coffin...such an attitude, such a belief, he had to be wary, paranoid or he would have died when he was young. He had the mind of steel that mother was so fond of.

When they left the room, they saw three identical wooden doors along the wall. One of them opened, and from inside appeared a girl with flaming red hair. She was taller than Louise, roughly a head shorter than Kiritsugu. She gave off an aura that reminded him of Kazehana-kaasan, flirtatious, yet analyzing. For all her flamboyance, there was something about her that said semi-experienced. Her face was attractive in an exotic tanned or Arabian way, and she sported a captivating bustline not as big as many of his mothers, sisters, and nieces but big in their own right. The girl top two buttons of her blouse were undone, highlighting an impressive cleavage which impulsively drew the eyes in. A cleaver distraction really, most men would focus in on those things and not on her face.

Her height, skin color, bearing, and breast size... It all made for a strong contrast with Louise, who lacked in those charm points. Louise looked like five to ten years younger compared to this girl, but then, there was that aura that made this girl look even older than she should. Something about her...it was wrong, yet not threatening. This girl had trained...to a degree. She was like an unfinished gem that someone had started on but wasn't finished yet.

When she saw Louise, the woman grinned broadly. "Good morning, Louise."

Louise returned the greeting with a frown. "Good morning... Kirche."

"That... is your familiar?" Kirche asked somewhat mockingly, pointing at Kiritsugu. To her, Kiri looked like a common sell sword, someone that Louise hired so that she didn't look like a fool when she failed to summon a familiar.

"...That's right." Louise said after a deliberate pause. She glanced at Kiritsugu for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, this is my Servant Kiritsugu."

"Ahaha! Servant, so you admit that you hired him." Kirche exclaimed.

"No," Kiritsugu broke in, "Servant is the correct term for a human summons. It's rarely done, but some find humans more practical than animals as familiars."

Kirche blinked at that, "Wait...you're actually saying that others summon humans?"

Kiritsugu nodded, "It's rare, but you have to admit, a human is a great deal more useful than your lizaard."

"No one can match Flame." Kirche declared.

"Really? Let me know how much help he is in your experiments." Kiritsugu said as he pushed Louise forward. "Do not think I have forgotten you girl. You insulted my Master yesterday. I do not forget such slights easily."

Louise found herself led by Her Servant straight to the dining room in a daze. He had just talked down to Kirche...he had actually talked down to that tart...Louise found herself smiling as she carefully remembered the entire conversation, then realized that he had threatened Kirche in a way at the end of the conversation. Founder, she had just gotten something awesome. He wasn't fascinated with Kirche's bust like all the other males, all he saw was someone that had insulted his Master.

Maybe she should reward such behavior...

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The Academy of Magic's dining hall was in the tallest and centermost building on the premises. It had been the first building constructed for the academy and served not only as the dining hall, but also when important meetings were gathered. Inside were three extremely long tables were arranged parallel to each other. Each one looked like it could easily seat a hundred people though not even half the seats were filled.

On the back end of the hall was a raised area where the teachers were eating. Not a bad design as it gave the teachers an elevated view as well as give the students a way to see the teachers if announcements were made.

It appeared that students could be identified by the color of their cloaks. Viewed from the entrance, everyone sitting on the left-hand table looked a little older and wore purple cloaks. These were the third years, students that had only a year left to complete their education before they went wherever their families sent them. All the tables and seats were magnificently decorated with elegant carvings on the edges and the legs. Numerous candles, bunches of flowers, baskets full of fruit were laid out on the tables not just for practicality, but there was an art to how they were placed.

In the middle table sat the students wearing black cloaks. These were the second years and each of them looked pleased form having their brand new familiars to show off. This was where Louise, Kirche, and the others from yesterday all sat down

The students sitting on the right-hand table wore brown cloaks. These were the first years, the fresh attendants of the school who possessed neither familiars nor much clout beyond what their family names provided. It was a rare student that earned a prestigious nom de guerre.

Every single mage on the school grounds, students and teachers alike, gathered here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Yes, it was a magnificent place, but after last night...it looked rather plain to Louise. Now, that Emiya Manor, there was a magnificent place. She had to admit, for all that the hall tried to look grand, the Emiya Manro had done just by existing. It was like comparing an aspiring painter's work to a grand masterpiece.

"Nice place." Kiritsugu said.

"Nothing compared to what you are used to." Louise said a bit bitter.

"Heh, you clearly haven't seen what most of my life was like Louise. Time were I was lucky to have a table when I ate." Kiritsugu chuckled. "no, you've just seen my childhood. Wait till I go off on campaign, then you'll see the real meaning of the phrase roughing it."

Louise nodded at that then looked at her food as it was placed before her. She frowned then looked at Kiri, "do you want any?"

"No thanks," Kiri said kindly. "Growing girls need to eat."

Louise growled at him, "is this a reference to my height?"

"Please, I've seen too many of my siblings blown through walls to do something that stupid." Kiritsugu dismissed. "Don't worry, if I need anything, I'll get it."

Louise nodded, then began eating.

"Ah, Epic-san." A female voice called out.

"hmm?" Louise said as she turned. It was a maid, that was coming over towards her Servant.

"Ah, Siesta-san, good morning." Kiri said cheerfully, "You look well this morning." "Hai," Siesta chirped. "Thank you for last night."

"No problem." Kiri said

"Servant," Louise asked dangerously, "Who is this and what did you do last night?"

Siesta paled while Kiritsugu chuckled."Now now Master, no need to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous" Louise retorted

Kiritsugu continued on like he had not been interrupted, "This is Siesta, an acquaintance I made last night when I saw that she had been overloaded with Laundry. I opted to help her out last night so she wouldn't be out too late."

"I see..." Louise said dangerously. Poor Siesta looked frightened...right until Kiritsugu bonked Louise on the head lightly.

"Stop frightening the girl child. I am bound to serve you until death. You don't need to worry about me leaving you to chasing skirts." Kiritsugu admonished while Siesta blushed slightly. "Your worries are unfounded." Kiritsugu continue. "Should you order it, I will fight. By your will I shall die. What I do in my free time is of no concern. I have lived too long to be swayed by lust or greed."

Louise rubbed her head and looked down, "Of course, my apologies." And again she had insulted royalty. This was not going well...

"None of that Master, you are the Master, I am the Servant. I defer to you in the end. Though I hope you will defer to me on matters of war and battle." Kiritsugu said raising her chin so that she looked at him. "You are strong, proud, even regal. But you are stubborn. Learn to relax, enjoy life. The day you became my Master signaled that your life was to become far harder than you ever imagined."

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_He was right of course. He was almost always right about these things and then fairly close the rest of the time. If one Servant is summoned, it is almost inevitable that others will be summoned. Hard, he told me life would be hard as a Master. _

_Was it? _

_Lets see... I've lost count how many battles I've personally been in. I've gained my own collection of battle scars and traumas that tell me how close I've come to death. I've made myself an enemy of thousands if not tens of thousands of powerful people. I've personally p*ssed off the entire elven nation...three times. Mother has__** personally **__hunted me down with some of her former subordinates and dragged me home for various reasons numerous times._

_Yes, my life became far harder than I imagined._

_Back then, I thought he was exaggerating, but I've long since learned that he only exaggerates when he plays with children. Only then does he relax and make everything sound like a grand adventure. He was always like that, coddling you until you were older, then he rammed reality down your throat killing most illusions. It was much like how he grew up. It's all fun and games until someone close to you nearly dies. _

_So what happened next? Oh, I sent him away. I-I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him in class. So I sent him to stay with the familiars. What? I still didn't see him as an equal like everyone is so used to. At the time, I was getting mixed ideas of whether I should treat him like a servant or a Prince. He, the son of two kings, would have ranked even higher on the social ladder than my old friend Henrietta. So I'll repeat myself and say that I sent him away while I went to class. Of course, no one called upon me to perform until he was in class with me, but I'll get to that later._

_Now Kiri, is a patient man. He's sat and waited for orders for hours or days, but if he thinks there is something he can do while waiting, he'll probably do it unless it is critical that he waits...like sniping an enemy commander from half a mile away. So, he made himself busy making allies while waiting._

_Allies...heh, I'm still not sure if she was my best Ally or my worst Enemy, but that woman was more useful than many others in my life. And to think, it wall came from a small kindness and later a greater kindness. That woman was a great spy, double agent, and all around pain in the neck for everyone that dealt with her...except for Kiri of course._

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Kiritsugu looked at the familiars and frowned. Nothing, there was nothing truly of interest to him other than the dragon. A little food to make her happy, a few scratches to the head and Irukuku was in the palm of his hand. Fine for if there came a time for a quick retreat without using his Noble Phantasms, but...not enough

Not near enough. For her protection, he needed to get on the good side of some staff members.

…

Like that green haired woman with the huge stack of papers... Kiritsugu looked up and thanked Alaya for the gift horse. He quickly made his way over as he saw the woman lose some of the papers thanks to an ill wind...or fortunate wind in Kiri's case.

"Let me help you." Kiri offered bending down to gather the slips of paper.

"Ah, thank you." The woman said.

"That's a large load there, want some help?" Kiri offered.

The woman looked him over, then smiled, "Please." Kiri held his arms out and took about half the papers. "You're that familiar that Louise summoned."

"The technical name for summoning a human is Servant actually." Kiri corrected. "it's not too common, but it has happened before."

"really?" the woman asked as she led him to a large tower.

"Yes, in fact my mother was a Servant. She and my father, her Master hit it off and eventually I was born." Kiri said with a happy voice.

"I've just never heard of it." The woman admitted

"Again, not common, most people don't like being whisked away from their homes to serve others. Worked out well in my parents' case, but not always." Kiri shrugged. "Anyways, enough about me, my I ask your name Miss? "Longueville. Call me Longueville." She said,

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you." Kiri said.

"May I ask your name?" She asked.

Kill looked away for a moment, then nodded, "Unfortunately, I belong to a special order. By donning this armor, I strip away my name and titles. At the moment, I am known as the Black Knight."

She looked at him funny, "Black Knight, what? They name you for your armor's color?"

Kiri shook his head, "No, I just happen to be the best of my order, hence I was given the title. I have no name to give Miss Longueville as I had to put it aside when I joined." "Why would you give up your name and title?" She asked

Kiri looked down, "That is...a very personal matter. I am sorry, but somethings require you to give up everything to gain something."

She nodded at that accepting his story...for now. "Well, this is my stop. The headmaster will have to finish putting his seals on these." Kiri nodded and held out the papers and placed them on the pile in her arms. "Very well, call me if you need anything Miss Longueville." he turned away.

"Do you ever regret it?" she asked behind him. "Giving up your name and title?"

"I had no titles to bear anyways, as for my name...not really. I know my name, even if I may not give it. What is a name but something others call us with to distinguish us. In the end, we know who we are... or at least we should. The moment we cannot remember who we are, that is the moment we need to stop and remember lest we become lost forever." Kiri said philosophically "If that is all I must ask for your leave to go my lady."

"I am no lady." She said kindly, "Just a commoner."

"All woman are ladies, and every man had better know it lest they be kicked in the jewels." Kiri said getting her to laugh.

"You are a wise man Black Knight." she said with a twinkle in her eye. "Very well, you have my leave to depart." she saw regally.

Kiri placed a hand on his chest and bowed before turning and walking away.

'_Now there's a real gentleman._' the woman who's real name was Matilda thought.

'_Not a lady huh?_' Kiri thought '_And I'm a pink flamingo. That stance, that walk, that regal demeanor. You are a noble in every way if one looks hard enough. Hmm...mark that down for later and come back. She is either a disposed Noble, a Noble in hiding, or just being modest.'_

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	48. Black Zero 3

Black Zero 3

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She gazed upon the familiar vestige and stared. No…it couldn't be…But no matter how she looked, it was him, it was Emiya Kiritsugu, her old Master and Shirou's father. "You are…King Arthur?" Irisviel asked. Irisviel…how long had it been since she had last seen her? Since she had to kill her with Excalibur by Kiritsugu's demands? All she could do was stare dumbfounded at the two as they stared right back at her.

Kiritsugu said nothing as he gazed upon the King of Knights. This… This was the legendary King Arthur? A little girl? Something inside him turned cold, not that he noticed. He had already killed most of his sense of self a long time ago. He stared at the girl as his mind thought back to the legend of King Arthur and began making connections that had been hinted in the old tales. Arthur had been sent away as a child. Rather than doing so to protect a boy from assassins, it had to be to keep a girl from inheriting the throne. The tale of the king being immortal had to be the result of the fact that she never grew facial hair and was rather short. Her voice could even pass for that of a man, a young man, but a man if one did not know where to look.

So…they forced the responsibility onto a girl did they... Kiritsugu looked at Arthur one last time and turned away. He did not want to talk to this girl right now, she represented too many things that conflicted with him. Arturia gazed upon his back as he walked and saw him in a new light. The first time she had seen him do this, she had thought he was disappointed in her. But now, after a lifetime with his son, she could see that he was angry at the world. Angry at the role she took up. Shirou was a lot more like his adopted father than she realized.

Shirou…just thinking about him made her fist clench. He was here, somewhere in this world, a mere child with his mother. She prayed he was safe, for the Grail war was about to start. The same war that killed his grandparents, destroyed his mind and memories, and nearly killed him. She looked at Iri and bit her lip.

Irisviel looked at Saber and saw the signs of unease. "It's not what you think." Iri said misinterpreting the facial expression. "Kiritsugu is just upset at something." Saber looked at her old friend and forced herself to smile.

"Ah, I know. He's not the first to react that way when they see that the King of Knights is a woman."

Irisviel looked at Saber surprised, "Ano…how did it happen? How did the legend forget to mention that you were a woman." Saber looked at Irisviel and began telling her story of life as a knight and king.

All through the story, she focused on Shirou and what she remembered of this war, Gilles de Rais had to die first. The mad, murdering Servant had killed hundreds of children in the first Fourth Grail war. Such a fiend needed to be dealt with first. Diarmuidwas an honorable knight, but she would not fall for his Noble Phantasms this time. Iskander, the proud man would be an excellent fight, but nothing she could not deal with. Assassin would not fool her with his multiple bodies. A warning to Kiritsugu and his deception would fail before it even began. It was the last two that were the main problem…

Gilgamesh and Lancelot. The King of Heroes and the Knight of the Lake. These two would be her greatest adversaries in this war. She would have to think on how to defeat them quickly. Above all, she could not let this Grail war get out of hand again. She had to protect as many as she could, especially Shirou. Her heart ached for him, even if she had just been by his side minutes ago back in the Throne with the rest of the clan. She missed him dearly, and yet…if all went as she wished, he would never see her after this war, if ever. He would be saved and spared the pain, and thus never get involved with the Grail War. Though…it was inevitable that he would get involved in Sekirei with his mother being the one that kept Minaka somewhat in line. His fate though, would not be with her again.

And that was a painful thought.

"I'm sorry for bringing up such memories." Irisviel spoke, breaking Saber's thoughts.

"Ah, no. It's not your fault, you needed to know." Saber said not dissuading Iri's belief that it was her past that made Saber uneasy. Saber strode forward and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." She was careful not to say Iri's name lest she give away everything. She could see Irisviel look at her in confusion at Saber's proclamation, and it made Arturia smile.

Waver dashed to the promenade by the bridge that connected Fuyuki to Shinto, breathing heavily after such a short run. "Ha, ha, ha," Inhale, exhale. You would think the guy had just run a marathon the way he heaved. As someone who rarely worked out, Waver felt his heart was on the verge of a heart attacke. Without the strength to even stand up, he kneeled on the roadside and took another look at the books Rider took from the library.

"... An anthology of Homer's poetry? And... A world map? Why?" Waver exclaimed all this trouble for such paltry things.

From behind a puzzled Waver, a stern arm suddenly stretched out to pick the atlas up by the fingertips. Rider deftly plucked the books from Wavers hands and heavily sat down cross-legged on the road and began turning the pages of the atlas,

"Hey Rider, when you mentioned preparations for war..." Waver started

"You can't start a war without a map. Isn't it obvious?" Rider said smiling. Apparently pleased, Rider's face lit up in a grin, and he stared at the content of the atlas. "Apparently the end of the world has been discovered, and it even rolls up in a sphere... I see, that's what we have when we draw the round Earth on paper. Hey boy, where are Macedonia and Persia?"

Waver felt discouraged at Rider's usual arrogance in calling his Master "boy" instead of saying his name; still, he pointed his finger at a part of the atlas. At that moment.…

"Wahhahhahaha! That's small! Only that on such a big Earth! Hm, good! I was worried by an era where there is no unknown land anymore... But if it's that big, then I'm fine!" Suitable for his big frame, Rider's laughing voice was grand. Waver felt he'd rather face an earthquake or a tornado than oppose a man of that size. "Good, good! I'm excited! ... And us, boy, where are we on this map?" Nervously, Waver pointed to Japan at the far East. Rider gave a groan of admiration, and, "Hoho, at the opposite of the round Earth... Hm. That too is very pleasing. Our objective is even clearer, then."

Waver was becoming more and more annoyed as the giant spoke with such confidence. It was as if he didn't care about the Grail War.

Yet, Rider suddenly sprang up with a frown on his face. The man turned to look at the Shinto end of the bridge and looked at something. Waver couldn't see it, but something was making the man edgy to say the least.

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Eboshi Tanaka was p*ss drunk. The big boss Fujimura had scolded him harshly for no reason. Just because a little money was misplaced (500,000 yen) didn't mean the boss had to get all over his case. So, after the lecture and warning that if he scr*wed up again he was out, Tanaka went to his favorite bar and drank as much as he could hold and a little more. He was now on the walkway of the bridge between Shinto and Fuyuki and was now busy throwing up over the railing.

D*mmit all. Why did nothing ever go as planned? Tanaka railed against the world for a bit before some dormant instinct warned him of danger. The man turned to see something black and ominous dashing towards him with the greatest killing intent he ever felt. Said black thing was dashing towards him at an incredible rate. He could see a glowing red eye and gold eye on that black thing's head and it looked evil.

Filled with liquid courage, the man pulled out a knife and yelled, "You want a piece of me yo-" He never got to finish the sentence as the black thing ripped him in half as it kept on running.

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Below the bridge, Waver Velvet threw up after seeing what had to be Berserker rip a man apart in its path. Oh God, what was wrong with Berserker's Master to let that happen? And this was supposed to be the second greatest night of his life, followed only after the old geezers at the tower admitted they were wrong about his theories. Yet nothing was going as planned today. The first thing his Servant had done was demand to be taken to an archive where he stole the books then he began dismissing the whole Grail War, and now he had to see someone get ripped apart in an instant. What was going on today?

"Hmm…Berserker, probably." Rider deduced.

"Of course it's Berserker baka, what other class could it be?" Waver called out as he emptied his stomach.

"Many other classes could have done that with ease." Rider continued, "But that one shows signs of madness as he killed. Rather than just cutting off the man's head, he ripped him in half." Rider frowned, "Yet…he looked like he was protecting someone. His Master?" Rider's voice drifted off as he considered what he had just seen. It had been his plan to invite all other Servants to join him in his world conquest, but that one…he highly doubted that one would want to join. Still…as the King of Conquerors, he had to make an effort. "Oi, Master, let's go after him."

"Go after him?" Waver eeped. "Baka, he's long gone, how do you intend to track him?"

"hmmm, that's true. He took off rather quickly, still…he probably left a trail to follow." Rider said

'No," Waver said as he collect himself, "We need to get back home first. I'm exhausted, then we can hunt."  
>"Aaaaaah, I see. Yes, the troops need to rest and be fresh before the battle." Iskander said agreeing. "Yosh, after we rest and get familiar, we can begin. We know where he's going and can take it from there."<p> 

'_Must hurry, must protect the light. The shadows want the light, want to take it, to snuff it out. Must save the light, keep it for self_.' On and on the mad Servant dashed towards a place, he didn't know the place, couldn't remember it, but some instinct that preceded him told him the way.

On and on he dashed from rooftops and high poles he moved so that none of the shadows could get near the light. He came upon a place, it had a wall around it, nothing a Servant couldn't hop over with ease. He moved over the wall and felt a ripple of something pass over him, then it vanished. Ignoring the sensation, he moved past a shack into a furnished home. The place was dusty and probably hadn't been lived in for a while, but Berserker cared not.

It was safe; something inside him told the Servant that this was safe. None would come here, none would bother the Light. So, it was good. Kiri took his bundled up Light and placed the Light on a comforting thing (couch) and reached for the offering (Soup). He held out the offering reverently, but the Light did not respond except to cough and flicker. No, nononono, the Light should not flicker, the light should be steady and warm. Maybe, maybe the Light was too weak to accept the offering? Yes, something in him said that was right, so he took the offering and tried to feed it to Light. At first, it was a horrible failure; the lid was still on the Tupperware so, of course, nothing came out. However, Berserker's finger pierced the lid when he clamped down in frustration causing soup to leak out slowly.

With care given so reverently, one might mistake it as an act of a priest giving an offering to a god, he poured the offering to the Light that greedily ate the offering. The flickering stopped and the light was steady, but the cough remained, if not as strong or as often. For now, Kiri was satisfied. The Light was bright and warm and that was all that was needed. However, more offerings would be needed; more must be obtained for the Light.

More

Moremoremoremooooooore

**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**

The fluid is coming down so fast I might as well be climbing up a water fall. Wait…what's a waterfall? What is this? I can see an image of liquid falling off of rocks. Is that a waterfall? Makes sense. Have to climb, have to get away, the water is rising and if I falter, I'll drown.

**Kiritsugu**

Several times my hand slips a bit and I slide down. But I have to keep going. Climb or Drown, Climb or Drown.

**Save him**

How about you save me first? I'm drowning here.

**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**

Annoying voice; not helping at all.

**Save Him**

On and on I climb these chains with the weight dragging my feet. It's hard, so very hard to keep climbing, but I have to lest I drown.

**Kiritsugu**

Is there no end to this? Is there nothing above except more chains and an endless torrent of liquid?

_**I **__a__**M **__b__**O**__u__**N**__d b__**Y **__a__**N **__o__**A**__t__**H.**_

What the…? What was that? That was different

_The __**Road**__ was __**long**__ and __**the**__ Choice __**was**__ hard_

_**and**__ the __**sky**__ was __**always**__ cold __**and**__ grey:_

Okaaaaaay….what's going on? Why are two more voices calling out? I'd yell at them, but the fluid is coming down so fast all I'd do is drown in it

**Kiritsugu Save Him**

_G__**uA**__r__**D **__t__**H**__e h__**El**__P__**lE**__s__**S**__, a__**N**__d __**p**__R__**oT**__e__**C**__t t__**H**__e __**f**__A__**m**__I__**l**__Y_

_The __**blood**__ red __**moon**__ was __**a**__ frozen __**shard**_

_in __**the**__ dim __**twilight**__ of __**day**__:_

Shut Up Shut Up SHUT UUUUUUUP

The Magus Killer winced as he felt the bounded field of his old home break. Something had gone to his old residence in Fuyuki and broke through the simple bounded field. Honestly, there had been no form of defense other than a simple field that triggered an alarm of chimes and a burning sensation in the back of Kiritsugu's head. The whole thing was so simple that no magi would have noticed the place unless they stood right by it. For someone to have broken in now…

Someone not only knew he was involved in the Grail war and had probably set up a trap if he ever went to investigate.

Well… it's not like he had planned on going to that old home. He had a hotel room booked with Maiyu and the Einzbern castle. Still, he would have to investigate what was done after the War…

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The boy dreamed of countless things.

Fire, death, ruin, pain, agony, dying men screaming for salvation, dying woman cajoling him to join them in fire, so many things that ripped at his mind

Minato Sahashi was always a fragile boy; his mind was easy to break. Uryuu Ryuunosuke had broken the boy when he killed the boy's grandparents in front of him. The boy's mind had broken and shut down, unable to accept any stimuli from the world. The chicken pox and the high fever added to the pain and mad the boy delirious. In his state, his mind was fragmented and for all purposes lost. To save itself, the boy's mind had erased everything to survive. Home, family, even his name was lost in the name of survival. Had this been a normal event, the boy would have to be committed to an asylum as his mind regressed to that of an infant.

But this was not normal.

A broken mind connected with a mad mind and found a perfect connection. And the dream cycle continued…

He dreamed, of a fire that killed hundreds, of a man smiling at the dying boy as something golden flashed in front of him. A dream, an ideal so impossible that it contradicted itself and would lead only to pain. More and more images and pieces of another life flowed into the broken mind which drank up the information like a sponge.

More and more of Sahashi Minato was erased as another entity was being born. A being known as Emiya Shirou

"_Steel is…my body, and…Fire is…my Blood_"


	49. BlacK Zero 4

Black Zero 4

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_A mother's love is a powerful thing. God help the B*stard that tried to harm her child because no one else will. -Unknown_

_People who sin say that they had to, to survive. People who sin say that it's too late to stop now. The shadow called Sin dogs them steadily from behind, silently, without a word. Remorse and Agony are repeated, only to end up at Despair. But what sinners don't know, or what they have forgotten, is that there is a light, a light which keeps shining on them ever so warmly. A light that will never fade. - __Trigun_

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In a land of snow and ice where normal people do not go, there stood a castle belonging to the Einsberns. That day, the old castle was enjoying a rare winter's day where the snow did not blow and the sky was merely cloudy and gray.

On this day, a Master and his daughter played one of their old favorites, count the chestnuts.

"Alright, today, I will not lose!" Saying so, the excited Ilyasviel quickly moves into the forest ahead of her father. She is adorable in her small purple boots that crunch the snow beneath her feet, but her eyes are like that of hawks and don't miss anything of the surrounding trees, no signs of careless exist in her eyes. Right now, the girl was in the midst of a fierce battle with her father and she would not lose

"Oh, here's one. The first for today." Kiritsugu announced happily

"No way! Where? I can't have missed it!" Illya declared as she tried to find the elusive one she had missed. Returning a bold smile towards his beloved daughter, Kiritsugu pointed at a twig above his head. From a frost branch of walnut, a humble winter sprout was sticking out.

"Fuhhuhu, I get the first point. Let's keep that rhythm." Kiritsugu said playfully

"I won't lose! I swear I won't lose today!" Illya declared as she spun around and began her search. She didn't make it very far before she suddenly bumbed into Saber

"It-t-t-tai" Illya moaned.

"Ah, gomen Illya." Saber apologized.

"mou~," Illya fumed, "No time, the champion is in the middle of a fight."

Saber smiled at Illya and pointed to a small sprout on Illya's right. Rather than being pleased to see the sprout, Illya pouted then announced, "Mou! Saber found one as well." Illya said upset. Then she smiled. "A new challenger comes to face me, very well. The Champion accepts all challenges." She puffed out her chest and scampered off.

Kiritsugu ceased to smile as he looked at his Servant who interrupted their fight. The man said nothing as he moved past her.

"I understand your concern Kiritsugu. You are not the first to be angry that a woman took the throne." Saber said.

Kiritsugu looked at her with his dead eyes not giving away anything.

"However, what's done is done. We can only go forward unless we wish to make our pasts into lies." Saber continued. "Your dream is an admirable one, though it is flawed." She smiled at him kindly, "I knew another with the same dream and fell in love with it." She looked whistful as she remembered Shirou. How he fought his future self, how he had faced his ideal and won finding that everything he had done and all that he might do would be worth it. That it was not meaningless to devote one's life to a flawed ideal even if the rest of the world clamored against the ideal.

"Your ideal is nor the same." Saber said "However, I still want to see it none the less."

Kiritsugu's eyes widened at that.

"I found one as well." Illya called out.

"I found two." Both Kiritsugu and Saber called out at the same time.

"EHHHHHH?" Illya cried out. "Where? Where? I thought I didn't miss any."

Kiritsugu pointed to two buds to his left while Saber pointed to two more in the same direction as the one she pointed out earlier. Illya fumed at that missing all the points. The champion was under heavy pressure today. The new challenger was throwing her off, but she would persevere.

"Why don't we invite Irisviel?" Saber suddenly asked.

"Eh?" the two others said at once. Saber pointed off to the distance where they say Irisviel standing off to the side.

"Ah, Mother!" Illya cried happily waving her arms, "Come, come. Let's play." Saber smiled kindly while Kiritsugu actually smirked.

Irisviel walked on over, "Is it alright?" She asked Illya.

"Yeah, let's all play one last time before you leave." Illya said. For a moment, the others all lost their smiles, then they regained it.

"Fufufu," Irisviel chuckled, "Don't regret it Illya, Mama is su~uper strong."

"it's true," Kiritsugu said playing along, "You up to it Illya?"

"Fufu," Illya said puffing out her chest, "A Champion accepts all challengers. I won't lose."

As they began the search, Saber kept filing away every defense, every barrier, familiar, weakness, and anything else useful about the Einzbern. It may be necessary for her and Kiritsugu to assault this place to save Illya after the Grail War. After Illya was safe, Saber would be content to return back to the Throne and her family. Kiritsugu would not have to command her to destroy the Grail this time, but she would first try to save Iri and Shirou.

It would be a lot of work, but all her life, she had been victorious in battle. Only when she had forgotten her ideal and searched for the Grail to undo her past had she lost. Only when she had lost herself had she been defeated. So, she would remember herself and do all that she could to bring Kiritsugu victory and a better ending.'

She owed him that much for raising Shirou

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Sahashi Tamaki would always remember this day till she died. It started out as a fairly normal day. She had slept little with Yukari waking up in the middle of a night after having a nightmare about her brother which took hours to calm down the little girl. Breakfast consisted of Yukari eating a bowl of cereal while Tamaki contented herself with a couple of cups of coffee. While Yukari got ready for daycare, Tamaki snuck out to smoke her first cigarette of the day.

D*mn Minaka, the man was giving her more and more grey and white hairs by the day. It was getting so bad that little Minato kept calling her Shiro (White). It seemed to have become her son's favorite phrase 'Shiro, Shiro' she'd have to talk to him about tack soon, but with his chicken pox and fever he was staying with her parents in Fuyuki.

Speaking of her parents, she would need to call them on her lunch break but today was going to be busy with the new modification attempts on Homura. Not to mention she wanted to try something else on Yume today to see if there was a way to increase her power. The Broken Seikirei would never be able to be winged, so they might as well try to make her stronger. Never know when another invasion attempt may be made against the island…

After dropping off Yukari at daycare, she quickly made her way to the new headquarters of MBI smoking her second cigarette of the day already preparing herself to deal with the Idiot Genius's newest plot to make her die from a stroke. '_Let's see, will it be some new idea to turn the moon into cheese? Or maybe overthrow the Japanese government so that he can make a law that everyone wears only swimwear_?' Whatever the reason, whatever the idea, she had her handy dandy clipboard ready to smash his head the instant he opened his mouth.

She made her way into the building, slipped her card through the reader while Hiro the security guard waved at her. She made her way to the elevator and slid her card through another reader before she pressed the button for the top floor. One elevator ride later, she exited the machine and entered Minaka's office.

"Sahashi-san." A cheerful voice called out.

Tamaki nodded at the head of the Disciplinary Squad Yume.

"I see you're as perky as ever," a sardonic voice called out. Tamaki ignored Karasuba and looked on at her living migraine

"Minaka," Tamaki said already feeling a familiar headache building up.

"Ah, Tamaki it's good to see you, though you don't look like you slept much." Minaka said with his signature grin. How Tamaki wanted to rip that off him, it's not like he knew anything about raising children.

Before the day could begin though, the office phone rang.

"Hello?" Minaka said cheerfully as he answered the phone. "Yes, she is right here. Oh my, someone's in trou~ble." Minaka said as he put the phone on speaker.

"Sahashi Tamaki." A serious male voice called out

"Yes," Tamaki said wondering who would be calling her. She pulled out a cigarette and prepared to light it ignoring the warnings not to smoke posted in the room.

"This is Captain Fuwara of the Fuyuki Police Department. I'm sorry, but your parents are dead."

Tamaki dropped both the cigarette and lighter instantly. "What?" she asked. No, she had to have heard incorrectly.

"Sometime last night, two intruders broke into their home and killed your parents. We don't know the full details, but it seems that the two intruders had an argument and one of them-"

"What about Minato?" She cried out feeling her body turn to ice

"Who?" The captain asked

"My son, he was staying with them, what about him?" Tamaki cried

There was a pause and the sound of shuffling of papers and whispers of various men. "I'm sorry, but I cannot release that information at this time."

"G*ddammit that's my son, what happened to him?" She screeched. Never before had she felt so weak, so pitiful as right now.

"Ma'am, please calm down we're-"

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?" Tamaki roared causing everyone in the room, including both Disciplinary Seikirei to flinch.

There was a sigh, "We don't know. Two of our officers responded to a disturbance call about your parents' house. When they got there, the door burst open as one of the intruders left. The intruder killed one of my men and wounded the other. The man mentioned he thought he saw a child on the intruder's back but he isn't very coherent right now. Keeps babbling about demons and such."

"So he was kidnapped?" Tamaki asked quietly, dangerously quiet. Men had heard that quiet voice right before they died.

"We don't know….Ma'am, is there any reason for someone to attack your parents or your son?"

Oh, there were several reasons she could think of at the top of her head, many people using her son as leverage against her and Minaka and the whole of MBI. However she responded with, "No, why would anyone do this?"

She listened as the policeman said his condolences, which were worth warm spit, and asked her to go to the nearest police station in Shin Tokyo to get more information before he hung up.

Tamaki stood there for a bit, unable to move, unable to breathe as she took it all in. Her son, someone had taken her son and possibly killed them. Someone had killed her parents and taken her son. How? How could anyone one have known that Minato was here. While a part of her panicked, another part analyzed the information and came to two hypotheses. Either, someone had attacked her parents and didn't know Minato was there until they got there. Said intruders would have debated on what to do with the kid, which sounded like they then got into a fight over what to do with her son. The Second hypothesis was that someone in the company had leaked about her son being left with her parents. They had taken her son and her parents had resisted getting themselves killed in the process.

Tamaki looked up and glared at Minaka who shrank from her gaze. Never before had she looked so bloodthirsty.

"Find my son." She said. It was so quiet, almost a whisper, but there was more grief and bloodlust in it than Karasuba and Miya combined could hope to match. "Find him, no matter the cost."

"R-r-right." Minaka said unable to look at her, instead he looked over at Yume, "Use all resources to find Sahashi Minato."

"Understood," Yume said dangerously.

"Ho~o, things got a lot more interesting." Karasuba said who then had to duck a clipboard being thrown at deadly speeds.

"Find my son." She said one more as tears began falling from her eyes. "Find him, and being me the heads of those responsible."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

.com/watch?v=X0MVuN_0Ks0

_**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**_

Why won't they shut up? The more I climb the more voices I hear and they all won't shut up. I am so tired though. With all this endless climbing, the voices, the torrents of liquid on me, the weight on my leg, I am so tired. It would be so easy to let go, to fall until I hit the rising liquid below me and drown. It would be so easy…

_**I **__h__**A**__v__**E **__f__**O**__u__**GH**__t____o__**V**__e__**R **__c__**O**__u__**N**__t__**L**__e__**S**__s b__**A**__t__**T**__l__**E**__f__**I**__e__**L**__d__**S**_

So I won't…

I won't stop, I'll keep going. I don't know why, I don't care why. I just know I have to keep going, to keep pulling myself up.

**Save Him**

Now if only the voices would do me the favor of being quiet long enough for me to concentrate fully on the chains.

_The __**wind**__ was __**sharp**__ as __**a**__ whetted __**knife**_

_**As**__ it __**blew**__ from __**the**__ salty __**seas**_

I climb and climb again and again against the torrent of liquid moving up, always up away from the ever rising pool. I know not how long I have climbed, but it has to be a long time, I am so tired, but I keep on climbing lest I drown.

What's that? A light? Yes, there's a light above me. It's not very bright, but it's there. It flashes between red and gold, bit I see a light. Well…it's not like there's anything to see down here.

_**Kiritsugu Save Him**_

So I climb, toward that light. I can only hope it leads to my sa-

_The __**storm**__ wind __**stirred**__ to __**a**__ ghostly __**life**_

_**The**__ Gaunt __**black**__ skeletal __**trees**__:_

Or it could just lead me to the voices where I can shut them up. Either one works.

_**H**__a__**N**__d__**S S**__t__**A**__i__**N**__e__**D **__w__**I**__t__**H **__b__**L**__o__**O**__d__**, **__a__**N**__d____h__**E**__a__**D **__f__**U**__l__**L of **__h__**O**__rr__**O**__r__**S**_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Curse the sun, it was a false light. It did not glow warmly like the Light, it glared like a shadow wanting to be a Light. Curse it with all the hate possessed. How were offerings supposed to be gathered to offer to the Light in the sun? The shadows were darker in the sun, only in night were the shadows pale. More offerings had been found before the sun came, but the Light would need more, much more. Only the first offering pleased the Light. All others had failed to please it. More offerings, more things to please the Light

Moremoremore

It should be noted that while the first one was chicken soup, things like potato chips, uncooked ramen, sake, and blood splattered bread stolen from a freshly killed hobo are not good foods for a sick child. But of course, try telling that to Berserker.

And so there was nothing to do but watch the Light, it was always pleasant to watch. So warm and beautiful; the sun was a pale comparison to the Light. Tonight more offerings would be needed, more delectable and tasty offerings. Only the best offerings will be given to the Light. Only the best to make it glow so warmly and perhaps it will praise the one that gives the offering.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The boy dreamed of school, of friends made and bows shot; of a girl with more in common with tigers and vacuum cleaners than humans. He dreamed of a boy that looked down on all others and a boy that was raised by monks. He dreamed of helping so many others to make them happy which made him happy, only for him to move on before he heard a word of thanks.

He dreamed of a crush on an idol and the beginning of a crush on a girl with purple hair. He dreamed of so many things, and he forgot none of it.

Minato Sahashi was dying, suffocating under the onslaught of images. And another was being born from his corpse.

He dreamed of a man in blue facing a man in red, of a spear in the heart and an invisible blade saving his life. He dreamed and dreamed and dreamed unaware of what was occurring around him.

His body, already weakened from the chicken pox and fever began to burn form an alternate source. Things similar, yet, different to nerves, similar, but, different than veins and arteries began opening; twenty seven of these things began flashing as they opened for the first time ever wracking the boy in pain, pain he did not notice as he dreamed.

He dreamed of a girl in blue with golden hair making an oath to him, of a man with dead eyes in the vestments of a priest; of a black giant and a little girl with white hair and red eyes. He dreamed of a man in red with blades as white as the moon and as black as the night.

"_I…have created…over…a…thousand blades."_

Kiritsugu closed his eyes as the plane took off, he would be in Fukyuki in twenty hours. He would scout out the area with Maiyu then join up with Saber and Iri when they arrived. Saber had agreed to protect Iri with all her power and act as the decoy for him. He had been surprised how little she fought him, but Saber had said that thought she did not like this way to fight, she did acknowledge that this was the best way to fight.

The last thing Saber had done before he left was warn him that

"Do not ever make assumptions about anyone. Nothing is as it seems in the Grail war Kiritsugu, be careful and do not underestimate anyone."

It had been so seriously, Kiritsugu knew that she was to be heeded. She knew something, and he would be a fool to ignore it. So, anything Maiyu took up, he would look over twice just to make sure that he assumed nothing.

He closed his eyes and began to dream

He saw a bright light, and then he saw Saber fight a man in blue and chased him out of a shed. The place looked familiar for some reason. The Saber turned around and looked at a redhead boy that sat on the ground looking at her in wonder. They gaze he gave her was filled with something os powerful there were no words to describe. Wonder, fear, awe, worship, so much was in that gaze.

Then Saber spoke "I ask of thee, art thou my Master?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	50. Black Zero 5

**Black Zero 5 **

"_According to legend, those who are called a berserker are an object of fear; not only for the enemy, but for the allies as well because it is said to kill anything in its path…" – Serpico __Berserker_

_Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true. – Julius Ceaser_

.com/watch?v=Eu4T2A2k-oE

Some things, no matter how earth shattering the other changes are, still occur. Such things have not been affected too much by the change for one reason or another and play out the same way time and time again.

Assassin moved silently beside his Master Kirei They stood there overlooking their target, the Tohsaka Manor. The Tohsaka Manor, like the Einzbern Castle in the forest and the Matou manor, are known locations for holding masters, and over the years have developed powerful defenses to protect the Masters during the War. These defenses vary greatly by the Masters, but each of them is a fortress in their own right and only a fool of a Master or Servant would dare to enter.

Stepping unauthorized into the bounded fields of the Tohsaka Manor is anything but safe, all the more for the large mass of prana that is a Servant. One step onto the grounds would trigger the field causing waves of death in many forms to converge on the enemy. Essentially, even if it is a spiritual body, it should be impossible to slip through the bounded fields of the fortress undetected.

But of course, the impossible can always be made possible; it just takes a certain kind of person to do it. In this case, Assassin with the A rank skill of Presence Concealment, was the perfect candidate to make the impossible possible. While he does not excel in battle power, Assassin can suppress his to nothing in order to creep in the shadows and reach his target.

In his spiritual form, Assassin progressed through the many alarm fields without a problem, laughing at the ironic fate of Tosaka Tokiomi. That arrogant magus has placed a considerable faith in his protégé Kirei, but can't imagine that he might be bitten by his dog. This was too easy, much too easy for the Man on the Mountain. He had broken through much harder defenses in his time to take down targets.

Kirei's had ordered Assassin to kill Tokiomi has reached Assassin not an hour ago. It had been strange, only one aspect was allowed to go after the target, but this aspect was the best in infiltration. He is unsure of what caused Kirei to change his mind, but Tokiomi's summoning of a Servant a few days ago must be when it began. Tokiomi seems to have summoned the Servant Archer, but apparently, that Heroic Spirit must be weaker than Kirei expected.

For that reason Kirei had told Assassin, "Vain prudence is unnecessary. Have no fear of facing Archer. You need to obliterate Tōsaka Tokiomi quickly."

Now halfway through the garden, the blind spot of the bounded field one could pass through undetected vanished. From there, the barrier has to be destroyed by physical means alone. It became impossible to proceed while invisible in spirit form. Now was the time for cunning and experience to destroy the defenses in silence before the hunt could be completed.

Leaning over the shadow of the vegetation, Assassin returned from spirit form to physical form, exposing his bony mask and tall, lean figure. He can feel many different 'eyes' all over him from afar, different from the bounded field of the Tosaka residence. The familiars of other Masters must be observing the Tōsaka residence from outside the barriers. This was no immediate concern for Assassin. As long as he remained unnoticed from Tokiomi and his Servant, there wouldn't be any need to worry about any Peeping Toms. It's not like he was revealing his Noble Phantasm or anything for so simple a takedown. In addition, Tokiomi's rivals disputing the Grail would never warn him of Assassin's infiltration. While Assassin went in for the kill of a competitor, the other Masters would be content to remain as spectators.

Snickering without a sound, Assassin extended his hand at the first keystone that binds the barrier "Too easy," he whispered

*SLAM*

The next instant, the outstretched hand was pierced through by a spear that came flying from above.

"Hiii!"

An intense pain and wave of shock passed through Assassin. '_What?_' The simple spear strike was completely unexpected, and Assassin swung his head upward, looking for the thrower.

But there was no need to search for the one responsible. On top of the roof of the Tōsaka residence, a golden shadow stood proudly. That divine radiance of this being steals the dignity of the starlit sky and puts the moon to shame.

"You worm crawling on the ground, whose pardon do you seek?" The golden man asks indifferently to the Assassin no longer hidden on the ground, looking down at him with a pair of disdainful, burning crimson eyes. To him, this black creature is an insect, a worm, not even worth considering a threat.

He glares at the white mask in disgust as he sees Assassin look him in the eyes "You can't look at me. Worms can only look at the ground when they die, like the worms they are."

Around the golden shadow, the air shimmers as more glows appear, growing into almost countless numbers of this phenomenon. Out of thin air appeared hundreds, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of swords, spears, dagger, bows, arrows, halberds, and maces, not a single one of them was the same, all of them treasured weapons with dazzling ornaments and designs. And all of them were aimed right at Assassin.

'_I-I can't win'_. Without even thinking, Assassin realized it instinctively. Winning against him is impossible. It's stupid to even think about facing him.

If he is able to hit Assassin, a Servant, it therefore means that this golden silhouette is definitely a Servant, for only a Servant can battle a Servant. And if he is stopping an invasion into the Tosaka mansion, then the Master of this…thing is Tokiomi. In other words, he must be the Heroic Spirit Archer.

'_There's no need to fear __**that**__?_' In his disbelief of his Master's words, Assassin knew there was no contradiction in Kirei's words. In front of such an overwhelming enemy, fear is…yes, there is no place for fear, only despair.

And then the countless weapons descended…

Assassin felt the eyes, the familiars observing from outside the place. They saw him, the first Servant to fall in the fourth War of the Holy Grail meeting an unsightly end without even a retort, now witnessed by the other Masters. And at the last moment, Assassin Aspect understood. He understood the true intention of his Master, Kotomine Kirei, and... of the leader, Tosaka Tokiomi. This, this was meant to free the others to move silently, and to sow despair upon the enemy.

'_Impressive_.' Assassin thought as he faded away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

.com/watch?v=pyKJPlQYJrM

Time continues to play out the same way in many forms. Tokiomi felt emboldened by the display killing off a single Aspect of Assassin with contemptuous ease. Surely the others must be quivering at the thought of tangling his Servant. After all, there was no way another Servant could hope to match the oldest Hero of mankind. There was no way another Servant could harm Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes…

xxx

Kirei went to the church to ask for sanctuary. Of course, this was merely a ruse to hide the fact that his Servant was still alive. Only one Aspect had fallen, he had over two dozen other aspects to fight as needed. Yes, the death of the Aspect was a ruse, but only four other Masters had watched. One Master had not, therefore, the ruse was not perfect. Troubling indeed…

Xxxx

Maiyu went over the video again and again trying to glean anything useful from the tape other than the sheer power of the Servant, so far she was turning up nothing.

xxxx

A man, his wife, and his Servant gazed through the familiar's eyes and began plotting how to counter such a Servant. It would be difficult, but one of the Servant's Noble Phantasms could counter that sword spamming ability. It would be difficult, but not impossible for the Servant. It would take timing, effort, and concentrated help from the Master, but this Servant could fall like any mortal…

xxxx

Waver saw the death of Assassin was disappointed in the quick death of the Servant, however, he did worry a bit about Archer. Yet, Rider was confident as always, considering Assassin nothing more than the rat of the Servants. Now that the skulker was dead, it was time for confrontations. Waver was sure he would have an ulcer before this was done and over with….

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yes, some things in time play out as they had, but many, many more move in different paths.

A broken and dying man filled to the brim with insects flinched in pain as a moment of despair filled him. Caster was not looking like a good match for that Servant no matter how much he hated Tokiomi.

"Don't worry Master," The frog-faced Servant leered. "Just let me go to work and I shall obtain victory." Truly fortune favored him the day he was summoned. His Master had no interest in the Grail, only the salvation of a single girl. It was so easy to get the Master to promise the Grail to him as long as the girl was saved.

Now…how to get the Master to let him have the other children for his work? The countless familiars and insects could be used as sacrifices in their own way, but the best summons came from children. Such delectable souls, such satisfying fear they possessed. The greatest of his summons could be brought forth with the flesh and blood of children. However, if the Master was as resistant to the idea as he looked, then it fell to this humble Servant to work in secret like he had so long ago in the service of his Maiden. After ignorance is bliss…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

.com/watch?v=XTbmFYSp3SM&feature=related

"You have no leads?" Tamaki said coldly.

"G-gomen." The officer said fightened by the woman. "W-w-we still don't kn-know w-who did this at th-this t-time. W-we are checking out the un-unknown in-in-intruder in the house, but w-we've got nothing at th-this t-time."

Tamaki resisted the urge to smash the man's head on the table to stop the stuttering…barely. She needed everything she could to find her son. She had already seen the bodies of her parents, hiding the horror at seeing her mother and father killed. She was no stranger to death; she had seen the enemy soldiers die in the attacks on the Island as they tried to claim the Sekirei. But this was different, this was her family, and this was her son.

She remembered hearing about the missing and murdered children in the neighboring town, but she had never thought it would be her son that went missing. She prayed with all her heart that Shirou was unharmed, she prayed to every deity and demon she knew that her son lived promising heaven and hell for her son to be alive and well. Behind her Yume stood for 'moral support' i.e. as soon as she found a lead, Yume was going to find them and beat the information out of them. Tamaki had barely been persuaded by Minaka not to bring Karasuba with them as Karasuba would have probably killed someone with information in her bloodlust.

Tamaki rubbed her forehead; she was half tempted to drag Matsu out of that Inn regardless of Miya to have her help in the investigation. Hanya or not, strongest of the Sekirei, or not, that woman owed her big time and this was her son d*mmit.

"Lieutenant," another officer called into the office. "You need to see this."

The Lt.'s eyes twitched, he stood up and bowed at Tamaki, "I am sorry for your loss," he then strode out of the room.

"Follow him," Tamaki said, she turned but saw that Yume was long gone already foreseeing Tamaki's demand. Tamaki then stood up and walked to her car to wait. She waited tensely for about an hour before the door opened and Yume entered the room. "Well?"

"The unidentified intruder was behind the child murders. Fingerprints and residual DNA match one hundred percent" Yume informed her seeing Tamaki start. "However, the murdered officer is just the first in a series of murders over the last couple of days. Each of them is the same, the victims were all ripped in half. This same serial killer killed one Uryuu Ryuunosuke, the intruder in your parent's home"

"What about my son?" Tamaki asked feeling her heart fall.

"Unknown, but he was not at the house." Yume said causing Tamaki to seize on a strand of hope.

"Maybe-maybe he heard the noise and hid. Then, then ran out of the house." Tamaki said ignoring how she knew how sick Minato had been. Any hope, anything at all was needed to keep her from breaking.

Yume pulled out two pictures she had swiped from the files. One was a picture from a street camera near her house. "This is probably the second intruder." The picture was strange, though the street was perfectly shown without smudges, the intruder was a blurry black thing with only a red orb and a gold orb showing where the eyes would be. Yume then showed the other picture, it was the inside of her parent's house, showing a obscured circle full of symbols and what looked like old foreign writing. However, most of the circle was covered in blood splatter of a strange man with orange hair ripped in half over it. "Tamaki-san what is this?"

"It looks like a ritual of some sort." Tamaki said shifting into analysis mode. "Some…cult ritual…arg, it's too obscure. I need an expert." She sat up and started the car; she quickly headed for her hotel where she had a scanner.

Unseen by her, a certain priest had arrived to deliver his condolences on behalf of the church…as well as some hypnotism to erase all data regarding the Servant. The secrecy of the Grail War had to be kept at all costs, and that was exactly what the Overseer of the Grail War had to do.

Tamaki hurried to her hotel room and pulled out a scanner and her computer. Matsu may be hiding, but she must still be checking her old e-mail account. In a blur, she sent the images to Matsu and a threat that if she did not help, Tamaki was going to personally launch an all-out assault on her location.

Ten minutes later, the picture of the black intruder was sent back with two circles, focused on the chest, and on the edge of the intruders' shoulders looking over it. Below that picture were two others showing enhanced images on the two locations. The chest area had something strapped to the black intruder's chest, some kind of sling. Over the…man's shoulder, was a small bit of red. Tamaki glared at the red, then scrolled down to see a final picture with that red enhanced…

Hair, it was a bit of red hair over that man's shoulder. The same shade as her son…

The wheels turned in Tamaki's genius head before hope and despair hit her in the same moment. He could be dead, he could be alive, but one thing was for sure. "He has my son. That, that monster has my son…" Tamaki snarled. She looked over at Yume with bloodthirsty eyes that would have put Karasuba to shame. "Find him, no matter the cost, find him and bring him to me…alive."

Yume nodded and bowed. She had a lot of work to do tonight.

.com/watch?v=lgJBDXqL5xc

Kiritsugu woke up startled by what he had dreamed. '_What was that?_' he thought

"Sir, are you alright?" a stewardess asked.

"Yeah, just a bad dream." Kiritsugu assured her.

"Sir, you were thrashing rather badly." The stewardess pressed.

Kiritsugu looked her in the eye and the woman went a bit ridged, "It's fine, I just hate flying. Bad memories."

"I see." The woman said as she suddenly backed off. "Well, you'll be pleased that we're about to land."

'Arigato." Kiritsugu said as the plane descended. _'What was that? The dream cycle? But that wasn't about her past…at least not a part in the legend. That was a Grail war_.'

A grail war in his house. He knew that shed, he knew that building too well. What was going on. He had bought that house himself, so why was the boy named Emiya Shirou? Kiritsugu tried to think of his family tree, but he didn't know anyone besides his father. Was it possible? Had an ancestor fought in a previous Grail War? It had to have been the second then, as the First and Third Masters were well known, only the second had a great deal of information missing. Kiritsugu thought of his family crest. It was only a few generations old, so it was possible that this was the founder of the Emiyas he had seen. Was it possible? He had bought the house because it suited him, but was it possible that he had felt a resonance with that house?

His father had sold a great deal of his families old lands to fund his research, but it might be possible…It could be an ancestral home. He would have to look into it as soon as the war was over. In the meantime, he would have to ask Saber about this Emiya Shirou. Honestly, Kiritsugu could not see any resemblance between the boy and himself, but time does strange things.

Nothing made sense. Even if she had been in a previous Grail war, there was no reason for him to dream of it as the memories should not have transferred. He should have only dreamed of her life as the legendary King of Knights. Instead, he had seen the start of another Grail war, one with Cu Chulainn in it apparently. Gae Bolg, now that would be a useful Noble Phantasm, a spear that altered causality so that the spear always hit the heart one hundred percent of the time and was unblockable.

Still, the boy was a fool to waste a Command Seal to prevent Saber from killing that Archer. Kiritsugu had no idea who that man was, but something in him found respect for him none the less. Something about that man seemed familiar. No matter, Archer was the enemy, so why did the Master stop her? Yes, he was clearly out of his depth and not expecting the Grail war, but this was the height of foolishness. Was this boy some sort of pacifist? Kiritsugu could not help but feel annoyed at the boy, he dreamed of an ideal he had no idea how to go about.

Kiritsugu buckled up and settled in for the landing. He had to get his gear from Maiyu and focus on the current war, not ghosts of the past.

In a land of snow and ice, Irisviel von Einzbern and Saber were boarding their own plane for the journey to Fuyuki. Within a day, they would arrive at the site of the Grail war and begin their battle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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It was becoming easier to identify offerings that pleased the Light. Solids meant little to the Light, liquids with good smells, however, were perfect. The Light took the offerings greedily. Ignoring the dried blood of a construction worker on the shoulder, miso soup was carefully poured down the boy's throat. Not too fast, just enough for the Light to feed without coughing The Light was always coughing, making such pitiful sounds. It was best not to make it worse. The Light still flickered every now and then, but it wasn't as bad as the First Time. Now, the Light was fairly constant in the Light's glow.

Though, the Light did start to smell, it took some work, but it became apparent that filth had gotten on the Light somehow. Using water from the fountain (kitchen sink Berserker broke), the Light and been gently cleaned the filth off, however, the filth came back every now and then. No, the Light had to be perfect, the Light was everything. Filth must be removed. The old wrap had to be removed, but there was plenty to use from the dead shadows. They should be glad that their wrappings were used for the Light. All must worship the Light, for it was good and warm.

It never occurred to Berserker the trail of blood he left behind as he searched for food. Men and woman alike had died while he scavenged for supplies. They died for merely possessing food and clothes. The police were stumped by the attacks. Each of the victims looked like they had been cleaved with either a blade or a blunt object that hit them at such speeds that it cleaved through flesh with ease. What was worse was that they had no idea why the attacks occurred as it appeared to be random. All that was known was that the Serial killer was somewhere in Fuyuki, however, the attacks were coming from all directions. No section of the town was safe.

All Masters tried to send familiars to follow Berserker, but, somehow, it was evading them. It moved like a phantom, never being where they expected, nor revealing itself unless it was on the move. And then, it was impossible to follow. One Aspect of Assassin had tried to follow Berserker when it spotted him, but the blasted Berserker had literally outrun Assassin and left the Aspect behind. As expected of the physically strongest Servant versus the weakest.

In the meantime, children were continuing to disappear, though this time, no bodies were being found. All in all, the priest had his work cut out for him. Magic wasn't being uncovered, but the sheer bodies count was making the locals nervous which meant that he had to put in more effort to keep it secret. At least the Master of Berserker was keeping the identity of the Servant a secret and relying on mundane ways to kill people. Any photos of the Servant showed only a black out of focus blur.

All in all, the area was becoming more and more frightening for the locals. Murders, missing children, mysterious attacks, it was like a bad horror movie, and they were the stars. Many people followed sage advice and decided that it was time for a vacation far, far away from here.

**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**

Almost there. I'm almost at the Light. I know not how long I have labored, how long I have climbed, but I pray that there is something there. The voices are getting louder. Maybe it's an indication of getting close to the goal…

_**Y**__e__**T I **__h__**A**__v__**E **__n__**O **__r__**E**__gr__**E**__t__**S **__f__**O**__r____m__**Y **__l__**I**__f__**E **_

_**From**__ a __**family**__ of __**light**__ and __**love**__ I __**came**_

_**To**__ the __**lands**__ of __**blood**__ and __**sin**_

So close, so very close. I can see my goal past this constant onslaught of Liquid. Liquid, I swear it tastes almost like metal. Sometimes I taste something semisolid in it. And it all tastes terrible.

_With __**gun**__ and __**steel**__, in __**blood**__ and __**flames**__,_

_I __**won**__ all __**that**__ a __**man**__ may __**win**__:_

If all else fails, maybe I will find the source of the voices and shut them up. I really hate listening to their pleas and bad poetry.

**Save Him**

So close, so very close. I climb these chains slowly as the weight on my body tries to drag me down. I climb towards the light trying to leave the darkness behind. I only pray this is the way to salvation, and not damnation.

_**M**__y p__**A**__t__**H **__e__**N**__d__**S **__t__**O**__d__**A**__y____a__**S a**_ ▄▄▅▅

The boy dreamed of many things as his mind was being overwritten. He dreamed of a witch with a poisonous tongue, a samurai oozing honor, a teacher that moved like an assassin. He dreamed of a king in gold and infinite weapons.

And he dreamed of a world made of nothing but gears and blades. Gears in the sky made countless blades where they fell to the ground like memories. It was a world where not a single sign of life could be found; a world that did not belong in this world, a world that broke all conventions of this world. And the world called to him…

Minato was dying; he was dying a painful death. Bombarded by memories and knowledge that was not his, he was dying. His broken and fragmented mind that had seen his grandparents killed in front of him, a madman that toyed with him, hurt him, bled him for his insane reasons. His broken and fragmented mind that was suffering from a deadly fever that was not being treated, suffering from magic circuits that were opening by their own will and pumping out magic into him with no regard to his safety. If he could have, he would have screamed from it all.

But he could not; he had no control over himself, so he clung on. He clung to something so beautiful, so pure that all the blood, the pain, the sickness, the horror, the images could not push away; something so grand and seemingly impossible to complete, yet stronger than any other conviction.

An Ideal, an Ideal to save everyone…

"_Un…aware of…loss, nor…aware of…gain_"

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Read and Review please.


	51. Black Zero 6

**Black Zero 6**

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_" 'Sanguine'. Hopeful. Plus, point of interest, it also means 'bloody'." -Zoe __Firefly_

_"I'm the devil; I'm here to do the devil's __business." –Charles Manson_

After a long flight and short train ride, Kiritsugu headed for the Hotel he wanted. Acting as if he knew the place, Kiritsugu walks through the lobby up to the elevator, up to the seventh floor. No one notices the man or cares as he clearly has a path in mind and thus has no need to be bothered. This is where his partner has been for three days, in room 73.

In the world of magi, his relation with Hisau Maiyu would be that of a pupil and a teacher. But to Kiritsugu, who viewed himself as a tool, he only saw her as a weapon, a second set of eyes. Nothing more. It is ironic, in many ways, that his potential grandson who bore his name had once held a relationship similar, yet vastly different with his various partners culminating in his final one known as Artemis. Where the grandfather saw Maiyu as a tool, the grandson saw Artemis as a partner. It shows the difference between the two of them. The old broken man saw himself and everyone around him, except his wife and child, as tools and disposables for his goals. The Grandson, however, saw himself as an instrument, something that played his part in a grand scheme that would go on long after his time.

As the original Kiritsugu knocked in a pre-arranged rhythm on the door of room 73, the door opened immediately, as if he had been expected. Skipping unnecessary greetings with a mere glance at each other, Kiritsugu enters the room and closed the door. Armed with the three days of preparation, Maiyu had done everything she could for her mentor and wielder. Maiyu also viewed herself as nothing more than a weapon for Kiritsugu to use. This was different than Artemis who worshipped Kiritsugu like a god or an idol. Both were willing to die for their Kiritsugu's but for different reasons. Maiyu would die because she saw herself as disposable; Artemis would die because she believed that the Black Knight's life was worth infinitely more than hers.

Maiyu and Kiritsugu have known each other for over 10 years. She was still a young girl when they met, but since then she stopped being a child anymore. She was a weapon, honed by Kiritsugu to use and discard at will. She is a woman who constantly saw the reality, and could sometimes give out an accurate judgment more merciless than even Kiritsugu. With her, Kiritsugu didn't have to be ashamed of his foul plays or detest his cruelty. This could put him to some sort of rest.

"The Tosaka mansion moved last night and the Master of Berserker has been moving erratically." Maiyu said as Kiritsugu passed her. "Please watch the records of it." She paused for a moment, but Kiritsugu said nothing. "Also, all the equipment has arrived."

"Understood. Show me what you have on the situation first." Kiritsugu said. Maiyu nodded and turned on the television. Her bat familiars had cameras strapped to them to prevent interference with magic. The illusions and camouflaged bounded fields of magi are often based on using suggestions on an observer, but that sort of things often forget about electronic-based counter measures. Video records are also helpful for re-watching as well as allowing for manipulating of the tape's speed allowing for a more detailed analysis of the situation.

The whole scene of the previous night between Assassin and the mysterious golden Servant is replayed before them. Raising an eyebrow, Kiritsugu watches the Servant with a skull mask unable to escape annihilation from the golden Servant.

"What do you make of it?" Kiritsugu asked

"I think it is going too well." Maiya replied "The time lag between Assassin's materialization and the attack of Tōsaka's Servant is too short. He was waiting for the attack. I could've accepted that he might have detected an intruder in spirit form, but his opponent is an Assassin who possesses the Presence Concealment ability. Tosaka must've been aware of the invasion prior to the act."

Kiritsugu nodded. Having been trained by him, Maiyu's conclusion was the same as Kiritsugu's.

"The more I think of it, the more it seems like an arrangement. Why would Tosaka expose his Servant like that if he had such a margin?" Maiyu pondered

Last night, Tosaka has left two clues to the other Masters, what his Servant looks like, and displaying what looks like a Noble Phantasm. Neither were enough to definitely identify the Servant, but that was a risk that should have been easy to avoid. If he was to bring down Assassin, he could have done it secretly.

"Displaying something he didn't have to show. That means he wanted to expose this to us." Miyu finished

"Possibly. Maiyu, what happened to the Master of Assassin?" Kiritsugu asked

"He went to the Church last night and has requested the supervisor's protection. It was Kotomine Kirei."

Hearing that name, Kiritsugu became suspicious. The most dangerous Master taken out so early and in such a way…"Maiya, send a familiar to watch over the Fuyuki Church. One will be fine for now."

Maiyu hesitated at that "... Is it alright? The Church is an area where aggressions between Masters are prohibited."

"Unless the priest supervisor doesn't find out." Kiritsugu countered "Stay at a reasonable distance and don't overdo it."

Maiyu nodded then took out the tape and replaced it with another one. "Berserker is moving at random in the old section of Fuyuki. His attacks are coming from all angles, and possess neither rhyme nor reason for the attacks. He doesn't stay long enough to feed on them. He just attacks, pauses for a bit then leaves. This is the only recording I have on him at the moment."

The film shows a construction worker sitting on a bench away from the other workers, near some shadows. The man wipes the sweat off his brow and pulls out his lunch to eat. Beside him are two thermoses with steam coming out from the containers. For a while, nothing happens, but then…the shadows near him flicker. The construction worker does not notice this at first, but then…something red glows in the shadows. The worker immediately straightens and slowly turns to where his instincts are warning him. He has enough time to see something black and indistinguishable raise an arm before he dies. The man doesn't even have enough time to scream before he is ripped in half across the chest. The creature stands over him for a moment, leans down, then flees before anyone has time to notice one of their own died.

Kiritsugu rewound the tape and played the attack slower, trying to figure out the reason for this…Nothing, there was no reason the man died, other than he was in the wrong place. Again and again he tried to analyze the attack and finally paused it after Berserker vanished.

"I don't understand. If it's not an attack to feed and strengthen, then what is the reason for it all?" He was mystified by all this and sat back to look at it form a new perspective. This was Berserker, was there ever a reason for its actions. Perhaps, perhaps this was how the Master maintained control. By letting it kill someone it alleviated the bloodlust and rage. Yes, the more he thought of it, the more it made sense. Perhaps rather than use a command seal to control Berserker, the Master used these victims to quell the rage. "Maiyu, have you marked where these attacks occurred?"

Maiyu nodded and held out a map of all known attacks. "It's not completely accurate, but the dates next to the locations are when the bodies were found. Considering the attack pattern, I doubt that Berserker was hiding any of the bodies."

Kiritsugu was about to agree when the words of Saber rang in his ears.

"_Do not ever make assumptions about anyone. Nothing is as it seems in the Grail war Kiritsugu, be careful and do not underestimate anyone."_

"No, there might be a pattern to it all, a reason or a ritual." Kiritsugu said grasping for straws. "Don't assume anything. This may not even be Berserker, but another Servant acting out the class."Maiyu looked at him, but nodded her head. It was possible that this…madness was merely feigned. Who knew what kind of Servant was summoned in this war…

And so they were left with nothing but questions for all their preparations they had made. Neither of them noticed that of the discarded, dropped, and scattered food and drink, one of the two thermoses was missing, stolen to feed a sick Master at the hands of a mad Servant. Kiritsugu turned off the TV, then resumed inspecting the equipment Maiya prepared. It was going to be a long morning, and Iri was scheduled to arrive in the Afternoon.

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The Light was looking much better than before. Brighter, warmer, better. Would there be praise from the Light? Oh, how wonderful that would be, to be graced by the Light's gratitude. Not that it should be expected. The Light was everything. The Light was everything and more. The shadows wanted to drain the Light and the Dark wanted to feed on the light. Oh, the Dark Ones thought they were clever, but the Light would not be harmed. Pains had been taken to hide the Light. None would find the Light, none would take the Light.

The Light was everything, all else was an obstacle. For the Light all would be done. All would be done for the Light. The Light had been pleased with the offerings, happily taking such paltry offerings with gusto. It was galling to think that these insignificant offerings were all that were available for the Light. The Light deserved better, the Light deserved it all. All offerings were for the Light, all the offerings everywhere were for the Light.

There must be a great offering for the Light out there. Something so grand, so magnificent, that it would have to be worthy for the Light. But where? Where could such an offering be? The shadows held only pitiful offerings, and the Dark Ones held none. So where was that offering? Tonight, Tonight a great search was needed. Find the offering, there had to be something in the land of Shadows that was worth it all. Something-

?

!

…the Light! The Light had reached out and touched, held a finger... The Light missed, hated to be left alone. Was it wrong? Was the Light lonely? But…but…the Light was everything. Ah, the Light wanted to find the offering too. Ah, so much to do, the Light wanted to go, but the carriage was gone. So, a new one must be made. Ah, that…thing would work.

Heedless of the damage done, Berserker reached over and ripped the decorative curtain from the window. The Mad Servant was spurred on by Minato's movement. Somehow, the boy had sensed his Servant and gripped a finger. The mad one was gleeful to say the least, for its 'Light' had favored him. And so, Berserker wrapped the curtain around him and made a sling in the back for his Master. The boy would be placed between the armor and the shield to protect him when the sunset.

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Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I made it. I don't know how long it took to get out of there, but I'm out of that pit. Up here, up here in this place I am bathed in Light, the shouting voices are but whispers and the liquid, which I now see is red does not flow on me. The weight is still chained to my feet, but as long as I do not stumble I am free of that pit.

_**Save him**_

I still hear the voices, but they are finally being quiet. The sources must still be in that pit, but I have no time for them. Instead, I look around and see what it is I've climbed into.

_**Kiritsugu**_

If this is hell, it needs to work on the décor. It's a ruin. I think it was a throneroom or something, but the walls are shattered. I think there was some sort of painting on it, but most of the images have broken off. All I see is a bunch of figures in black. They look like they are fighting, that or it's just one figure that's fighting a lot. Hard to tell which is the truth since the vast majority of the painting on the wall is broken and fallen off, same with the ceiling. I have a feeling that this was once a grand place, but now…

The pillars in the room looked like they were covered with words, but they too are missing their things. In the middle of the room stands what I think was a throne, but made from a plant…then someone forgot to water it. It's nothing but a dead plant pure white and covered in thorns. Why anyone would sit in that is beyond me. I look around and see a suit of armor, scattered by the doorway. Like someone took a club to the suit. Around the suit is more of that red liquid, but it merely pools around the suit. Not like I want to go there, I nearly drowned in that fluid. No point going near any more. Well, I might as well try the door by the suit of armor and look around.

…

_**Save him**_

…

What the heck? The door isn't a door, just a wall that looks like a door. Arg, b*stards getting my hopes up. I run around, but don't see an actual exit. Well, the hell theory is making more and more sense. Alone forever in a ruined throne room, heh, I can see the irony in it. This is my kingdom, I rule all I survey…great. Looking around, I see two strange things that remain in this place. I think that's a horse, but it's mechanical.

And it breaths fire.

And it tried to take my head off with its hooves.

Great…my companion is a fake horse that wants to kill me. I'm in hell alright, at least it's chained to the wall.

The other thing is some sort of machine, it's big, black with red on two large extensions, but its held down with more links and chains then I can count and held in place with the most complicated lock ever…probably. Just looking at it and the lock changes shape into something completely different. No use getting that thing out and if it's chained down that much I'm not interested.

Well, if there's nothing else to do, I guess I can do some housekeeping…

I look at a pillar and see a piece on the ground that fits the missing part in the pillar perfectly. As soon as I do, something whispers in my head.

_Oh to walk upon the blood stained ground,_

_as the Last Man with the Last Round._

_What would I hear as the last Sound?_

_What secrets would be uncovered and found?_

_Would Death's grip on me finally be unbound?_

_I have waited long for the day,_

_when everyone's voice has a say._

_Where governments and fools we slay,_

_choosing to walk what paths we may._

_Till then I keep the pigs and wolves at bay._

_In war, there is poetry, dance and song,_

_that tells the world what I did is wrong.,_

_But I am still steadfast and Strong._

_Though this treacherous and lon_

_I shall show the errors to the throng_

_All who bear life fear the Reaper,_

_who's touch is an unwavering Seeker,_

_And follows us all our lives like a creeper._

_So I see why they burrow themselves deeper,_

_but the Black Knight will act as the Sweeper _

Okay, that was weird, and dare I say it? Morbid. Still, nothing else to do here other than housekeeping, twiddling my thumbs or falling back into the pit, guess I'll stick with housekeeping

_**Save him Kiritsugu**_

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"So, this is the country Kiritsugu was born in..." Irisviel commented as she came off of the plane. Saber looked around and inhaled the familiar scent of this place. Yes, this was where it all started, where she had fought for the Grail twice, and rejected it on the second attempt. Where she had finally accepted that she had done all she could do as king and could finally live as a woman. It was here that she had agreed to stay by Shirou's side for as long as she could. It was here, and Shin Tokyo that she had raised her two children alongside the others. So many memories filled her head for a moment, then reality kicked in and she knew she was barred from that life if she continued her chosen path.

Shirou, she had to protect Shirou, or…Minato as he was in this case. If she was successful, he would never know her, never know that she even existed. But…she hardened her heart, because it was right. Saber would not try to relive the past, that was as wrong as trying to undo everything she had done as king. She was given an opportunity to change the past, so she would, in her own way. Though, right now Saber felt that she could really use Reiko or Eiko by her side.

"So, Saber? What did you think of the plane travel?" One step ahead down the runway, Irisviel asks the pondering Servant

"Nothing in particular. Though, the service seemed a little lacking" Saber said. Then again, she was used to executive private planes with Real Service and food made by Shirou.

There is no lie in her words. Her azure eyes are perfectly serene.

"Oh, too bad, I thought you would be more surprised and interested. Instead, you seem disappointed" Irisviel said a bit surprised. The King of Knights took flying planes in stride."Flying in the sky is nothing surprising for a Heroic Spirit?"

"Not exactly," Saber said not wanting to tell Irisviel the truth; instead she fell back to the way summoning works. "But as a Servant summoned in the present world, I have received information about this era. Also, as a Saber, I possess a skill dedicated to Riding, though not as strong as the Rider class. Presently, I would be able to fly this airplane and most other modern vehicles."

Hearing that, Irisviel's eyes widened "You…could pilot it?"

"Yes." Saber said proudly, "Probably better than the pilots who flew today. My riding skill applies to all vehicles and some beasts." Her Riding ability would allow the use of any vehicle save for phantasmal beasts and divine beasts. If needed, she could definitely handle modern tools like a car or a bike. Speaking of bikes…Saber was really looking forward to being on that motorcycle again.

"I'm still a little disappointed. You must be the first Servant ever to travel in a plane with a flesh and blood body." Iri huffed

Saber smiled, same old Iri "I apologize about that. I am not a good reference." After all, she had spent decades in the world with more advanced technology. Saber missed her little jet ski right now.

"Oh, it's fine. Don't worry. That isn't what I meant." Iri apologized.

Saber had…not wanted to reveal that she could turn Astral. It felt too…demeaning for what they had done in life, plus she was just used to not changing. Was it wrong to hang onto old habits? Besides, since all the Servants in this war were known, there was no reason to hide her existence, especially from Lancer. There was no way around it; her identity would be revealed the instant they fought. With Gae Dearg, he would reveal her sword with a single blow. No matter, as long as she did not forget to not rely on her magical armor, it was no issue. And she already knew about Gae Buidhe, so she would make sure not to be hurt by it.

"I am happy I could travel with you, Saber. I can't get tired of looking at you." Iri said

Saber smiled, "Ah, so am I." It was good to be with her friend once more.

Hiding a smile, Irisviel turns her head away. Saber finds that reaction suspicious, she remembers something about that Iri that nags the back of her head… "When you laugh like that, it makes me suspicious Iri. So, tell me frankly why it that is."

"It is not a problem if you always remain in physical form, really. I get to have fun choosing your clothes, like that." Iri said happily

Right, that was it. Iri was a lot like Rin when she was in her playful moods, always dressing her up in the weirdest things. Though, Shirou really did like the maid outfit, and the skimpy Santa outfit, and the ninja outfit, and the shrine outfit, and the…better stop thinking about that before she remembered the naked apr-

No, wait that, that was Kazehana's responsibility when she wore that outfit that time.

"I chose the clothes to balance with my appearance, maybe you do not like them?" Iri said nervously

"Ah, not at all." Oh no, she did not want to give out that little information to Iri, Saber was sure she would die of shame if Iri ever got her hands on Saber to dress up like a woman. "This costume allows me to move freely, and I was used to posing as a man." Was being the key word, it had been a long time since she dressed like a man. Still…Root help her if she ended up in some of those outfits again. Her dignity as a Knight and King would never survive.

They completed without delay the procedures to enter the country; it didn't take much time until they were allowed to get to the airport lobby. However, until they reached it, every single one of the officials on the way were astounded by Irisviel and Saber.

"As I thought... Is there something wrong with my clothes?" Iri asked

"It's fine, they're just not used to seeing such a beauty." Saber assured her

"Ara, you ahe such a silver tongue," Iri said, then whispered to her side, "Now if only I dressed you as a woman."

Saber felt something cold crawl up her back. Iri was reminding her of a combination of Kazehana, Uzume, and Rin. Not a good combination. Well, at least Altrouge wasn't thrown into the mix or Saber was sure that she would go insane. Still… '_Thankgodshe'smarried, thankgodshe'smarried, thank god she's married._'

"Let's go, Saber. It wouldn't do to distract everyone." Iri said aloud. Then whispered, "A black dress, white lace, a black ribbon in her hair…"

Saber was reeeeaaaaaly glad that Iri was married, but she was afraid Iri would try to take her like Rin.

Iri smiled as they exited the Airport "At last we are in Japan. We must enjoy ourselves as much as possible before the battle begins."

'_As long as you don't play dress up_.' Saber thought.

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As they drove into Fuyuki, the sun began to set coloring the sky in beautiful hues. "How lively..." Just as Saber remembered it, Iri's eyes lit up at the foreign sights. Iri had been stuck in that castle her whole life. This day was one of the few Iri would ever have to enjoy before…no, she would not fail, she would save Iri and give her countless days to enjoy.

"Iri, how about we…scout the area out." Saber said with a hint of mischief. "We could get to know the terrain, by experience."

"Ah, what a wonderful idea Saber! It would be a waste. After finally arriving to this distant country, we need to know what we are dealing with."

"Then let's have a look around over there." Pointing to a favorite shopping spot Saber remembered. "Hmm, suspicious. You think there might be a Servant in that shop?"

"Who knows." Iri said signaling for the driver to stop. With a quick use of magic, the driver forgot all about his passengers except that they had paid. "Let's go find out."

It was so different this time. In her previous run through the Fourth Grail, she always been watching for enemy Servants. Now, though she kept one eye out, the other eye was for fun an entertainment. Well…that and making sure Iri wasn't too focused on the various fashions. It took a bit of effort, but Saber was able to steer Iri down a different street before she came upon a certain…special interest store that focused on cosplay.

Even though the store might not be there yet, Saber had too many memories to risk it.

Last time, they didn't really have a harmony of a couple at a date. Last time Iri and Saber had just wandered aimlessly. They hadn't entered any shop to make any expense nor sit at a cafe terrace to rest.

This time, they were a whirlwind that made everyone stare. Iri was a bundle of energy that Saber had no difficulty keeping up with. Iri would jump from store to store taking in everything smiling laughing, staring dangerously at a white dress that Arika would have liked. Iri nearly leaped into a stuffed animal store and stared like a child at Christmas. After looking around wildly, Iri grabbed a large polar bear that she declared was for Illya. Saber looked around and stared when she saw a familiar lion doll. Saber remembered giving one to both Kiritsugu and Arika, and even one to Aurora to chase the nightmares away and dream of the magnificent beast. Though, Aurora had nearly choked on hers the first night…

Iri then grabbed that Lion and had it run up with the polar bear then handed it to Saber. Though she protested, lightly, Saber held onto that Lion with a death grip. Nothing short of Herakles was taking that out of her arms for some time. Iri was ecstatic when Saber introduced her to a crepe shop. Iri had tasted many different types of desserts, but the simple treat was like a goldmine to her. It was all moving like a whirlwind with Iri laughing and twirling in excitement.

All around them, the people could not help but smile as well drawn in by the good cheer of the simple pleasures in life. Iri was like a star that everyone saw and could not help but admire, and Saber was happy for her.

xxxxx

"... Hey, Saber, do you want to see the beach next?"

As Irisviel was unable to hide her excitement, the young woman disguised as a man nodded with a smile.

"Ah, that sounds nice." Saber agreed. Inwardly she was a bit nervous. She knew what to do, what she had to do, but it didn't make her enjoy it anymore. After a bit, she would sense Lancer's invitation, and from there, she would meet Iskander, Gilgamesh, and…Lancelot. She had sworn she would protect Irisviel. So she would protect Iri, even from her loyal Knight.

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The night had fallen, so it was time. Time for the Light to be escorted out, to find the perfect offering for the Light. Today required a much greater range, a much greater distance traveled. But the Light wished to go, so that was it. The Light was everything.

Berserker carefully placed the boy into the sling and locked the shield over him. It was a bit tight, but nothing would harm him. Only a bit or red hair stuck out from the above the shield. Nothing else showed, nothing else was vulnerable. With a mighty kick off, Berserker left the house behind and headed for where the air smelled strong, towards the ocean….

As Berserker dashed forward, a familiar spotted him, an insect in fact.

"Yooouuuu." A voice seethed. "I know you prince. You may hide your appearance but you can't hide your royal bearing. I see you Black Prince. I will not let you have my Jeanne." The frog faced figure pulled out his Noble Phantasm and began chanting. All around him, insects converged and formed into monsters. To describe them best, they looked like starfish, with spider mouths and spike everywhere. Hideous yes, but not the worst horrors the world might have ever seen. After all, Kiri cooked worse with Instant Ramen and hot water.

Read review, and let me know how many of you were drooling of the thought of Saber in those outfits.


	52. Black Zero 7

Black Zero 7

Man Plans, Fate laughs

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The upon the broad bridge straddling the widening Mion River Waver Velvet clung on for dear life as the wind tried to blow him off the narrow steel ledge. It was a comical sight, the pompous boy holding onto the bar with not only his hands, but his legs as well whining tremendously. Yet, right next to him, his Servant Rider is sitting cross-legged without a care in the world.

"Ri-ride-er-r, quick. Let's go down. Now!" With his teeth continuously chattering and his body shivering from the cold and terror, Waver's complaining voice was like the barely noticed by the giant Servant.

"This place is perfect for a look-out." Rider declared, then he amended, "Well, this isn't the time for fancy sight-seeing in a high place." With a wine bottle in his hand which he sipped from time to time, he gazed down at the west bank of the bridge, toward the wide seaside park hidden from the estuary. Waver can't see it, but Rider was watching a Servant. One who had brazenly walked around in the sun for the past four hours with a beautiful woman for the past four hours. It had been rather pleasant to watch as that woman and Servant were a cheerful pair enjoying life itself to the fullest, something Iskander understood all too well. Iskander hoped that Servant would be reasonable and join him on his world conquest. With those two by his side, things would never be dull.

While thinking whether he should rush down on him immediately, Rider has kept observing him from a distance without moving onward. When Waver asked about it, Rider answered with a snort. "He's clearly luring us out. For him to not pick up on us, that's strange. And it's not just me anymore, other Servants must be studying his aspect."

In point of fact, had another Servant dared to attack those two over those four hours, Iskander would have personally dealt with the interloper just so he could enjoy watching the pair spend their time freely.

Rider's comment made sense to Waver. Rather, it was unexpected. This broad-minded giant Servant could a see and evade obvious traps. Indeed, as Rider said, only a helpless fool would take the bait and accept the challenge. Those falling for it would only be eating each other and decrease the count.

'_Yes_,' Waver thought, '_It's smart to just stand back and let the fools crush each other first. No point showing our hand if others are more than willing to throw everything they have at each other._'

So, decided their course, it became a matter of patience. Rider and Waver remained at a fixed distance from the pair moving aimlessly in the city and observed. Rider nearly gave away their position with his laugh when he saw the two come out of a store holding stuffed animals. Yet, Rider could see the protective grip the Servant had on the lion. Perhaps there was a connection between the Servant and those magnificent beasts?

Still, while it had been no issue on solid ground, Waver had taken to whining when he was up here on the bridge. "Co-come down! No, get the hell down! I, I've…I've had it!"

"Ah, just wait." Rider brushed off "You're a restless guy. Sitting and waiting is also part of the battle." Sipping in his wine bottle, Rider didn't even look at Waver's half crying face when he dismissed his Master's concerns.

"High places are dangerous", Waver decreed. Such common sense hasn't been acknowledged for yet by this boisterous Servant.

"If you're bored, read the book I entrusted to you. It's a good book." Rider said referring to Homer's Iliad. That was the one book Rider looted from the library he raided right when he arrived in the present world. The epic poem describing the Trojan war, in which fought gods and humans jumbled together.

'_The atlas I can understand. Exaggerating about world conquest, at least Rider takes an interest in the geography of the modern world, even if it sounds foolish. But what's with a poetry anthology?_' Waver thought. Rider had insisted that the book was 'preparation for war'. But how on Earth can a book that isn't even about war strategy be helpful on the battlefield?

"Rider... Why, did you, bring this book?" At Waver's bitter question, the Heroic Spirit answered with a grave expression.

"The Iliad is very profound. At the height of battle, I would suddenly get the urge to read a verse of poetry. At a time like that, I feel bad when I can't reread something immediately."

Waver felt his headache comeback again with a vengeance. He wanted to question what Rider was doing reading during battle, but he suddenly felt something.

"Rider." Waver hissed.

"Ah, I feel it too." Rider said looking over to the east. Something was coming, another Servant moving at full speed in their direction. Rider drew his sword. "Interesting, who dares to fight the King of Conquerors?"

In a moment, they had their answer, the mad black Servant was dashing in their direction, yet, he wasn't aiming for the bridge, but rather the river. The two were puzzled by this and watched as the Servant ran to the River, and dunked his head under water.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This might be long trip. Light will need water, fresh water, and later more offerings. Water first, freshest water possible. Light deserves the best. There, lots of water, replaces land here. Here, taste water, see if it is good.

….

…

Blech, yuck. Bad water, taste horrible. Not good, not acceptable for the Light need good water. Fountain tasted better than this. Have water from fountain, but this taste bad. No, need to keep looking. Look for water, look for worthy offering for the Light.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was almost comical for Rider and Waver to see the Servant spitting out the river water mixed with ocean water.

"Baka," Waver decreed. "Of course it's going to taste bad. That close to the ocean and the River might as well be a part of the ocean.

"Hmm, strange." Rider contemplated. "Why would any Servant, ever Berserker do such a thing? It's not like we Servants need to eat or drink." They watched as the Servant shook the water off like a dog then turned back towards land. It became obvious that something made it tense. For a moment, they both stared, then they saw why Berserker was upset.

Dark things, dark evil things came from the land and charged for Berserker.

"Demons." Rider hissed. He knew those creatures anywhere by their feel. In the Age of the Gods, such things had haunted the land and only the bravest of men took them on alone. Most preferred to hunt such creatures in groups. Both Waver and Rider focused on Berserker waiting for it to attack, and possibly reveal his abilities.

Well, he revealed an ability, but not at the demons. Berserker turned, and aimed his left arm at the river. The sound of an explosion was heard several times, and the air became thick with the scent of magic. Waver watched in fascination as small icebergs suddenly formed in the River. Berserker hopped atop them and crossed the river destroying the ice as he leapt off. That didn't seem to deter the demons who sprouted wings and chased after the Servant.

"Strange." Rider commented, "Why did he flee?" Waver had no answer, Berserker was supposed to be insane, so why did it run away from a fight. Not to mention, the magic used was worthy of Caster, so why was it able to cast it? Magic required concentration, something Berserker lacked. Not to mention, using magic without a word, unless that explosive sound was the word, bordered on sorcery.

Nothing about that Servant added up to what the Berserker class was described as. "Hey Rider, is it possible that wasn't Berserker?"

"Not likely, but it is possible that the Servant was known for mad and erratic behaviors in life. Still, there's no denying that Servant isn't right in the head." Rider said.

Waver could only nod in agreement.

_**Save Him**_

I honestly got sick of reading the morbid poetry on that pillar and had gone to look around. I found an easy piece that fit perfectly on a second pillar. This one seemed to have words of advice, something a bit more interesting. I looked over at what I had put back in. Nothing much but I swear they were nothing but words about battle.

_Never fight an enemy on their terms. If they have the high ground, fight somewhere else until they have no choice but to leave their chosen ground. No army can stay on the hill forever while they are losing the rest of their land and support around them._

_The mongols were the smartest conquerors ever. Retreating a hundred miles killing everyone chasing them without a casualty was as much a victory as taking a new city. _

_If you're not cheating, you're not trying_

_If they deem it impossible, they won't guard against it._

_A warrior fights for glory and honor a soldier fights because it's his job._

And so on and so forth. Whoever wrote those tidbits clearly wasn't a fan of romanticized battles. Guy seemed to be either a pragmatist, or a veteran or something.

Frankly, I'm getting bored on working on this one too. I wonder what else there is? I look around and focus on the ruined paintings. You know, I bet that would be interesting to look at for a while.

_**Kiritsugu Save Him**_

You know what would be even better? Not having that one voice repeating the same three words. Well, nothing to do but housework. The weight on my legs is still trying to drag me back into the pit, but I think I've got it. I walked around the Throne and a lot of pillars so that the chains wrap around them. Hopefully I can find some answers as I rebuild this place.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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The west bank of the seaside park is prolonged by a row of plain warehouses. The block, which contains harbor facilities, also plays the role of a wall that separates the eastern industrial area from Shinto. At night, the pedestrian traffic ceases, and the street lights pointlessly shine on the lanes. Large unmanned cranes were facing the ocean waiting for cargo that might come later. Indeed, this is a good place and time for Servants who must confront hidden from public view.

Saber and Irisviel headed towards this place feeling the draw Lancer had placed to signal he wished to fight. Saber thought back to what she knew of the harbor, but most of her memories of that place were altered by decades of seeing the place upgraded by the Emiya Clan. Still, some things won't change, like the large lanes between warehouses; in one such lane stood a familiar figure.

The tall shadow standing in the middle of the empty street emitted a large amount of prana showing that not only was he not human, but he was ready to fight. He was a handsome man, with long spikey hair that had mostly been combed backward but a great deal of his hair looked like it belonged in a Final Fantasy world. He wore a dark leather outfit with a few plates of armor. Clearly the suit made more for flexibility then defense.

In his hands were two poles tightly wrapped in cloth covering them from exposure, one pole was larger than the man while the second was about half the size of the man.

However, despite the Servant's precautions, Saber knew him all too well. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, also known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot, a tragic hero that was cursed with a mole that made any woman who saw it fall in love with him. It had led Gráinne, the wife of Diarmuid's lord to fall in love with him and eventually led to his death. Diarmuid possessed two Noble Phantasms, a large red spear that negated magic, and a short yellow spear that caused wounds that did not heal. With that in mind, she knew exactly how to fight him.

The two Servants stop, facing each other from about 10 meters apart.

"How nice of you to come." Lancer cheerfully praised "All of those who were parading around today in the town have only cowered away. You are the only one of valor who answered my invitation." Looking her over for a moment, he asked "That pure fighting spirit you possess. Am I correct in thinking you are Saber?"

"You are. And you must be Lancer" Saber inclined her head slightly in respect.

"Indeed. Hm…it is unusual to exchange names with the opponent in a deadly fight. That was a pleasure that is not obligatory." Lancer sounded disappointed

"On the contrary, I know you for that spot." Saber said shocking the man. "Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, also known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot. I know you." Saber said "I also know your Noble Phantasm Gae Dearg will negate the magic around my blade, thus I have no reason to hide it."

"Saber!" Iri said shocked.

"Sorry Irisviel, but Invisible Air would not work on him." Saber apologized. "Thus, I must reveal my blade to him or lose a Noble Phantasm." The air swirled around her blade before a great golden light appeared.

What's this? Callingcallingcalling? What's calling? The Light? No, the light is behind this is forward. Another Light? Can't be the Light is perfect why would there be two? Ah! The offering, it must be the offering.

Forwardforwardforward to the offering and away from the Dark Ones. Protect the Light at all costs and heed the call.

Lancer found himself half bowing before the golden blade. "To think I would meet the King of Knights in this battle. It is an honor that you know of me." 

"Of course, I could not call myself the King of Knights if I did not know such a famous knight like you." Saber said proudly.

"I see, so long as I am a Knight, I had no chance to hide who I am." Lancer said. The cloth around his spears rippled then broke off revealing his two Noble Phantasms. "Since know each other, then there is no need to hold back on. I Diarmuid Ua Duibhne wish to fight you oh King of Knights." He pointed his red spear and Saber

"I Arturia Pendragon accept Knight of the Love Spot." Saber said holding her blade to the side. "Don't think your face will make my sword grow dull."

"That would mar our fight." Lancer conceded. "But the anti-magic ability of the Saber class is not in vain. It wouldn't suit my reputation to murder a woman weakened by my only face. I am glad my first opponent has such backbone."

Saber smiled glad she could have this fight once more without interference…at least until Iskander butted in. "Then, anytime." The two stood there for a moment, then at the same time, they dashed forward.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Towards the call, towards the call. Take the Light and find the offering. The offering is calling, asking to be with the Light. Good, goodgoodgood. It is right for the offering to want to be with the Light. Forwardforward to the offering where the water smelled strong and the air had power. Gogogogo

Ah! A Dark One got in front. No, kill it, kill it, kill**kill**_**killkill**_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**Save him**_

I just found a good piece. It's a man in gold holding out a bunch of swords behind him and sending them forward. I can see where it goes. The black figure is facing them, trying to slash the attack. I just need to put it in there and then…

"AAaaaaaaagh" I scream, the weight suddenly got heavier and literally pulled me across the room and back towards the pit. I had to hang onto the Throne made of thorns to not get dragged back in. Why? Why is it so much heavier?

"Agh, ah,aaaaaaagh." I scream. The thorns are piercing my hands and my legs feel like they are about to get ripped off. "God D*mmit. Let go." I roar at the chains holding the mysterious weight. "I won't go back. I won't go back in there."

Berserker dashed through the demons ripping apart any that stood in his way towards the docks. From his workshop, Caster seethed and screeched. "No! No you won't have her again. I finally found her Black Prince. She is mine! The Maiden is Mine! Not even God will have her!"

He had seen his Jeanne, she had been enjoying the town like a girl. Never before had he seen her so relaxed, so peaceful. It had been the most joyous sight in his life. He had wanted to go straight away and be with her in that moment, but he did not want to ruin the mood there. Jeanne, oh beautiful Jeanne, the way she held that lion doll had been so precious, so beautiful, he wanted it. He wanted it all…

But the Prince was trying to take her, to burn her. No! Nonononono! Never again, he had failed once, NO MORE. More Demons, More summons. Great hordes of insects took to the skies and burroed in the ground heading for the man that took his Maiden. They would stop him, they would protect the Maiden. This, Caster swore.

Behind him, Kariya looked on in annoyance. Caster had been obsessed with Berserker, but at least he seemed to know who he was. The Black Prince Edward was the famous champion of England in the Hundred Years War. The man that was forever known as the enemy of France's Jeanne. Well, Kariya didn't have too much of an issue taking down that Servant. His insects had seen him kill for no reason many times. It was also probably him that kept taking all those children. Fine, if Caster wanted to kill Berserker first, so be it. Once that…murderer was dead, they could focus on Tokiomi

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She saw him. It was only for a moment, but she had seen something black dash through a brightly lit street at an unprecedented speed. She couldn't believe it was humanly possible to move that fast, but that one had. Still, she had found him, the one that had Minato.

The broken Sekirei number 8 Yume dashed after her target as fast as possible. She pulled out her cellphone as she moved after him. "Tamaki-san, I found the target. Moving at high speed towards the docks."  
>Tamaki was silent for a moment, then she spoke so softly, Yume almost didn't hear her over the phone. "Find him, bring him to me. Alive."<p>

"Understood, and if he has Minato?" Yume asked on the off chance.

"Minato is the primary objective. If you see him, focus on getting my son back no matter the cost." Tamaki ordered.

"Understood." Yume said hanging up the phone. She knew where her target was heading, she could track him from where she had seen him. He was, after all, leaving a huge trail of debris in his path.

Yume didn't see the things that lay in the dark twitching in agony from being ripped apart by Berserker.

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"_With..stood pain…to create…weapons…."_

He dreamed feverishly. The sickness was going away, now a 118 instead of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, but not quickly. Had he received proper treatment and modern medicine, the fever would have subsided, but he did not, so he remained ill.

"_Waiting…for ones…arrival…I have…no regrets…"_

Minato Sahashi mentally lay on the ground surrounded by swords as the last remnants of himself were eroded from the memories. The man in red, that one had done more damage to Minato's mind than anything else. Swords and worlds the man had shown, destroying what was normal to Minato making way for another.

"_This is…the only Path…"_

The boy there lay there in the recesses of his mind as more images flowed. He saw a golden man, a woman with a covered head, a teacher that moved like an assassin, a samurai with a large blade, and a battle beside a lake of mud and mound of flesh. Then it changed. Woman that grew wings when kissed, a tournament that was too much like another, a wedding, more wives, children born, fighting for the Ideal, growing old, and finally darkness.

"_My…whole life was…"_

Minato opened his eyes in the world of his mind and stared at a boy that looked exactly like him stand over him. Minato smiled sadly. "Take care of mother and Yukari."  
>"Yes," The other boy promised. "I will."<p>

Minato smiled at the other boy, then closed his eyes forever. His body rippled and shook in the world, then disintegrated. All he had was a single sword to mark where he had laid.

Minato Sahashi was dead.

And now…Emiya Shirou was born.

"_Unlimited Blade Works_."

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On a side note: a few might say that Saber should not have revealed her name. Against any other opponent, I would agree, but against this Lancer, it's a waste of time. Her identity was known extremely early on because of Lancer's Noble Phantasm. Even if she kept the wind around her sword, Lancer would have negated it the moment he blocked an attack with his red spear. Of which, I know he can do as he is not that unskilled to die by an invisible blade without at least blocking it.


	53. Black Zero 8

**Black Zero 8**

_War is never fought on just two sides. Behind the front lines, politics, negotiations, betrayals, alliances, and many other factors assault the troops and the homes they protect. The enemy today may be your best friend tomorrow only for you to stab them in the back a week later. Never assume your war is just between you and those guys on the other side of the field, for many things lurk in the background behind you that can undo everything._

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Iri had sent him a signal the instant they had detected a Servant. Kiritsugu and Maiya raced towards Iri's location with all possible

"…It has already begun." Kiritsugu noted from the traces of prana in the air. Someone had formed a barrier. It had to be the work of the enemy Master to keep ordinary humans from the Heaven's Feel Ritual. A compulsory rule for all magi to prevent their abnormal activities from being exposed to other mortals.

Kiritusugu did not think about joining the battle at all; that was why he brought the sniper rifle along. He wanted to inspect the battle at a suitable place, attacking with the rifle only when needed.

"Up there, that looks like that's a good place to observe the fight." Maiya pointed out. Said location was a massive crane that towered over the area. Judging by sight, the control cabin hovered about 30 meters above the ground; it would be the best observation point possible if one can contrive to silently climb up there.

"Yes, that is the ideal place to survey the battle. So it shouldn't be only us that came up with the idea." Kiritsugu noted. Without further explanations on Kiritsugu's part, Maiya had already understood his intentions. "Maiya, slip in through the eastern bank, I'll go through the west… Find an observation point that can overlook both Saber's battle and the crane."

"I understand." Maiya disappeared in the shadows of the factories with a jog, an assault gun in her hands. Kiristugu checked the input from the transmitter as he cautiously moved in the opposite direction.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All around, the Dark ones are all around.

Hunting the Light, hating the Light.

Kill them. Kill them all.

nO meRcy, no piTy.

**Kill Kill KillkIllkILLL**

Crush the Dark One with fist. Squish three more with boot. Burn dozens by fire and lightning. Kick one into paste. Leap under the assault of more and fire explosive into their chests.

Hate desPise, raGe wrAth, kIlL,

Squish on in hand and bath in its blood. Bite on one and rip off limbs. Ptew, tastes bad. Tastes terrible not good offerings for the Light. Dark Ones want Light. Smash with fist and foot. Tear in two. Burn Burn Burn. Dark Ones will not have the Light. Light not for the Dark Ones, only the faithful

death blood gore more slay death disease rage more

Crush beneath feet in flight. Rip race off another. Cleave dozens in the way. Insert knee into face to cause explosion of blood. Roll over small Dark ones. Burn corpses keeps Dark Ones from coming back.

**Kill kill kill**

Opening! Dash forward towards the call. Find the offering that calls the Light. Get offering away with Light. Light give praise for actions. Light be pleased. Dark Ones die all around offering their deaths to the Light.

Protect the light, burn the Dark Ones, find the offering. There is nothing but the Light. Protect the Light, give everything to the Light. Glory to the Light, blessed by the Light brings joy to all.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All Irisviel could do was to stare at the battle in front of her in awe. This battle in front of her was beyond mere human abilities. This was a battle of titans. Iri knew this was supposed to be a merciless duel between Servants, but…it was so beautiful to see.

Irisviel had long ago stopped being able to see the movements carried out at such high speeds. She was only feeling the after-shock of the conflict between the two. Still, the after-shocks and the glimpses she could see were astounding. The sheet iron that lined the outer walls of the warehouses was ripped away by the wind from Irisviel's side as if the steel was merely aluminum foil. She could not comprehend how the iron could be torn away so easily.

The wind was howling around the area. A chaotic storm raged on the empty shopping street, destroying, trampling all things within. The combat between the two was powerful enough to ruin the entire street.

This was…Heaven's Feel…!

Irisviel stood in awe and wonder. This was the time where myths and legends came alive vividly before the eyes of men and displayed their wonder, and horror. Shafts of lightning tore the sky apart, roaring explosions shattered the earth.

This is… the war between Servants…Heaven's Feel

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At the same time, Diamuid was experiencing a similar wonder.

Battle and war were his trades from his former life. As a knight that braved his life through countless battles, he had thought he would never be surprised, never be shocked at what he would see whenever he was summoned.

He was wrong. Saber was something new, something powerful, and something frightening. A little girl not much more than five feet was making him nervous.

As the Heroic Spirit of the Sword, the blade in her hands was her Noble Phantasm Excalibur. By revealing her identity, she had revealed her Noble Phantasm. Excalibur, possibly the most famous weapon known to man, the power of that Noble Phantasm was almost overwhelming. When it had been covered in the wind and made invisible, he had no idea how strong her Noble Phantasm was. However, with the sheath of wind removed, he could not help but feel oppressed.

It should have been easy, such a small slip of a girl with one weapon against his two. But Arturia was living up to her legend. Even with his two weapons, she was easily blocking them, nearly sending him flying each time he attacked. The sheer strength of the attacks was staggering. Was this really a little girl? She hit harder than any man he had ever faced in life. Her swordsmanship was peerless, flawless, perfect. She evaded or blocked every attack without a single opening in her defense.

His own attack was deflected for the umpteenth time. Lancer had to jump back to wait for a better opportunity.

"What's wrong, Lancer? Your attacks are not really working." Saber said with a soft smile.

"…"

He could not argue back to Saber's taunts. After about many, many exchanges, he still had not managed to hit his opponent even once. On the other hand, she had nicked him twice. It was like she knew how he fought and was able to counter him. Was this a Noble Phantasm of the King of Knights, to be able to know how every Servant that had been a knight fought?

As a child, he had wondered what it would be like to have lived in Camelot under the legendary ruler across the water. As a man, he had wondered how he would have stood compared to the legendary Knights of the Round Table. Now, now he was getting his answer, and it seemed he was not up to par.

Lancer swung the lance in his right hand and approached her in a straight run. The swinging shaft covered a wide area, its strength and speed equal to what would be achieved with both hands. No, precisely because it was used with one hand, there were many moves not capable when a spear is used conventionally with two hands. The lance was thrust towards Saber from an unexpected angle. But…somehow, Saber had seen the blow coming and blocked it. She swung her blade forcing him to leap back while thrusting Gae Buihde at her to fend her off

Simultaneously using two lances, yet making no feint moves. This Heroic Spirit, Lancer, merged the lances in his left and right hands in a seamless choreography. It should have taken her by surprise, should have overwhelmed the king, but it was not.

Truly, the King of Knights was living up to her name and legend.

Facing the enemy that he had just met, knowing the time had come for him fight with his life, a sad smile emerged on Lancer's face.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That black covered man had done a lot of damage in the area. It's like there was a fight, a horrific fight with an invisible enemy or something. The man had torn up the empty and abandoned buildings in his wake. Looking at the ruins, she tried to figure out what he used. Some walls had claw marks on the dark splotches, others had single large gashes, and still more others had giant impact marks. Yume was starting to think that this was the work of a Sekirei. After all, humans couldn't do this kind of damage, but…there were no other Sekirei than the ones MBI had…right?

All that remains in the man's path are ruins, puddles of black foul smelling fluid and burned…insects? Whatever is going on is secondary. Yume knew she had a job to do, follow the man, take him down, bring him to Tamaki and get him to spill Minato's location.

Kidnapping, Yume was usually an upbeat person, but anyone that harmed children was a dead man in her book. She dashed in the direct he had headed. It looked like he was heading for the docks…

Kind of

The man was moving in a pattern so random that Yume wondered who he was fighting. No one went in circles three times for normal reasons. Well, Yume knew what she had to do. If someone was fighting him, Yume would have to determine if it was for lethal or nonlethal intents. It might be possible to have an ally in this fight.

Yume dashed on tracking her quarry. Though he moved towards the docks, what's to say that this wasn't some messed up plot to throw everyone off the trail. Get too comfortable moving in one direction until the tails decided to cut off the quarry then the quarry heads off in a new direction. It was something that foxes did all the time.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The two Heroic Spirits devoted their entire selves to the fight, sparing no thoughts to the world surrounding them. No, even if they had stayed on guard, in their current state they might still be oblivious to the fact that someone was slipping into the terrain. The reason was that, not only is the newcomer a great distance away duel, but also because he moved soundlessly in the shadows with the ability of Presence Concealment.

But then, there was a Servant who already knew he was still alive so it was debatable how useful his hiding really was.

A gust of wind from the sea fluttered the black cloak while a small smile emerged on the face beneath the white skull mask. No one should have thought that the Servant Assassin, eliminated in front of so many witnesses last night, was still alive.

Assassin hid in the perfect spot to observe the straightforward battle, very same crane that Maiya had pointed out earlier. As a Servant with eyesight surpassing that of a human he could clearly see the duel between Servants. At this range Assassin could easily see even the expressions on the two Servants' faces. He could have remained in spiritual form and obtain information from a much closer distance. But while he is in spiritual form, his senses would have turned into spiritual detection and the job that his Master gave him tonight was to 'observe with your eyes.'

Assassin, who understood his Master's intentions to see the battle through the eyes of his Servant, silently gazed at the battle in the distance according to his order.

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Kiritsugu silently set up the sniper rifle on some shipping containers. He began taking in the situation with his sniper rifle's hybrid scope.

With the thermographic scope he spotted his targets. In the distance two heat patterns were sighted. One of them was standing in the middle of the street witnessing this battle while the other was concealed on the warehouse roofs of a remoter locale. It was very easy to decide which one of them was the enemy. Iris was the one who stood on the road. Her presence there was a sign that said she would not hide away but fight a fair battle bravely and out in the open. Then the heat signature on the roof would be the Lancer's Master.

Submerged in the darkness, Kiritsugu grew a cold smile. It was the best starting condition he could hope for. Lancer's Master relied on illusions and such presence-concealing magecraft to hide his position and thought it was enough. Clearly the enemy Master did not consider that this would be easily countered with modern technology, which just goes to show why staying behind the times is a bad thing.

Kiritsugu called Maiya with his radio. "Maiya, Lancer's Master is hiding on top of the warehouses, northeast to where Saber is. Can you see him?"

Maiya looked over in the direction indicated but saw a wall."… No. From my position it's a blind spot."

If possible, Kiritsugu wanted to coordinate with Maiya to ensure the efficiency and deadliness of the attack with a crossfire. Unfortunately, only Kiritsugu himself could fire at the moment. Still…it would not be a problem; it was only about three hundred meters.

Setting up the rifle's bipod, Kiritsugu had just started to get the shot lined up when he suddenly turned the rifle towards the giant crane. In that moment he felt that all his plans were ruined. "Maiya, up on the crane." Kiritsugu said quietly

Maiya zoomed in on the crane and saw it. " Yes, I see it as well; it's just like what you thought." Assassin was alive and watching. It was exactly as Saber warned; nothing was as it seemed in this War.

When Kiritsugu, had arrived at the battle scene, he had considered it possible that this fight would have multiple observers. He had therefore given up the best position on the crane where other observers would converge, and chose a place that can pay attention to both it and the battlefield. Thus, with Assassin sitting back, he had exposed himself.

However, it also became a problem for Kiritsugu. If Kiritsugu sniped Lancer's Master now, the Master would be dead instantly, but at the same time it would also expose his location to Assassin leaving him vulnerable. Although Assassin is not a Class known for combat strength, he is nevertheless an Epic Spirit, a being that lives in a higher level existence than man. As a magus Kiritsugu should never be able to win against the Servant.

Humans are unable to kill Servants…right?

He could not expect Saber to help him. In regard to the distance between Saber and himself, Assassin was far closer to him. Besides, Saber was not even aware that Kiritsugu was at the scene; he could not hope for her to come to his aid. Not to mention Saber was committed right now to the battle with Lancer. Even though a Lancer would lose his prana supply when his Master is killed, the Servant would still remain materialized in this plane with his own strength for a short time. "Maiya, you keep an eye on Assassin, I'll observe Lancer."

"Understood."

Kiritsugu sighed soundlessly, lowered the bipod of the sniper rifle, and continued to calmly observe the scene with the scope. Since he had decided to abandon this opportunity, Saber's efforts tonight were as good as wasted. No, not just wasted, this was a catastrophic failure since she had revealed her identity to several Masters. Each of them would be able to begin planning ways to counter Saber.

"D*mn you King of Knights" Kiritsugu muttered.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**Save him**_

I can't stay hanging on for dear life forever. I have to get this…d*mn thing off me. I crawl on my belly until I have enough slack to wrap it around several pillars. This time, I won't rely on that Throne to save me, that's for sure. It ripped my hands badly as I held on. Who the heck makes a throne out of thorns? Is it supposed to be a symbol? Gotta be, nothing else could be that tacky.

Now then…back to what I was doing. I look around and I see the piece of the picture that I was about to place earlier.

…

_**Same Him**_

…

But of course, the universe of Hell hates me. I am just a few feet too short on slack to get to it. Now…I could try to find other pieces, but it's better to put the one I can identify away now then work on the others.

So, I have to go back and begin crawling some more to get more slack. Then I can put the golden man back on the painting.

_**Kiritsugu Save Him**_

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The avenue was a wreck from the battle between Servants. Two storehouses had already collapsed, and asphalt was torn up everywhere. The place looked like an earthquake, a tornado, and a tidal wave had converged in this little area.

In the middle of that disaster, still without a single scratch, Saber and Lancer are glaring at each other, preparing their next move. Neither showed any sign of exhaustion.

"I'll give you credit. Fighting so hard without any sweat, you're one heck of a woman." Lancer complimented.

"That's unnecessary modesty, Lancer." Arturia said with a smile. "Since we have fought, you have been a delivered me a splendid fight with both your compliments and spear play. You honor me, and for that I am thankful."

They knew each other's name, their identity. For both of them, their sense of honor was satisfied and they could battle to their hearts' content. Both had pride in their trained skills and strength and were glad for meeting a foe that was as honorable as themselves. To meet an equal and worthy opponent, to fight and enjoy a battle they had both been longing for, it was perfect. Both of them thank their fates for this grand display of their skills.

However…"Enough of this playtime, Lancer." A voice cried out.

"Lancer's... Master!" Irisviel said in wonder and horror

Stiffening, Irisviel took a look around her, but there was no human form to be seen. With the unnatural echo of the voice, she couldn't make out whether it was a man's or a woman's, or where it came from. Perhaps there was a camouflage like an illusion. The enemy doesn't seem to be close to showing up in front of Irisviel anytime.

"Don't drag the fight any more. This Saber is a formidable enemy." Though it was impossible to tell, Archibald was a bit nervous that Saber was beating back Lancer.

"Understood, my master." Lancer said grimly. "That's about it. From here on, I'm out to do you in." Lancer muttered with a low voice.

A stab, a thrust, a whirl again and again Lancer pushed his body to the limits trying to harm Saber, but the Servant of the Sword matched his moves, his flexibility and pushed him back.

One normally wields one spear with both hands. It lets one fight with a spear far more effectively than with one Cu Chulainn, for example, had taken his spear play to a level of insanity and used the entire spear as his weapon. The blade, the shaft, the guard. All of it was the Hound's weapon. Diarmuid on the other hand preferred to use two spears, one long, one short.

The Knight of the Love Spot is a powerful Servant, with years and years of training and experience, but his style still has weaknesses. For all his power, there is a reason people prefer to fight with two hands on a spear. The spear weakens, and Saber overpowers the man. She swings her blade from the ground up and knocks back the spear and causes a large gash on the knight's shoulder causing it to drop.

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...Damn it. This is bad." Rider said as he stood up.

"Wha, what is?" Waver asked nervously. This was the first time he ever saw Rider serious since the time they had seen Berserker.

"Lancer won't survive much longer." Rider declared

"Wouldn't that be favorable for us?" Waver asked, after all, this was what the grail war was about.

"Fool, what are you talking about?" Rider stamped his heel on the steel frame he was standing on. For Waver, whose entire body was clinging to the frame, the tremor shook him to his very bones, and caused him to moan in fear.

"I wanted to wait out on the battle's development before everyone arrives, but by the look of the current situation Lancer's not going to last, and it would all be too late."

"Too late? But we want Lancer to fall baka."

"...I think you have misunderstood something, boy." Rider furrowed his brows and looked down at Waver lying beside his feet, as if disappointed at what he was seeing.

"I did hope that other Servants would take up Lancer's bait. Isn't it obvious? Rather than picking them out one by one, it's far better to get them all together and have a great battle royale!"

Waver forgot to answer; he was shocked in realizing the differences between his goals and that of the Spirit.

"Get them all together... a great battle royale?" Waver asked

"Yes. It's such a rare opportunity to cross blades with the greatest heroes across all ages. If all six of them are here in completion, I won't let any one of them get away. Now then, Saber and Lancer. They both have the flaming spirit of true warriors. I admire them; it would be a pity to let them die like this."

"What else is there apart from killing them? Isn't that the point of the Holy Grail Waaa-!"

Waver was mercilessly interrupted by a fingerflick backed by massive strength to his forehead.

"Victory without ruin, domination without disgrace. That is true conquest!" Rider proclaimed, holding his chest upright; then he unsheathed the sword by his waist and sliced the sky with a swing of his sword, cleaving apart the empty space.

An enormous shining chariot driven by two great bulls immediately appeared, accompanied by spiralling torrents of wind and bolts of lightning. Waver felt like he was about to be blown over by the sudden storm. He swallowing his screams and hugging the steel frame even tighter.

"Observation is over. We will join the battle, boy." Rider decreed as he mounted his Noble phantasm.

"Idiot idiot idiot! You're acting nonsense!" Waver cried

"Oh? If you don't want to go, you can stay here and look." Rider said disappointed,

Waver was even more frightened of that. "I am going! Bring me along, idiot!"

"Good, that's more like my Master!" Rider said approving the attitude. Rider emitted clear laughter, took hold Waver's collar gently, and let Waver ride beside himself. "Now roll on, Gordion Wheel. Wheel of Heaven's Authority!" The Noble Phantasm answered the call of the King of Conquerors with a thunderous tremor and the two took off at blinding speeds.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kill Kill Kill

No mercy, no pity. Kill the Dark ones. Give them no quarter, give them no reprieve. They want the Light, but they will never have it. The Light is too good for the Dark ones.

Above Lightning strikes, air ripples. Look up, see something in the air. Big flying thingy. Makes loud noise, might scare the Light. Might frighten the Light and make it go dark.

Enemy.

Is Enemy.

Grrr, it wants the offering. Enemy wants to take the offering surely. Steal Offering from the Light. Take what is rightfully the Light's. Will kill soon enough. Kill Dark Ones and clear way first. Offering still calls and will keep calling.

Will find offering, kill all in the way.

Kill Enemy, kill Dark Ones, Kill Shadows. Only Light and offering Remain.

Smash and stomp Dark ones, splay their blood on the wall. Destroy their bodies and grind their bones to dust. Catch one in hand and smash it before has a chance to touch the Light. They wrap around legs, no problem. Fall to knees so fast that they are smashed into paste.

Blood and death for the Light until true offerings for the Light are found.

These Dark Ones will not prevail this day.

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"You did well." Saber said holding her blade over the Servant of the Lance.

"Competing with the famous King of Knights. Hmph, I wouldn't give this opportunity up for anything." Lancer said eyeing the blade. In a sudden move of unprecedented agility the Lancer class was famed for, the man threw his short spear at Saber who was forced to dodge while he grabbed the fallen spear with his legs and caught it leaping back.

Saber, however, did not pursue as she knew what was about to happen next.

The air changed, what had once been a gale then stilled, was now becoming more tumultuous and lightning cracked in the sky as the clouds converged darkening the night even further. Lancer stilled with awe and a bit of fear, and turning to look at the southern sky. The source of the sound was clear for all eyes to see was a flying object that cut across the sky heading directly to their location. The change in the air was undoubtedly created by it.

Irisviel was dumbstruck as she said in shock. "...A chariot...?"

Lancer stared tensely at the suddenly arriving chariot that was expelling massive amounts of power. Irisviel's fear was obvious, and the unseen Master of Lancer should have also felt a shiver of fear. Saber on the other hand looked bored, like flying objects shooting lightning were common occurrences.

…Which, for her, was the truth. If it wasn't Keiko trying out a lightning gun on a plane, it was Eiko and Reiko fighting for the last pudding, or even Kiri cooking something horrifying. Saber repressed a shudder at the thought of her son's culinary ability. Who the heck creates water monsters boiling water?

The chariot circled above Lancer and Saber menacingly, then slowed down and landed on the ground. It was positioned exactly between the two Heroic Spirits, blocking both the sword and the lance. The dazzling light that ceased as the chariot landed revealed the Rider before them.

"Both of you, put down your arms. A king comes!" Iskander declared. This casual bellow was almost as loud as the thunders emitted when he rode upon the air.

Lancer was not scared from the yell, but he was heavily injured from his fight with Saber. However, this new Heroic Spirit did not want to attack him, but wanted to intervene in the duel. He looked over and saw Saber crossed her arms and looked like she knew she was in for a headache. Truly, the King of Knights was impressive to not be perturbed but such a display of power.

"My name is Iskander, King of Conquerors. I am participating in this Holy Grail War and received the class of Rider." He declared

Truly, this was a strange day when not one, not two, but **three** Servants declared their identities. That was when everyone really became gob-smacked. In the war of the Holy Grail no Servant would want to declare his identity as it could be a key component of his battle plans. Meanwhile, the most agitated people around was Waver, who sat beside Rider.

"Baka, what think you're doing?" Waver cried

*Bam*

The sound of the merciless finger flick echoed. Only the middle finger of Rider's right hand paid any attention to Waver While Rider asked Lancer and Saber a question. "You slaughter each other to obtain the Grail... I want to ask you something before you engage. I don't know what expectations you have of the Grail. But now, consider for moment whether your wishes are even greater than the desire to possess all of earth and heaven."

Saber rolled her eyes at Iskander. She _still _wasn't sure if the man was a clown or a genius. A lot like Minaka really.

Rider continued "I have descended upon the battlefield, so do you have any intention to pass the Holy Grail to me? If you forfeit your claims to the Grail, I would regard you as friends, and share with you the joy of conquering the world."

"Well met King of Conquerors. I am Arturia Pendragon, the former king of Britain." Saber announced. She needed to get her credentials out quickly so that he would listen to her.

"Oh? The king of Britain?" Rider said surprised at Saber's identity and raised an eyebrow "How surprising. The renowned King of Knights is actually a little girl"

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Saber smiled, but no one was comforted, this was a smile of a Lion. "Ah, and what would you have against that?" For a moment, it was like time stopped and the world became engulfed in shades of black and white. The wind ceased to blow, the lighting froze in place and the thunder shut up. The waves did not dare to move and the trees ceased to make noise. Strained and damaged metal refused to grind lest the ire fall on them.

Rider felt a cold sweat go down his back at that smile. Though he was a Servant, and a powerful one at that, right now, no matter how strong he was, there was no way he could beat her. It's an instinct all men have when facing the opposite gender. "Ah, no no no no. No offense meant, it's just surprising." He watched with wariness as he saw her place her sword by her side and held on hand on her hip. The look on her face said that he was digging his grave even deeper. "Ah, I mean…kings are traditionally men and all…"

"Ah, true. That's very true" Saber said not moving from her pose. This pose had become famous in the clan. It usually was seen after doing something incredibly stupid…or Kiri had tried cooking again.

"Ah, um, aaaaaah." Rider said suddenly wishing he was back on the bridge

"Are you implying I couldn't take the responsibility as King?" Saber asked sweetly. Behind her, she heard Iri start to giggle. This situation was too funny for the woman. The big bad King of Conquerors was starting to back away from the verbal sparring of Saber.

"No!." Rider said desperately. "I just didn't expect the King of Knights to be so beautiful and all. I was just expecting him to be taller is all…"

Lancer used his one good hand and slapped his face while Iri held her breath lest she crack up laughing.

"Rider." Saber said dangerously.

"Hai?" Rider asked afraid for his manhood.

"Shut up."

"HAI" Rider said

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"Now, to answer your question, I have no interest in the Grail." Saber announced instantly changing the mood. She knew what it was, she would never desire it. Angra Mainyu was a monstrosity that must never be unleashed upon mankind. Not to mention what it would do to Irisviel and Illya. Opposite her, Rider and Lancer were stunned speechless.

"Eh?" Lancer said. How could the great King of Knights not want it? It baffled him. He himself desired the Grail so that he could serve his Master. A small part of him wanted the curse removed, but more than anything, he just wanted to serve a Master as a Knight. It was all he had ever desired. Though, he now found a desire to fight Saber once more after this fight. She had beaten him easily without a scratch. He was determined to give her a better showing.

"Ahhhh, then you are well met comrade." Iskander said with a broad grin. To have such a beautiful woman by his side, ah. This was going to be glorious conquest. "Yoooosh, then I accept you as-"

"But I won't give it to you." Saber finished causing the giant's face to drop and lose the smile. She thought of that mass of flesh, that dark mud, that evil presence. She could not allow that. She could not allow that fire to consume this town and break Minato/Shirou.

"Eeeeehhhhhh? Why? If you have no interest in the Grail? Why do you oppose me?" Iskander asked.

"Because I know what it will cost, and I will not allow it to happen." Saber declared. "Everything has a price, and the price of the Grail is too much for anyone to pay. Too much for anyone to use." With this, she planned to tell two of the most Noble Servants in this war, to tell them that they fought for a broken and cursed item, one that would taint them or destroy the world to fulfill the wish.

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But Fate is not so kind as to let plans go unopposed.

They all turned instantly towards the south where new presences were coming fast. The air was filled with a buzzing noise, like a swarm of bees or locusts. Great explosions were heard moving a great speed. Then they saw it, a large container flying in the air then come crashing down on the warehouse next to them. They stood there with weapons drawn as something stepped out of the warehouse.

At first, it was near impossible to see in the gloomy light, just something flickering at the edge of darkness. Then something red and something gold glowed in the dark and moved slightly and advanced. They stood there and watched as something wavy and black gripped the broken door of the warehouse and ripped it off the hinges to clear the way. An aura of madness and hate came from the thing inside there. At first, Saber was comforted knowing who it was.

Then she realized it…this was wrong.

This Berserker was shorter, much shorter. And the Aura was wrong. It was a mad Aura, but there was a different feel to it. This one looked at all and saw only enemies of equal threat. It had no attachments, no memories of a King. It looked at all Servants, and Iri and growled in hate.

"No…way." Saber said as she felt the blood leave her face. This was wrong, this was not what she remembered. Lancelot did not have a golden eye, nor was he so short. The voice was distorted, but different as well. The way it held itself was wrong. It walked like it owned everything, like a king or something, yet it stalked forward like a cat, always ready to pounce and kill.

_Different_

This was a different Berserker.

And Saber knew fear…

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	54. Black Zero 9

Black Zero 9

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_I finish my mission under any type of condition_

_I find the right place to maim and kill with precision_

_Let them charge and attack, I've already made my decision_

_I send curses to the gods and prayers to the dead_

_My feelings are irrelevant; I kill without sympathy or sentiment_

_And I only have contempt for the fools in the regiment_

_This is it. This is my last will and my last testament_

_I grit my teeth and clench my fist while I bleed red_

_I fought, though my family appealed, I refused to yield _

_I said I'd come back covered in glory or on my shield_

_To be laid down six feet under in a golden grass field_

_Where the feet of man and machine do not tred_

_-Lament of a Black Knight_

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_**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**_

Bloody mother*cker this is heavy. I think as I pull the chain around the pillars. The weight attacked to this chain is ridiculous. But I will not go back. If I am in hell, then I defy the decree. I will live here rather than the pit. It took who knows how long to get here, but I go the piece of the painting showing the golden figure.

I take it and place it where it belongs on the wall.

_-Flash-_

_I'm fighting, I'm fighting in a world of swords and blades against an man with golden hair and red eyes in a black outfit. He fires blades at me and I send copies at them. My blades break as they connect, but they send the enemy's weapons off course. It is enough. I keep coming at the man as he calls me a fake, a fraud, a mongrel. I don't care, I may be a fake, I may be nothing but a copy, but I will not stop. _

_I close in and get to see his eyes widen. He pulls out a black blade that looks more like a drill, but it is no use, I cleave his arm as he tries to attack. It stops him, but I have reached my limit._

_I fall to the ground as the land of swords vanishes, I am so tired. But…something black appears on the man in black. Something evil and it eat him…_

_-Flash-_

"Bweagh"

I throw up, or at least try to. I have nothing to throw up. When I look up, the picture changes as something black flies off the piece and moves to the center of the room where it remains floating. I look back on the picture and see the golden man is giving the black figure something. It looks like food, and the Golden Man is smiling.

"What the h*ll was that?"

The picture was originally a black figure fighting the golden man, but now it's not. And that image. It felt so real, yet so wrong. Like living a lie.

_**Save Him**_

I don't know, but I need to try that again to see if it was a fluke…

Now what can I put on the wall?

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"Oho, another one." Rider said with a grin ignoring the feeling of madness that permeated the air. "Well met. I am the Iskander the King of Macedonia and the King of Conquerors." Saber however shifted until she was between Iri and Berserker

Wrong, this was very wrong. This was not Lancelot.

From the width of the average sized figure's shoulders, this was the body of a man, completely covered in a full armor without any opening. But it was different from the silver armor wrapping Saber or the luxurious golden one of Archer. This man's armor was black, pure black. Black, the color of the endless void sucking away all light that touched it. Like the darkest pits of Hell, like the furthest reaches of the universe, it was an endless black. No ornaments or decorations were adorned on this armor, giving nothing away to reveal the identity of this Servant. The face was covered in a complete helmet obscuring everything except that red eye and golden eye that glared at everyone. Saber was reminded of Herakles' face when she saw those eyes.

A Servant, a mad Servant, Berserker it bore a sinister and mad aura that threatened to consume all in the way. Its head twitched slightly and the hands kept clamping on empty air making a clenching gesture often like it wanted to punch something or hold something.

This black Servant didn't have the aura of power and respect like that the other Servants who were already there. This aura is the expression of the legend of a Heroic Spirit. The honor of the tales and stories everyone praises and longs for that grants the Servant power. This is an essential element of their Noble Phantasm and their innate abilities and stats.

But the newly appeared black Servant had none of it. Black, Black, like the cloak of the Reaper the Servant wore Black everywhere. But…there was something about it, something that still showed through in the darkness. A…trait…unique to the Black Servant. Even in the madness, this one did not as much as walk as strut. Like a cat going for a meal. There was something that showed through the madness that demanded respect. Like a veteran with a missing limb demanding that all respect a sacrifice that was made for the good of all. Though it was clearly mad, the Servant walked like a dragon. Fear it, but respect it at well.

The black clad man contented itself with staring a Rider for a bit with the red and gold eyes. Then…he began sniffing the air, like a dog.

Sniff Sniff Sniff

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"So, kid. What kind of Servant is he, that guy?" Rider whispered to Waver. I of itself, it should be considered a miracle that Rider whispered, but the Black Servant moved so carefully. Like a wild animal that would run or fight it spooked, hence why Rider whispered. The small Master shook his head, dumbfounded.

"... I don't know. I simply can't tell." Waver said confused

"Whaat?" Rider whispered "You're a Master, aren't you? His strengths and weaknesses should be visible to you, eh?"

As a Master who has made a contract with a Servant, it is possible to read out the status of a Servant with powers of clairvoyance. This is a unique ability granted by the Grail to Tur Masters like Waver and Kiritsugu. This doesn't work for the fake Master that is Irisviel, but Waver, rightful Master of Rider, should be more than capable of seeing through the abilities of the other Servants and compare them to those of Rider. In fact, Waver already had a clear understanding of the faculties of Saber, Lancer and Archer. Especially Saber and Lancer as he could see many of their Noble Phantasms. But…

"I said I can't see it! That black guy is definitely a Servant. But I just can't read out his…his…" Waver trailed off as he realized he could see the Class Assigned Abilities and spoke in horror. "Oh…my god. A rank Independent Action." Of all the abilities that Berserker had, this was the worst possible outcome. Berserkers were already the most difficult of Servants to control, their madness was often what killed the Master. However, adding in Independent Action, an ability that shrouded them from their Masters to allow them to move freely, would have made it impossible to control this Servant at all. Even with A rank Mad Enhancement…which this one did not, this Servant would never be controllable.

All other Servants flinched at what they heard. A rank Independent Action. Even killing the Master, this beast would be free to rampage the area for a week without a Master. This was no mad dog on a long leash, this was a mad **monster** that could not be controlled at all save command seals, and that Master would only have had three.

Back at the church, and the Tohsaka manor, they both began calculating how many days it had been since Berserker had been summoned. Three days. It had only been three days. If the Master had died instantly upon summoning, this thing was free for another four before it would vanish. And if the Master of Berserker was alive…dubious at best…this thing would easily live for a week before expiring. Berserkers were not know for using up much of their Magic Reserve, relying on their enhanced stats to attack.

Rider frowned at Waver's screech, and took a new look at the black knight. A rank…that should have gone to the Archer, Assassin, or Archer class. For Berserker to possess it was beyond strange.

The armor with the color of darkness shows no characteristic feature, and tells no clue on the lineage of the maker. In fact, Iskander noticed something while watching. His vision had a hard time focusing on the man causing a blurring effect. It wasn't just Rider. Saber, Lancer and Irisviel had also noticed the same thing. No matter how carefully one would watch, he just wouldn't accurately perceive Berserker's figure.

It was like an out of focus photo. Unlike Lancelot where his figure was shrouded in a dark shroud, this one had a blurring effect. Like someone with bad eyes trying to focus on words beyond their optimal vision, hinting, tantalizing, but still obscuring the Servant. It was blurring, and painful to look at for too long. The general outline was easy to see, but the finer details were impossible to make out. That would be some sort of unique curse that hides the person's true identity. It wasn't a skill proper to the Berserker class. But then…neither was A-rank Independent Action.

It was then that Berserker perked up and ceased his growling. Instead, the sound of something like a yip of joy came quietly out of his mouth. He gazed at Saber…or Iri. It was hard to tell. He just looked at their direction and made a pleasant sound. Like he had found something he liked. Saber stood ready to fight at a moment's notice as it stalked towards her. In the background, the sound of insects backed off and vanished, hiding itself in the background and shadows.

"Welcome Berserker. Yes, this is getting to be exciting." Rider spoke up. Even with the madness, there was something in this Servant that called out. Something that said sanity was there, at the furthest edge of the mind, but there none the less.

Saber flicked her eyes at Rider, but brushed off the man as she gazed upon Berserker. As she watched, she saw him slow down approaching, the madness seemed to be lowering for a moment. It walked right up to her and began sniffing again. A part of her felt sorry for this unknown Servant. This one walked like it had pride, but the madness was destroying it.

"Well now, this is a special occasion." Rider decreed. "Four of the remaining Six are here." His face was wide with happiness. "Ah, now if only the other two revealed themselves. It would be glorious Master." He said hitting Waver on the shoulder so hard the boy was nearly sent flying. Everyone, including Berserker focused on them.

"Oh? It is you, of all people." The Lancer's Master called out causing the air to become stiff again. The low, resentful voice that echoed through the area said as he finally noticed something. It was a completely different tone from the one he had used before a low, hate filled voice.

"And I was wondering what you stole my Holy Relic. I didn't think you would actually have the guts to join the Heaven's Feel on your own, Waver Velvet." Waver heard the voice calling his name with hate and knew that he was the focus of that hatred. Not only that, Waver knew that voice all too well, the voice of a man who he had learned under back at the tower, the man he stole the fragment of Iskader's cloak from.

Waver's blood turned did he forget? His teacher had been gathering a catalyst for the Grail War, a powerful catalyst for to summon a strong Servant. With his high rank as a Lord of the Tower and the head of Spiritual Invocation, gathering another Holy Relic would be Childs play. Therefore, there was no reason not to expect him, but Waver had forgotten…

"What a pity. It's a shame, really. I actually wanted my poor beloved student to be happy. Waver, someone as mediocre as you only deserves to possess the calm and stable life of commoners." Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald said with a sneer. Waver could feel the cold eyes of that man glaring at him.

Waver had come to this War to prove the old b*stards in the tower that they were wrong, that a first generation Magus was just as worthy of respect as those who could trace their line for centuries. During the few years that Waver spent at the Clock Tower, he had always hated that man, he even considering killing him a few times. Yet, this was the first time that he was faced with such enmity from his lecturer. The first time he had ever felt killing intent aimed at him.

Archibald continued to speak as if toying with Waver. "Well, I can't help it, Waver-kun. Let me give you some extra lessons. The true meaning of the slaughter between ma-"

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" Berserker roared in defiance shutting up the haughty magus. The mad Servant looked around searching for the source of the loud voice

"Well said Berserker." Rider approved "Oi, magus. If I understand correctly, you were supposed to be my Master instead of that kid, apparently." Rider called out to the unseen Master of Lancer, his face was covered with a massive smile of malevolent pity. "That thought is beyond ridiculous. Even Berserker recognizes that as the height of foolishness. The man that deserves to be my Master should be a warrior that rides with me into the battlefield, not a coward that doesn't even dare to show his face."

Silence descended; leaving the coward to stew in his hate. Rider suddenly laughed into the empty sky, a roaring laugh that exhausted the airs in his lungs. "Come on out! There must be others. Friends that are hiding in the darkness and spying on us!"

Lancer was both shocked. While Saber agreed

"Indeed, what I have to say is important. Come out you who hide and hear my warning."

Facing Saber, the King of Conquerors did a thumb-up accompanied with a hearty smile.

"Saber, it is good of you to tell us what you know, but you also forget that this is a war. The clear sound made from the clashing of your sword and Lancer's spear would perhaps attract more than one observer. Look at Berserker who came running to join in this fight." Rider then delivered a speech with deafening sound to every corner of the surroundings bellowing, "What a shame. What a shame, really! The heroes of might gathered at Fuyuki! Seeing the prowess displayed here by Saber and Lancer, does it not invoke any sentiments from you? Having a name that deserves praise, yet concealing yourself and spying in secrecy; what cowardice. Even Heroic Spirits would be troubled upon hearing this, huh? Even the mad Berserker knows this so why do you not know it?"

After another fit of laughter burst from Rider's mouth causing the area to shudder from the power within that voice. Berserker growled lightly and backed away from the man while Saber looked around waiting for a certain Servant to appear….if he was here. If Berserker was different, was it not possible that Gilgamesh was not here as well? "The Heroic Spirits invited by the Holy Grail, gather here at this moment! For those cowards that fear to show their faces, spare yourself the humiliation that Alexander, King of Conquerors, would deal to you. Prepare yourself!"

"... This is bad." From the distant Tōsaka residence Tokiomi muttered He knew one particular Heroic Spirit, who would never ignore something like Rider's challenging words. One Servant would never allow anyone to call him out and not answer.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yume slunk down low hearing the bellow. What was going on down there? She saw the target down there was watching the others. Those strange people in armor with old weapons. Was that a chariot? An honest to god chariot? What was going on down there. She decided to remain where she was and wait. Something was strange down there and she wanted to watch

Yume was good, but she forgot one basic thing, something that would be no problem to humans, but…these were not humans

Yume forgot one thing, the wind. The wind was at her back and blowing softly, so softy that it barely mattered.

Barely, but did

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A golden light immediately arrived following Rider's bellow.

As expected, the golden light came from 10 meters above, atop a street pole, where a figure standing in a shining armor could be seen. Saber nodded her head that at least Gilgamesh was indeed summoned into this war. This time, this time she knew how to beat him. Kiritsugu would have to gver her back Avalon for a while, but it would allow her to defeat this Servant…unless…did Gilgamesh remember her? She looked up and saw him flick his eyes between them all, and then focused on Rider. Saber felt a small bit of disappointment. No, he did not remember, Gilgamesh did not remember her at all nor this War. So time would continue on its path…kind of. Berserker was an oddity.

"This guy is..." Waver whispered. This couldn't be Caster, his entire body covered in armor. If he had materialized in response to Rider's call. Berserker, Rider, Lancer, and Saber were already here. By elimination, the only one left was the last of the three Knight classes, Archer.

"I didn't expect there would be two fools in one night to have the insolence of calling themselves 'kings' and ignore me." For his very first words, the golden Heroic Spirit looked down with displeasure and scorn, glaring at the Servants.

Even Rider didn't expect anyone more dominating than himself to show up, as he was stroking his chin with a bewildered look void of malice. "You are mistaken. I, Alexander, am the one who is well known throughout the world as the King of Conquerors."

"Fool. The only hero in Heaven and Earth who is a real king is me. The rest are a collection of mongrels." Archer threw him aside with a declaration that was more than an insult.

"If you want to say that much, could you first announce yourself? If you are such a king, you couldn't be ashamed of your fame?" At Rider's banter, Archer's crimson eyes grew even more of a proud anger as he glared at the giant under him.

"Are you questioning me? A lowly mongrel questioning a king like me?" Gilgamesh said dangerously

"Gilgamesh, King of Urak. The First King of Man, the King of Heroes." Saber said seriously causing all but Berserker to look at her.

"You know him?" Lancer asked incredulously. "How?" The man had given nothing away to reveal his identity yet Saber knew him in an instant. Well…now that he looked at it, Lancer could see how the Golden Armor would be connected. But still…something was strange with Saber.

"Indeed woman. I am Gilgamesh. The one true king." Gilgamesh said with approval. At least one of the mongrels knew him for who he was and understood his greatness. Perhaps he would spare her, she was an interesting woman, one who claimed to be king. Arrogant, yet, she seemed to know something about the Grail. From her tone it had sounded like the Grail was not a treasure, but garbage. If so, Tokiomi would pay…but perhaps…later. That woman, the more he looked at her, the more he was convinced she was a treasure he had yet to claim. It had been a long time since anything caught his interest, but this woman was becoming one.

"▅▄▅▄▅"Berserker barked interrupting. That was strange….Berserker barked, or at least, roared in a normal tone and volume. Berserker. Nobody could figure out what was the intention of the black Servant that stood in their midst. With A rank Independent Action, there was nothing but the madness that directed this Servant unless the Master wasted a command Seal. That is, of course, if the Master is still alive.

Everyone looked at Berserker who was facing off to the side and turning his head further never revealing his back to any of them.

"What is it mad dog? Do you dare find something of more interest than me?" Gilgamesh asked frowning. Berserker paid no heed and barked louder. The eyes glowing widely in the slit of the helmet first wandered in the empty space, having lost their target. Then, finding a the target again, Berserker roared into the night. "▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅"

"It seems another is hiding from us." Rider said disapproving. "Come out and quit skulking" Rider ordered

For a moment, there is silence. Kirei and Tomiomi wonder if it is Assassin that was discovered, then she appeared.

In a blur of black, a woman dashed forward running at full speed at Berserker who roared and charged at her as well. The destructive power was enormous. The road surface was blown up like it was hit with an explosive blast, and the scene was shrouded by the dust of the asphalt pulverized into particles. In the thick dust, the shadows of two figures wavered into visibility showing them fighting at full tilt. Fists collided, kicks smashed into black armor. Even a few blasts of pure white light lit up the area.

"Oi, kid, what's going on?" Rider asked. "Is she a Servant?"

"Waver shook his head, "No, she's wrong, she feels wrong. She has no stats to show."

"A Master?" Rider pondered. He watched as the two fought with hand and fist in the dust. The woman had been holding back at first, throwing slower punches, but quickly abandoned that idea when she saw Berserker keeping up.

Saber stood shock still recognizing that face. That was Musubi…no Yume. Musubi did not fire blasts of energy with her fists.

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Berserker dodged Yume's Punch by an inch and slashed at her with his left hand/claw. The black clad Sekirei was fast, much faster than a human. Against a Servant like Assassin she would have been an even match in speed and greater in power. But this was Berserker, the physically strongest Servant in the Grail War. Yume barely evaded the attack and fired a blast of energy at the monster who kept on coming light he had been hit with only a water balloon.

"What are you?" Yume asked as she faced this creature. He was so strong, so fast. Was this really a human? It was more like a thing, an animal, than a man. Yume had felt the power of the group, and had wanted to wait before revealing herself, but this thing had sensed her somehow revealing her. She had been forced to charge out and hope to take him out in one hit. A human would have gone down instantly. Or at least should have.

"▄▅" The black clad creature roared as it slashed at her face. Yume pulled her head back just in time to evade losing her head. The way this thing fought, there was no thought, no rationale, no training. It was like fighting an animal, relying on instincts rather than any form of human fighting. It didn't notice her punches, her blasts, her kicks. The thing just kept coming ignoring any damage it had. This was why she had to stop holding back. Her best attacks were taken without problems.

"Taaaah." Yume yelled punching the creature as hard as she could sending it sliding back a few dozen feet. She charged at him while he raised his left arm at her. It made no sense to Yume while it held out the hand until…

*Fwooosh*

Yume rolled to the left as fire burst from the hand like a flamethrower. "Dammit." Yume muttered. He had a flamethrower, which made things even more difficult. But still…where was he keeping the fuel? She had no time to figure that out as the creature literally tackled her and rammed her against a warehouse making a large dent in the metal. Yume felt her breath leave her from the pain, but had to immediately move her head as the thing tried to rip out her throat with its mouth. The thing was like an animal, no wonder it killed people in such grotesque ways.

Yume hit it with her knee at full power no longer caring about doing damage as this thing never seemed to feel it. She was able to send it flying, but she watched as it tumbled in the air and landed on all fours like a cat. Blasted monster. She saw it raise its left arm at her and she leaped on top of the warehouse to get away. However, pure instinct suddenly told her to duck.

Boom

"Dammit, bullets too? What kind of arm is that?" Yume muttered. Not only was it a flamethrower, but a gun as well, a high caliber gun at that. From the sound of it, Yume had almost mistaken it for artillery. "▄▅▄▅" The thing leaped at her screaming the whole way. The noise was an assault on her ears both in content and volume. The thing must have a microphone on its mouth or something. She spun around and performed a roundhouse kick on it sending it flying. It was there that she saw something strange…

It kept flailing and turning, and above all, looked like it did not want to get hit in the back. It was strange to see, but somehow, the black creature landed on its face rather than its back and seemed happy for the landing. Something was very wrong.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Protect the Light, protect the Light. Pain is nothing, pain is nonexistent. Protect the Light. Kill Kill KILLL!

Rend Tear Flay Shred Murder KIllllllll

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yume leaped at the opponent who was charging right at her heedless of the obstacles in the way. Debris, poles, bars, all went flying in the wake of the black Juggernaut. Rider, Lancer, and Archer all stood where they were watching that which challenged a Servant but was no Servant or human. The way she moved, fought, was far beyond human ability. So who was she? And why did she focus on Berserker of all things?

Yume punched upwards again unleashing a blast of light and power at Kiri's head. Though he leaped back from the attack, the sash on his chest was torn too much causing the sling to fly off. With the forced behind the leap, the boy that once rested on Berserker's back was suddenly sent flying. Were it not for the fact that the shield went with the boy as well, Shirou/Minato would have died right then and there with a split head. Instead, because the shield went with the boy, there was only a loud clang, a bounce, and a short slide that took him in the direction of a certain Servant.

Saber

She looked at what she saw slide towards her in curiosity at first. What was this that laid on a shield? She focused and saw a tuft of red hair beneath swaths of ripped cloth that had been crudely tied together. She watched it slide towards her while Yume and Berserker fought and found she could not be bothered to look up at the battle. Something drew her to that shield, to that red hair. She watched as it slid right up to her feet where it stopped.

She looked at what was clearly a child on the shield, leaned down, and unveiled the face. Her eyes widened as far as they could. Her heart stopped breathing and her lungs refused to take in the air. Though a battle raged not too far from her, Saber couldn't hear them. A legion of monsters could have surrounded her, but she would not have noticed. Nothing mattered; nothing distracted her from that face. Could it be? No, impossible, there was no way…For a moment, the child opened his eyes to reveal golden brown eyes that gazed upon her weakly. Though they glazed over in fever and pox, there was a recognition in the eyes.

"Sa…ber?" the boy asked weakly.

She dropped her sword. Entire armies could not have gotten her to release her hold on her sword. Neither Herakles, nor Gilgamesh had ever gotten her to lose her grip on her sword. Mordred, Lancelot, Bedivere, not one of them had ever gotten her to lose her grip on her sword. But right here, right now, it fell, and she could not care less.

"Shirou." She whispered in horror. How? How had he gotten here? Though it tore at her to look away from his face, she took his left hand to check her greatest fear. There it was, three command seals forming the shape of two swords crossing over a shield. '_No, please, not this._' Saber begged anyone and everyone. If he was a Master in this brutal war, then it would be near impossible to protect him.

A million questions flowed into her head, but she had no time for that.

"▄▅▄▅▅▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▅▄▄" Berserker screamed at her and charged. Behind the monster, Saber saw Yume look at the boy in shock, then dashed forward trying to head off Berserker. She had to make a decision.

Fight?

Flee?

Toss?

There was only one thing she would do. She had sworn an oath, to be his sword and shield.

She would fight.

Saber readied her blade and prepared to fight to protect Shirou.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	55. Black Zero 10

Black Zero 10

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_"There are two types of fights. Whenever we are in battle, we must be in one of the two. The fight for life or…the fight for pride."- __Bleach_

_"If I see any of you idiots fighting for glory or pride you deserve to get shot. Focus on the job and nothing else." -Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_-Flash- _

_"Dun dudu daaaa!" a voice shouted in my ear from the speaker of the phone. It sounded like someone had just shouted a victory sound effect from a videogame, or imitated a winning bell from a television show. I flinched away at the sudden assault from my ear, nearly fumbling the phone again. "Congratulations!" The voice continued, sounding a little softer than it was before, but still entirely to loud for polite conversation. "When we received word that even someone like Homura had been winged so early, we could scarcely believe it. But with your second wing you have proven that it was no simple error, and instead talent that allowed you to accomplish this feet. Consequentially, you've been magnificently chosen to be the partner of not just one but two Sekirei!"_

_-Flash-_

"Gwaahgg." I try to vomit again. It keeps happening, I put pieces of the picture back on and I get these flashes of…well…with the realistic feel of it all it has to be someone's life. But…it's not my life. I can feel it, this is wrong. It is foreign, alien, and wrong. I watch as another blob of blackness pulls off from the picture to join the slowly growing mass of blackness floating in the middle of the room. Every time I place a piece back, this happens. This time, what used to be a picture with a black figure listening a white haired man turned into a picture of a black figure with his back turned to the figure.

I've got a part where a golden man is handing food of some sort to the black figure, a picture of the black figure standing back to back with a beautiful woman in white armor with a black ribbon, a picture of the figure fighting some sort of undead monster, and a picture of the figure fighting a thing with too many tentacles.

_**Save Him**_

Why do I keep torturing myself putting the painting back together? Why? I don't know to be honest, I just am. It feels…right

…

Oh!

I didn't notice before, but the black figure looks…different. Where originally the black figure was more like an obscure black blob in the shape of a man, it's now defined, sharp, and clear. In fact, it's wearing that scattered black armor by the door laying in a puddle of red liquid. Looking at the armor now, it might be a good idea to try to put it back together. It would give me a break from the picture and hopefully ease my stomach.

…but first, let me put this piece in. It's a picture of a woman in blue being stabbed with a knife, and I think I see where she goes…

_**Kiritsugu**_

The weight is getting heavier, but I will not go back to the pit. I will not go back to the darkness and drown.

Not now, not ever.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The black knight charged with the force of a wild beast, kicking the asphalt. He looked only at Saber, with a swirling, black killing intent. The King of Knights stood her ground ready to protect Shirou with her life.

Saber braced herself as the mad Servant charged at her incredibly fast roaring and screaming the whole way. Somehow, in some way, Shirou had summoned a Berserker that wanted to protect him. But that Servant cannot be trusted, almost all the Masters of Berserker have fallen by their own Servant's hands. Either from outright murder, or the Servant was unable to protect the Master while occupied with a Servant.

Shirou…how did he end up in this war? It made no sense to her. He hadn't been deemed worthy until after the fire when he had lost his memories and nearly died. Saber gripped her sword as tight as she could and prepared to swing her blade.

"Saber?" Iri asked nervously. This was not a smart decision to fight with so many enemies, but Saber could see they were content to watch. The only one to worry about would be Lancer's Master ordering Lancer, but with Iskander there, she could trust the King's honor to not allow a woman to be struck down in front of him, especially during a truce. For that alone, she could trust her back to Iskander and have him watch over Iri. It would not last long, but she would have the ability to fight…at least for a short distance. She still ahd to stay near Iri as well.

This was going to be difficult

"▄▅▄▅" Berserker roared charging so fast and hard the ground broke beneath his feet. Behind him, Yume dashed forward seeing Minato was not only there, but alive. Saber stood over the boy like a protective mother/wife and stood as though she refused to move. It was then that she heard a sound, like a billion insects swarming. The warehouse behind her bent and bulged as something(s) approached. "▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" Berserker roared even louder and ran even faster if that was even possible.

Saber drew back her blade and prepared to slash at him the sound grew louder and louder until the sound of tearing metal was heard. Saber turned her head just slightly and was gifted with the sight of hundreds of abominations and countless insects flying past her towards Berserker. Behind her, she heard a familiar whinny voice of a man she hated like few others scream, "YOU WILL NOT HARM HER BLACK PRINCE!"

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" Berserker roared as loud as thunder as he raised his arm without halting his running and unleashed what could only be called a storm of lighting upon the oncoming horde. Abomination and Insect fried under the onslaught, but Berserker paid no heed as he crushed anything in his path with his gauntlets and boots with sickening crunches. The juggernaut kept coming heedless of the dangerous monsters, the paling Sekirei behind him and thew stoic swordswoman in front.

"That's enough." Rider roared trying to stop the fight, but none of the participants would have it. Berserker dashed low to the ground at the final stretch and…tripped? No, it wasn't a trip but a tumble! Berserker had flipped onto his hands and pushed off with massive force slamming his feet against Saber's blade sending her sliding back a few feet. A few critical feet that Berserker took to secure Minato/Shirou.

"You-" Saber hissed as she swung her blade. Berserker countered her sword swing with the shield Shirou had slid on. Honestly Saber could probably had vent the shield flying were it not for one fact, right behind the Shield was Shirou. It had caused her to slow down, to not strike as hard lest she accidently kill Shirou. That weakness, that minute opening was all it took for Berserker to leap back out of her range. Saber took a few steps forward, but halted when Iri called out her name again.

"Saber, what are you doing?" Iri asked worried. Saber bit her lip until she tasted blood. Even Rider would be unable to do anything.

"Iri…" Saber said trying to find a way to explain without giving away everything. Finally she had an answer. "It's not right for a child to be involved."

"Hmm…indeed." Iskader agreed from the side. "A child as a Master. Oi Master, isn't the Grail supposed to choose only suitable magi as Masters."

Waver had no answer as he watched Berserker crush demons by the dozens and burn them with fire while dodging the strange woman's attacks. Yes, the Grail was only supposed to find suitable Masters, so for a child so young to summon a Servant. A grudging respect and a hint of jealousy filled the young man's head. Waver considered himself a bit of a genius, so what did that make the boy?

…

Wait, there was something. A fragment he recalled reading. "If there are no suitable Magi willing to join…the Grail then selects one by force." Waver said trying to recall the tiny footnote. Waver closed his eyes as he watched Berserker grab a demon and crush it in his left hand before throwing it on the ground with a sick slushing sound. " ▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅"

"Ah, I see." Rider said. "So he was probably dragged into this." They watched as Berserker leaped forward and rammed his knee into a large demon causing it to explode into a purple mess spraying black blood everywhere. "Shame, it's not very sporting." Rider contemplated. Berserker flipped over a tentacle and rolled in the air until he could bring his foot down on two demons crushing them with the blow. "He fights well, if unorthodox." Rider muttered analyzing Berserker's style. Rider focused as best as he could on the black blur and noticed something. "Why does he not use his swords?"

"What?" Waver asked as Berserker spin kicked three Demons into mush.

"He hasn't used those swords once." Rider informed Waver whose eyes widened substantially as he realized this was true. "Oiiiii." Rider roared. "Cease your fighting my fellow Servants."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emiya Kiritsugu, from his distant vantage spot, watched the battle through his scope. With Kiritsugu's current equipment he could not interfere in a duel between Servants with the possible exception of that mysterious woman. Mentally he cursed himself and his Servant. Berserker's Master was right there in front of him, had even been touched by Saber. He should have commanded her to kill the Master right then and there regardless of Berserker's Independent Action ability. Now, the boy was kept tucked behind Berserker's shield, a place where Kiritsugu was sure that he would not be able to get a shot.

Kiritsugu furrowed his brows at the weakness he had shown. He should have ended it, killed the boy and taken out one of the Masters. The Servant would still be around, but with the way it fought, surely Berserker would have run out of magical energy a long time ago. The Master of Berserker had made a foolish mode, even worse than that of Lancer's Master. Rider's Master had hat least stayed in the Noble Phantasm of his Servant, but Lancer's Master had relied on magic that failed to take in protection from modern technology. Yet, Berserker's Master had topped it all by literally joining the fight when it was clear he could do nothing at all. What kind of Master tried to fight beside his Servant without any real skills?

No, it had to be a ruse, only a fool would go into this fight unprepared. So what kind of trump card did that child have? Unless he was hoping for mercy because of his age, that boy had better have one heck of a trump card if he hoped to survive this war. But then a thought occurred to Kiritsugu. Berserker was fighting to protect his Master, the Mad Servant was actually protecting his Master. Kiritsugu watched as the Mad Servant fought in a constant hit and run strategy. Fighting foes as he either ran through a thin section of attackers or retreating when it became difficult.

Berserker was actually fighting smart. Kiritsugu wondered how that was possible. Berserkers were not known for strategy, nor battle smarts. They had, after all, traded their sanity for power. So why, why was this one different. Kiritsugu looked over the stats of Berserker again and confirmed that he could only see the class abilities, in this case Riding C rank, A rank Independent Action, and B rank Mad Enhancement.

The more he looked at Berserker, the more confused he was. Berserker fought well for a madman, fought too well. B rank Madness should have robbed all but the smallest traces of sanity. So why was it so sane? At least when its actions were put into perspective. Berserker never fought impossible odds, always moving, evading, shifting towards weaker areas. Berserker focused on protecting his Master rather than rampage across the land. Was it related to the Independent Action? Such a thing should have made it impossible to control, impossible to keep on a leash, yet that young Master had done it.

"...The situation doesn't look good..." Maiya whispered over the radio

Right now it was not just a single combat between Berserker and the woman, but the insects that had to have come from Caster. Assassin, Lancer, Rider, and Archer were all there surrounding the area. Saber, though only slightly winded from the fight with the now injured Lancer had no hope of taking all of the Servants on at once. In fact, Saber actually looked like she wanted to join in on the fight with Berserker. A foolish move, Rider and Archer had yet to use any true power. Not to mention, Caster's familiars were swarming around both Iri and Saber, though these creatures were busy charging at Berserker.

Yes, if Saber joined the fight Berserker would never be able to survive the fight, but it would leave both Saber and Iri vulnerable to an attack. Kiritsugu sighted his rifle towards the top of the crane once again. The Assassin with the skull mask was still sitting there, watching, waiting.

"...Damn." Kiritsugu gritted his teeth, but could only sit and wait lest he give himself away.

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"▄▅▄▅▄▅"Berserker roared uncaring while he back stepped from the impact of one of Yume's punches. Yume had no clue what a Servant was, but needed to get Minato out of here as fast as possible. She had no idea where these monsters had come from, and right now didn't care. Minato was here, alive and well, and she had to get him away immediately. This black clad guy was good, no doubt about that. The way he killed the monsters with one arm while using the other to protect Minato was impressive, but he was an enemy, and Yume destroyed her enemies.

"You will not harm my Maiden!" Caster's voice rang out from his demons. "Neither you nor any of your foul countrymen will harm my Maiden." Caster screeched. He would not fail his maiden this time; he would not let any foul English royalty harm Jeanne. Oh the Prince was clever, hiding himself in shadow, but this loyal servant of the Maiden knew all too well. Just look at how he had tried to touch the Maiden, like a thief trying to steal a prize treasure. Look at how he tried to take her, harm her. The foul prince would die for that transgression.

Rider's eyes twitched at being ignored. "Fine, it seems there is only one way to reason with you lunk-heads. Aaalalalalalalaie" He cracked the whips causing the two divine oxen to bellow and dashed forward creating lighting on the way. Demons and insects were crushed under the onslaught of Rider's Noble Phantasm. Yume leaped back lest she be crushed underneath, but one Servant did not run, did not evade, did not retreat. Instead, Berserker roared his fury and charged at the chariot heedless of the danger. Yet, just before he was run over, Berserker leaped in the air. Rider instantly drew his sword to block the kick of Berserker who used his blade as a springboard to leap off and over the King of Conquerors. It was a magnificent sight, now if only he wasn't landing near to Lancer.

"Lancer, kill Berserker." His Master called out. This was a perfect opportunity to kill this Servant. Even wounded, Lancer should be more than enough to kill him.

"Eh?" Lancer asked, "But Master, it is not honorable to fight an opponent beset by multiple opponents."

"Lancer, assist Caster and that woman in killing Berserker." The voice demanded with annoyance. Time was of the essence, there was only a minute opening. "I command you with the Command Seal." The air froze with tension for a mere moment. The Command Seal. An absolute order for a Servant. No matter how great a Heroic Spirit might be he cannot disobey a Command Seal. Consequently, Lancer no longer possessed his free will. Berserker seemed to have noticed the tension from Lancer and charged at Lancer with hate radiating off of him.

The tip of the red spear flew towards Berserker with a low whistle. The long demonic spear was brushed aside with Berserker's shield, leaving him open. Lancer kicked up his short spear from the ground and lunged forward into that opening. Rather than trying to evade the attack, Berserker leaned in taking it deeply in the shoulder.

Lancer was astounded by the move. Berserker pushed forward against the spear until the tip burst through his back. He grabbed Lancer with his left hand and smashed the Servant against a warehouse. "▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" Berserker roared in pain and rage. Diarmuid only had a moment before he saw the mouth of Berserker close in on him. Diarmuid ducked his head to prevent Berserker from tearing out his throat like a dog resulting in Berserker clamping down on Lancer's face.

"Aaaagh." Lancer screamed as the mad Servant ripped off his nose and a bit of skin around his face. His face, a part of his face had just been ripped off by this monster. The proud Servant felt only pain and agony.

"Lancer!" Saber called out in worry for her worthy foe. Berserker spin while holding onto Lancer and threw him at the oncoming horde of demons killing several of them with Lancer's body. The demons ignored the wounded Servant and charged at Berserker. With the cursed spear still in his shoulder, Berserker turned and ran towards the ocean as fast as possible. It should be a miracle that Berserker could still hold onto the boy with that shoulder wound, but the mad Servant refused to let go. The black clad Servant ran forward smashing demons aside like a bulldozer heading for the water.

"Wait." Yume yelled trying to keep up while evading the monsters around her. The man refused to stop, instead, he aimed his left hand at the ocean.

*_Bang_*

He fired something from his hand. In a moment, a large iceberg appeared in the ocean. Berserker hopped atop the ice and fired another one in the water in mid jump. Again an iceberg appeared and Berserker hopped off it to repeat the cycle a few more times. Once Berserker was a ways out, he turned towards the horde charging at him with Yume running ahead.

From his vantage point, the Golden King frowned. The mongrels were ignoring him completely, a grave sin against him. Still, at least they were entertaining, especially that mad dog and his acrobatics making fools of those that claimed to be kings. Others would have thought he was casting magic, but the King of Heroes was not fooled. The mad mongrel used magic like an archer used an arrow, disposable and separate from the body. Archer had seen with his keen eyes the strange projectiles that came from Berserker's hand. It was these projectiles that Berserker fired. Small magic for a small fry. Any of his legion of spell casters could have easily crushed and countered the magic this dog used.

Still, he used it as best as he could, and was clearly fighting against the madness, if only slightly. That spoke of a man with a strong will, something the people of this time lacked sorely. He watched as the movements of the mongrel slowly before more fluid and less erratic. Something was changing in that mongrel, causing him to fight better and less wild. He watches as Berserker fired lightning and fire at the horde using the ice as a bridge. Yet it seemed that the disgusting demons were taking wing to counter this.

Gilgamesh watched on disgusted by the sight of the demons, it was only his great patience that kept him from destroying every last one of those insects. They were a blight upon his vision that demanded to be destroyed. Yet, as long as that mad dog was willing to crawl in the mud, Gilgamesh saw no reason to waste his energy. Instead, he considered the 'company' he was gracing. Two mongrels that claimed to be kings, a disgraced mongrel holding his face, a strange woman like no other he had seen, a horde of disgusting demons, and that black mongrel. A prince? That was what the demons kept screaming. So, another mongrel tried to claim himself as royalty, though at least this one was smart enough to not to claim to be Gilgamesh's equal. For that, and the entertainment, he would grant that dog a boon and kill him quickly rather than slowly.

Gilgamesh put the mongrel aside and focused back on what truly interested him though. That woman, that foolish woman that claimed to be a King. There was strength in her, pride, and steel. It had been a long time since he had seen a woman like her, possibly never. She might even resist his commands for a time, much more interesting than the countless women that threw themselves at him.

"▅▄▅▄▅▅▄▅▄▅"In the background, Berserker roared even louder as the enemy closed in on him. It was then that he fired six projectiles in the air in a circle. Above him a circle of lightning formed, and then, it all converged and struck frying demons and insects. The woman was also hit and knocked down, but it didn't look like it did much more than crisp her clothes a bit.

Berserker roared once more and charged back across the ice towards land crushing anything in his path. Yume barely rolled out of the way as the armored monster charged. A sickening crunch was heard with every step. Back and forth his arm and shield swung reducing anything he hit to paste. As soon as he was back on land Berserker turned and fled. The demons tried to keep up, but then, something happened….

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**Save him**_

Putting the armor together turned out to be a miserable failure. Sure the boots stood up easily, but everything else just fell right off refusing to stand up. Right now, I'm busy crawling back towards the massive broken painting on the wall.

*Smash*

"What the?"

_"Houyhnhnm"_ a mighty neigh echoed through the hall. I turn to see the bound horse is free. I feel my body turn to ice. I'm chained to a large weight that is trying to drag me back into the pit, I'm out in the open, and that thing is free. I won't have a chance against it if it goes for me. I look in horror as it charges at me. I duck down and begin to pray, but it ignores me, leaping over the chains and heads for the false door. Yet, I see the door open, for a mere moment, the door opens to reveal horrors of which I have no words to describe. The horse charges forward and crushed all in its path and the door shuts.

I can't help but stare. I don't know what just happened, but I have no interest in finding out if those horrors are what lies behind the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ground beneath Berserker cracked and broken. With a large explosion, something black and fearsome with two red eyes explodes from the ground. None were able to see it well in the smoke, but there is the sound of a horse screaming, "_Houyhnhnm"_ A big black thing bursts from the smoke and smashes the demons aside with the mad Servant atop. All stare at the devastation for a bit, then look at each other.

The air became tense as all realized that they were still in the middle of a battle royale.

"Damn." Kiritsugu muttered. Things had just gotten worse.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	56. Black Zero 11

**Black Zero 11**

_Deus Vult, I can't tell you the number of times people have charged off because of that phrase or similar ones. And people wonder why I hate gods. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_There are three things I hate more than anything else. Slavers, Gods, and not getting to cook. Two of those steal are because they steal the choices of others, the last is because I'm stubborn - Emiya Kiritsugu II_

.com/watch?v=zjby5HxeOzo&feature=related

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For the first time in what felt like an eternity, but was more likely less than thirty minutes, it was quiet on the docks. Saber watched each of the Servants with a careful eye. Rider was nearest her, but he looked annoyed at being made sport of by Berserker. The mad Servant had used him as a springboard and ignored the King of Conqueror's demands. Not that it was all that surprising that Berserker ignored commands, but Iskander is a proud Servant as always. Gilgamesh remained on the light pole unperturbed by the sights. The Golden King looked all around in distain. Caster was hiding somewhere, his demonic summons had gone off to try chasing Berserker for all the good that would do. Lancer was by far the most injured of the Servants. One arm was barely hanging on to his shoulder, his face was ripped up badly, and Berserker had inadvertently taken on of his Noble Phantasms.

"Hmpf, what a waste of time." Gilgamesh declared. His enterainment had vanished. He could tell with a glance that none of the rest would entertain him this night, and thus left. Though they called themselves Kings, at least they Knew his magnificent presence. Soon they would declare that he was the one True King. He then vanished in a bright light of gold.

'Eh?' Saber thought, stunned by Gilgamesh's actions. Like the first bird in flight, the other Servants began to leave.

"It's time Lancer leave." Lancer's Master orders.

"Wait." Saber calls trying to stop them. They still don't know about the corruption of the grail. They were fighting for a lie.

"Forgive me Saber, it looks like we will have to postpone our duel." Lancer says with a bow before vanishing himself.

"Rider, listen to me, you need to hear what I have to say- " Saber all but pleaded.

"Enough, enough, don't be so vigorous." Rider interrupted Rider gave a small smile and pointed at Lancer's former location.

"As Alexander, I won't take advantage over your weakness like others would. Saber, fulfill your promise with Lancer first. Then I would duel with Lancer or you, whoever might be the victor in the battle between the two of you." Rider sighed and then lashed the reins of his two divine bulls. The bulls brayed, emitted thunder, and beamed rays of lightning from their hooves as they soared into the sky.

"Farewell!"

Accompanied by the roaring thunder, Rider's chariot galloped into the southern sky firing lightning and thunder in their path blocking out Saber's call. So, there was only Saber, Iri, Kiritsugu, Maiya, and…

A figure appeared in a mist of blood, a frog face man that Saber hated like few others. A man that wore a luxurious robe of ancient design; adorned with scarlet patterns amidst the pitch-black fabric. Those abnormally big eyes easily remind Saber of a frog.

It was a face of a murderer, a butcher, a monster.

"Gille De Rais." Saber hisses.

"Ah, Jeanne." Caster said in adoration. He was smiling, but it was not a soothing smile. Saber felt an old shiver run up her spine seeing the smile of the man that killed children for his demonic summons and thought it nothing more than a game, a distraction. "I've been waiting, your majesty the holy maiden. How beautiful to see you, and you remember your humble servant. Aaaaah, even God cannot touch you my Maiden"

"I am not your maiden you monster. I am not Jeanne de Arc. I am Arturia Pendragon, once and future King of England." Saber seethes. Of all the Servants gather, only one of them had remained to hear her warning, and it was not one that would listen to reason.

"Oh! Oh! Oh waaaaaa!" Caster began a fit of weeping which was almost a shriek placing his head on his clawlike hands. He began hammering his fists on the ground like an impudent child "How painful, how tragic is this! Mer mind has been Befuddled by you Foul God! God, why are you so cruel to this lovely maiden of mine?" He looked up and smiled, "Aaaah, but not even you can rip me from her memories God. She knows me, she loves me! Not even you can take that away from her"

"Listen you cur, you delude yourself into seeing what is not there." Saber roared, but her words were, as ever, ignored by Caster.

"D*mn you God, see how she has lost her identity? Why do you torment her so? No more! I will free her from your bonds, I will cut off her contract with you evil one." Caster looked at Saber and smiled in that same manner that caused her skin to crawl. "Come Jeanne, come and join your love. Though you claimed you only looked at God, I know you looked at me. Come, I will free you."

"I would rather impale myself on my sword." Saber declared. "Begone beast lest I lose my pide and cut you down like the dog you are."

The mad look in Caster's eyes disappeared. His face, which was once twisted with excitement and delusion, turned into a deathly calm such as like the air before a storm. Caster lifted his head up to look at Saber; the formidable will harbored within his gaze did not change the slightest. It was a look of silent resolution. He had merely changed his determination into an even firmer belief. It was a Look Saber knew, and dreaded. This was what he looked like before he accelerated his capture and sacrifice of children.

"It seems just words won't be enough. Is your heart still sealed, Jeanne?" Caster's gloomy voice held no lament, no sadness. It was more like a finality of a soldier accepting bad news. "Then I am very sorry. It seems there's a need to use enforced therapy on you. I will definitely complete all the preparations for you next time. I will free you Jeanne, this I promise"

Caster stood up and became a different man. What had been a sobbing child now became something malevolent. An aura of evil and blood emitted from Caster. Not only Heroic Spirits, but even tyrants will feel the oppressing tension of fear. It was a feeling Saber knew all too well and what it meant. Saber dashed forward bringing her sword up in an attempt to stop the man. She knew, she knew without a doubt what he would do now. But it was no use.

The long black robe of Caster floated backwards abruptly and Caster vanished in smoke, but not before he said one last thing. "I swear to you, Jeanne. The next time we meet, I will definitely save your soul from the curse of God and hear what you really feel." All throughout the area, the various demons exploded into foul smelling black fluid. The insects swarmed and vanished over the horizon and the air was silent.

Saber looked around sadly at the waste and looked at Iri. "Let's go Irisviel. There's nothing we can do now." Saber hung her head sadly.

"Saber." Iri said feeling sorry for her Servant. There was nothing she could say. Saber had wanted to say something and all ignored her words. It was a depressing note to end the night. Irisviel once again felt it with a pang; Saber's strength, courage, and gentleness.

"The war had only begun, Irisviel. Tonight's battle was only the first night of the beginning of war." Saber lamented.

"Yes." Iri said softly listening to Saber's warning

"They're all strong enemies with equal might. Heroes invited from different eras, different beliefs, different powers. None of them will fall easily, and I fear we will have to face them all." There was a great sadness in Saber's voice, if Iri didn't know better, she would swear that Saber was heartbroken about something, but it made no sense to be heartbroken over being ignored. So what was breaking her heart?

Saber stared at the southern sky and proclaimed with a cold calmness like that of a soldier looking over a battlefield. "This is...the war of the Holy Grail."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Prodagros **raced through the land like a streak of black lightning. The fake horse raced at blinding speeds heading away from the battle at all speed.

The Light had been endangered, the Light had been in danger from a mistake. Numerous offerings would be needed to calm the Light's distress. The Enemy, the Enemy had all tried to take the Light, to feed on it. The offering had been a lie, a trick, a trap. No more, no more would the Light be exposed to the Enemy. The Enemy had tried to take the Light, to Kill the Light. The Enemy would die, slowly. Rip The Enemy limbs off and tear out The Enemy's eyes, feast on The Enemy's guts and rip out the Enemy's throats,

Rend, Tear, KIIIIILLLLL.

"mmgh"

?

!

The Light!

The Light speaks.

What does the Light speak? Praise? Scorn? Hate? Love? Disgust? Oh, let the Light praise the efforts done in the name of the Light. Praise would be everything.

The Light is all, the Light is everything.

…

….

…

No, the Light sleeps again.

The Light is not happy.

The offering lied to the Light, tricked it, tried to kill the Light. Of course there would be no praise, none would praise failure.

Offerings, more offerings must be gathered for the Light. True and proper offerings, like the possible offering that hid behind the lying offering. Take the offerings, take them all and offer them to the Light. Kill the Enemy, smash The Enemy's bones to dirt. Kill Kill Killllllll

First get away from the Enemy, from the Dark Ones. Get to safety, hide, shelter Light. Then find offerings, Kill Kill Kill. Find worthy offerings for the Light, gain praise from the Light.

The Light is all, the Light is everything.

Thus all who deny the Light must die. Must burn, must be destroyed….

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Assassin was having an interesting chase to say the least. Coordinating with his other personalities, he was able to leapfrog the tracking of Berserker's flight. Not that the Servant was being subtle about his movements, the mad Servant was leaving a trail a child could have followed…right until he fired his magic across the river causing more icebergs to form and crossed it on horseback.

The various Assassins were annoyed at how swiftly the Servant was moving, soon it would ride past the last of them and be free to vanish. As goo a tracker as Assassin was, there was still a chance for Berserker to evade them.

And it looked like Berserker would soon enough. The last of the Assassins watched as Berserker dashed straight for a place no Servant in their right mind would head for. Mt Ryuudouji. That mountain was strange. For some reason, it rejected all Spirits trying to climb it save a narrow stairway. A natural fortress in a way, but no Servant had taken advantage of it…or had one…?

Assassin watched as Berserker charged his mount to the side of the mountain. It was then that the mount reared back and cried out. Berserker slapped the side of the mount so hard that ringing of metal could be heard, then the horse charged **up** the **side** of the mountain. Assassin knew that taking even a step up that mountain was just like fighting a command seal, much less actually climbing it. What kind of Monster could ride up the side of that mountain and ignore the barrier? Not even the mightiest of Casters could have nullified that barrier, but Berserker just went straight up it.

Assassin collectively flinched at the mere thought of trying to track Berserker up the side of the mountain. Instead, the only one of their personality, a midget of a Servant would have to try to race up the side of the mountain (where there was barely any cover) cross through that gate (leaving them exposed) then try to find Berserker and his Master(if they were actually staying there).

There was much relief when Kirei called them back saying it was too risky of exposing themselves. As good as Assassin was, charging up there without a distraction was just asking for trouble. Even the greatest of Assassins need to plan things out before charging into fortresses. Especially when deception was still of the utmost importance.

Had Assassin gone straight to the other side of the mountain, they might have been able to See Berserker dash **down** the **other** side of the mountain had head for home. However, not even Assassin would have been that swift to see that. To answer the question on Assassin's mind, the reason why Berserker was able to climb that mountain was one reason. He didn't climb, **Prodagros** did. And **Prodagros** is a fake horse, a conceptual weapon, a _machine_.

Therefore, not affected by the barrier. Yes, there was resistance for the Mad Servant, weakening him, but there was nothing that fought him, so it mattered not.

Home again Berserker rode, to hide the boy he protected and prepared to hunt for offerings once more before the night had ended. The boy needed offerings of food and drink, even paltry ones to keep him alive.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unseen and forgotten by all, a woman in black on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean twitched. She spasmed, then woke up in pain.

"Ow," was all she allowed herself to say softly. Yume looked up to the sky and saw that the dawn was rising. "D*mmit, he got away." Yume said softly. She pulled out her cellphone and looked with dismay. The lightning had fried it completely. The hunk of metal and plastic that had been her phone had melted and was smelling terrible. '_Useless'_ Yume frowned and threw it into the ocean. She looked around and saw that land was barely in view. She had drifted a great distance from land.

"Nothing to do but swim there." Yume muttered. Though injured, it would be no problem for her to get back on land and back to Tamaki. She needed to know her son was alive, and that there were actual monsters in this town.

Meanwhile, several news channels around the world were screaming about global warming and the possible end of the world with the appearance of numerous decent sized icebergs appearing in Japan in addition to the sudden lightning and thunder storms despite not a drop of rain.

This would be but the first of many freak weather phenomenons notices in Japan at that time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was only through good fortune and foresight that Maiya had been able to capture the fights at the docks via a bat familiar with a camera attached. Kiritsugu quickly watched Lancer's battle with Saber and found the battle to have gone as well as can be expected when a Servant gives away their name. Saber had explained to him how that red spear would have nullified the wind barrier and possibly even erase the Noble Phantasm for the rest of the War, but the fact that she revealed her identity still galled him. Servants were supposed to protect their identities as long as possible, not spout out their name in the first five minutes of meeting each other.

Kiritsugu then watched over and over again the battle skills Berserker displayed. The way he fought, the way he moved, it was all a contradiction. He walked like royalty as Saber described it, yet fought like a beast. He possessed two swords but never used them. He destroyed with brutal savagery, yet evaded his opponents like a dancer. Berserker displayed a keen awareness of the battlefield and only fought where he could fall back or break through and prevent being overrun. Berserker knew how to make feints if what he did initially to Saber was any indication. Even with heavy armor, Berserker moved like a cat in the air.

Even with madness, Berserker cast magic, but what caught Kiritsugu's attention the most was Berserker's ice bridge. It wasn't to flee. It was to corral the enemy into an easy shooting lane. Something that Kiritsugu would have thought of if he possessed such an ability. The fact that Berserker fell back like that showed a great deal of strategy, something no Berserker should possess with that high a level of madness.

Kiritsugu then focused on the one small shot the bat caught of the Noble Phantasm of Berserker and silently cursed at what he saw. Like Berserker, that Noble Phantasm was covered by whatever caused Berserker to remain out of focus. It was clearly some sort of animal, a ninety five percent chance it was a horse of some kind even. However, whatever caused both Berserker and his Noble Phantasm to go out of focus prevented Kiritsugu from identifying anything about them.

Kiritsugu could count the facts he gleaned with his status as a Master on his hand. Berserker had:

_C rank Riding_

_B rank Mad Enhancement_

_A rank Independent Action_

_An anti-army Noble phantasm_

That's it, four known facts gleaned as a Master. Everything else was just from his normal observational skills, and even those were in doubt. If Berserker possessed two swords, why not use them? Even a madman could figure out that swords added reach. Berserker's magic was also strange, it reminded him too much of his Mystic Code. He had felt a tiny tickle of magic in the air before a banging noise was heard, then the magic was released with exponentially higher amounts of magic.

Even stranger was Berserker's desperate battle to protect his Master. That was unheard of for the Berserker class, yet it had happened. Was Berserker some sort of hero that spent a lifetime protecting children?

"Dear, you need to rest." Iri's voice broke his train of thoughts. "You haven't slept all day and night and it's almost morning."

"I'll be fine Iri." Kiritsugu said trying to get back his thoughts.

"No Kiritsugu, it is a wife's job to make sure her husband doesn't push himself." Iri was glad Saber had told her those words to use. It seemed to ring a bell with Kiritsugu who let out a small sigh and agreed to her demands.

Kiritsugu shut off the television unable to fight his wife's insistence. Even the mighty Magus Killer could not withstand his wife's insistence that he get some rest. Kiritsugu got out of his old outfit into a new one. As long as this War was begin fought, Kiritsugu would not rest any way other than fully dressed with his guns in easy reach. Not even Iri could get him to relax, even with the assurance that Saber would not need to sleep and Iri would feel it if there was an intruder.

Kiritsugu lay there quietly listening to his wife fall asleep. The sight of his sleeping wife made a nearly dead portion of himself smile. That part was, of course, ignored by the Magus Killer. Inside his head, he tried to make sense of it all.

'_Berserker, what kind of Servant are you?_' Kiritsugu thought as he closed his eyes. For a moment, darkness took him, then he began to dream.

Through the eyes of Saber, he watched this Emiya Shirou follow the Tohsaka girl towards the church. It seems that the boy intended to actually register with the church. Strange, if this was the second Grail war, then the church shouldn't have been responsible to watch over the war. It hadn't been until the Third War that the church actually took over supervision of the Grail War. So why…?

Through Saber, he felt the evil that radiated from the church. How did anyone miss that evil that permeated the place? Even normal people would have felt uneasy coming here. So why was the boy acting like he didn't feel it, why was the girl ignoring it? Saber, however, felt it, and…recognized it? She seemed familiar with that evil, and so she made an excuse and remained outside while the boy and girl went inside.

..

…

How long were they in there? It is impossible to say, but the boy and girl were in there for a while. Then, the boy came out, shaking. In fear? In anger? Hard to say.

"Shirou, is your business here complete?" Saber asks

"Yeah, I learnt more than enough about the situation I'm in. About the Holy Grail War, the Master, everything." The boy sounds upset about something.

"Then…" Saber says. There is a hint of worry in her voice. She is afraid, afraid he might give up on this war. But why? Saber has no interest one way or another about the Grail, or least that is what she told Kiritsugu.

"I don't know if I'm good enough for you, but I've decided to fight as a Master. I'm sorry that I'm only an amateur. Are you still content that I'm your Master?" The boy asks. He's so honest it's almost sickening. He has no problem admitting his failings, not even when he is right in front of an enemy Magus and two Epic Spirits.

"It matters not." Saber dismisses. "You are already my Master. I have already sworn to be your sword."

"You right." The boy says with a small smile. "Yeah, I'm relieved that you say so." He takes a deep breath and looks at Saber again. "Then lets shake hands. Let's do our best together, Saber." He extends his right hand.

Kiritsugu can feel the surprise off of Saber. The boy is so honest, so friendly, is he really a Magus? He's treating her like a human instead of what she truly is, a weapon.

"Saber?" The boy asks afraid he may have offended. "Um. Are we not supposed to shake hands?"

"No, I was just surprised by this sudden action." She takes his hand and the two shake as partners, as equals. "I shall swear to you once more here. As long as you possess your command Spell, I shall be your sword." She sounds pleased by his actions.

"Yeah, I don't get the situation too well, but please. He nods in agreement.

It is then that the Tohsaka girl interrupts their conversation. The boy turns to see the girl and her red knight standing away from them. With this, the temporary alliance is over. Kiritsugu wonders if the girl will now try to kill them, but no. She still believes in the truce until they get home. Emiya Shirou, however, does not seem to understand this. He still acts like she is a friend for what she has done when she is clearly just trying to pay off a debt she believes she has incurred. Kiritsugu has met people like them before and used them well. She is the kind of person that will go to great lengths to pay off any and all debts, and the boy wasted that opportunity by having her explain the War and have him meet a priest to be confirmed as a Master.

They walk down the long road from the church towards the bridge while the girl explains she has her own reasons for remaining, to look for other Masters and their Servants. The boy is the last to join in this war, and does not seem to understand how bad an advantage he has. They are about to part ways when the boy speaks up.

"I see. Tohsaka, you really are a good person."

The girl looks at him like he is crazy. "Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden? I won't go easy on you, even if you flatter me."

"I know. But I don't want to be enemies with you if I can help it. I like people like you."

"Wha-?" The girl falls silent at the boys confession. No surprise, Kiritsugu can't help but feel awkward at that confession either. The girl just said she was his enemy, and he goes and spouts this out? If this is his ancestor, Kiritsugu really needed to look this man up. How he survived the world of magic is beyond Kiritsugu. The girl's face goes bright red and she turns away and gives what one last piece of advice.

"A-anyway, just run to the church if your Servant ever gets killed. If you do, at least your life will be safe."

"I don't like it, but still, I'll take that advice. It won't happen though. No matter how you look at it, I'll die before Saber does." Well, at least the boy realizes his limits. That's something at least…

The girl sighs at this then looks at Saber then back at the boy. "All right. I won't give you any more warnings because that'd be soft. Just be careful. Even though Saber is strong, it won't matter if her Master gets killed."

The girl turns to walk away, but then a voice calls out. One Kiritsugu knows all too well…

"Hey, have you finished talking?" All of them turn to look at the top of the hill. There, on top of the hill is a giant of a man, easily towering over the others, not just with size, but sheer presence. Kiritsugu can tell in an instant, this Servant is strong, stronger than Saber. But he has no eyes for the giant. He looks at the diminutive figure next to the giant wearing her favorite outfit.

Illya…

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	57. Black Familiar 3

Well I wanted a small break from Black/Zero. Even I can only stand writing so much darkness, so much hate, so much madness [especially the madness as it is a B*tch to write without using the words I, It, or any other personal identifiers] So, I decided to write something 'happier')

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**Black Familiar 3**

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Louise came out of her first class with her head held up high. Serveral classmates had mocked her saying that she had bribed a commoner to act as her familiar. Fools, had they not felt his power last night? That was no human, no mage ever exuded that bizarre and alien power. Maybe the else, but Louise had never met an elf so that was moot at this point. She had one more class to attend, but she wanted to check in on him before she went to it. Though he did not want to be treated like royalty, the fact is he is a prince…of two countries. Louise's mother Karin had trained Louise in proper etiquette to nobility since she was a child. The fact is, whether he wanted to rule or not, being a Prince of two countries, wherever they are, made him higher on the social ladder than even Louise's old friend and monarch Princess Hernrietta.

'_Now, he wanted to be referred to as a 'Servant' right?_' Louise thought. Though the title sounded…demeaning, she had heard the capital S in Servant when he told her what he was. If Servant was a rank, which from the sound of it, it was. Then by all means, she would refer to him by that rank. It sounded like he took great pride in being a Servant.

"Servant" Louise called out. The man had left the familiars and his whereabouts was unknown. 'Did he leave? No, he swore to serve me, he must have just gone somewhere." Louise thought killing that black thought in an instant. "Servant, where are you?"

"Ara, it seems your commoner has run off on you." Kirche smirked as Flame waddled up to his master.

Louise ignored the infuriating girl and looked around. "Servant." She called once more

"Over here," a familiar voice called out. Louise turned around to see him walking towards her, still in his black armor. "Sorry about that Master," Kiritsugu said jovially, "Had to follow the code of chivalry and aide a damsel in distress."

Louise felt a small eyebrow twitch, "Oh, a damsel you say."

"A teacher in fact, Mrs. Longueville. Poor thing was overloaded with paperwork and needed a hand to help carry it all." Kiri said. Though Louise could not see his face, she was sure that he was smiling behind that helmet. Still…

"Longueville? Ah, she isn't actually a teacher." Louise corrected, "She is the secretary of Headmaster Osmond."

There was a small pause, then the sound of pride and…cunning perhaps came out of her Servant's voice. "Ah, even better. A good relationship with the person that actually runs the school. Perfect, never know when that will come in handy."

Louise blinked, "What? Ah, yes. Headmaster Osmond might look more favorably after this."

There was a small chuckle emanating from Kiritsugu at that comment. "Oh Louise Louise Louise. So naïve." Louise felt her face redden a bit in anger but Kiritsugu went on. "No, Mrs. Longueville runs the school. It is she who brings him the paperwork to sign. She is the one that handles the forms, makes sure everything is in order. If something needs to be done, Osomond will delegate it to her. Remember this Louise, if we suddenly needed to go on a trip, it is Mrs. Longueville that could ensure we have the proper paperwork to leave for an indefinite amount of time. It is Mrs. Longueville that could…in theory authorize us to receive funding for any research we might concoct. A slip of a piece of paper in a pile and it's all ours."

Louise stared at her familiar like he grew a second head. "What?"

Another chuckle came from Kiritsugu, "Never mind, we can discuss this later. I assume you came down for a reason?"

Louise shook her head and pretended she did not hear her familiar tell her how to pilfer money from the school's budget. "Ah, I just came to check on you before my next lesson."

"Oh?" Kiritsugu said, "You know, it might be a good idea to see how magic works in this land. Never know what I might learn." Louise opened her mouth, then closed it. He could cast magic, she knew that much. The dreams had shown him use some of it, even as a child. Though, if her foggy memory was right, he wasn't that good at it. At least, not compared to others.

"Ah, very well." Louise said, follow me."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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_And so my first lesson with him by my side began. Servant of the others looked at me funny on the way, but I couldn't care less. As time went on, they would stop even noticing him by my side and merely accepted that he was by my side. I think it was a real shock to them later that he could actually cast magic. Different magic, but magic nonetheless. His magic was very different than us, more advance in the understand of how we were able to cast magic. And, dare I say it, more powerful. _

_According to what he told much later in life, it's because we magic casters all know the same spells. Apparently we are diluting the Great Mystery by all of us casters knowing how to throw fireballs and blades of wind. Because we know and think of them as basic, we actually weakened the mystery by basically sharing it. The more people that know the mystery, the less powerful it becomes. The only reason it hasn't completely turned into something useless it because we have kept it out of the hands and knowledge of the commoners._

_Hence why Void magic is so powerful. Only four or five people in the world know how to cast it, and that knowledge is mostly lost anyways. That stupid spell book of Brimir, and I refuse to call him founder after I know what he has done, was the tip of the iceberg of the Void magic. Though, to be fair, he had to work from nothing to discover his magic while I gained the book of spells and could continue from there._

_Funny thing, the magic Kiritsugu knew was unknown to the world to anyone but him, so it was incredibly powerful back in the day. I still remember the first time he used an explosive rune. And people said my magic was over the top. You could see the explosion a mile away for what should have been something merely to blow out a door…_

_Well the door was blown out all right, along with the wall and a good portion of the building._

_Of course, since he taught us all how to do it, now it's only as powerful as the rest of our magic._

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The classrooms in the Academy of Magic were similar to large university lecture halls. A teacher's podium stood in the lower basin while it was surrounded by desks and chairs arranged in an ascending stair-like pattern. And like everything else, they were constructed from stone and crudely cut wood. Louise had at one time thought it was a grand place to learn. Now, it looked primitive. She had seen how he had learned, controlled environments, indoor toilets, bright lights that made the candle light and tiny windows seem dim. When Louise and Kiritsugu entered, every student in the room simultaneously turned their heads towards them.

And then the laughter began.

"Laugh it up fools, I could crush you all in seconds." Kiri muttered. Louise resisted the urge to chuckle and found that the laughter wasn't so bad with him by her side. Kiritsugu noticed that busty dark-skinned redhead had an entire group of guys surrounding her, watching her lustfully. Yet, Kiri knew who was the one in power, the true predator.

'_I see, so she really does have them wrapped around her little finger. Interesting, she reminds me of Fuuko. I wonder…how much power does she actually possess over them? For the moment, she is a secondary threat.'_ He glanced over at the blue-haired girl, then back to the redhead. '_Make that tertiary.' _He gazed around the room and saw that several other children had brought in their familiars to show off. The smaller ones anyways. The dragon was clearly out of bounds trying to come here. The familiars that everyone had brought along were a varied bunch as far as Kiri could see. But…there was a pattern to it, a pattern he had yet to fully figure out. Still, he would keep his eyes open and watch, wait.

The redheads fire lizard was curled asleep under her chair. Kiri refused to even consider that scrawny thing a salamander. That was no elemental of fire, that was no creature born of fire, fed upon fire, and died in fire. There was an over sized blond student with an owl resting on his shoulders. From a window, a large serpent that was too big to even fit through the window peered into the class. One boy whistled, and the snake withdrew its head. Kiri shook his head at that, the creature, while large exuded only the most minute of power and yet was still not full controlled by the boy. Any magus worth his salts would have been able to keep it under control without even making a sound or even acknowledging the serpent's presence. Other students possessed regular creatures like cats, dogs, birds, etc.

Then there were the oddball ones that Kiri looked twice at wondering what they were. A giant floating eyeball, a lizard with six legs, an…octopus bird hybrid? He would have to ask Louise later, but not in front of the others. There is a time and a place for questions and ignorance would be seen as a weakness right now, and these children would swoop in on weakness like vultures on his diminutive Master. Right now was a time to watch, to learn, to plan. Always plan…

Louise picked her way past the jeering crowd and sat in her preferred seat in the back. Kiritsugu stood beside her for a moment, then placed his hand on the chair. It was then that Louise felt it, the ghost of a spell. So small, so subtle, if she hadn't sat right next to him, she was sure she would hever have noticed. None of the other students did, that's for sure. Then Kiritsugu sat down. The chair that should have groaned under the strain of an armored figure sitting on it made no sound.

"What did you do?" Louise whispered.

"Later." Kiritsugu replied. Louise nodded and turned her attention back to the front. The jeering and laughter ended as the door opened and the teacher entered. Kiritsugu looked her over, watching, calculating. She was a middle-aged woman dressed in a voluminous purple robe and wearing a witches hat. Kiritusgu frowned a moment trying to remember where he had…ah yes…Potter. The blasted wizards and their backwater attire. _'Urg, figures. The first worlg I end up in belongs with Potter and his wizard community. I bet every piece of gold I have stored away Gryffindor would have fit in perfectly here._' He continued to look the woman over. The teacher had a plump, round face with a friendly expression on it. Kiri found himself approving the woman despite his past…issues with wizards that the woman had the right demeanor for a teacher. She didn't look superior, just competent, not condescending of her charges, but actually looked like she wanted to help. Not the best teacher he ever saw, but the woman was a lot more than what he was expecting in this medieval world.

The woman gazed around the classroom and spoke with a satisfied smile. "Well, everyone, it seems that the Springtime Familiar Summoning was a great success. I, Chevreuse, always enjoy seeing the new familiars that are summoned each spring."

Her eyes flowed along the room with a smile on her lips seeing all the various creatures on display. Then she saw Kiritsugu

"My, my. You've summoned quite a... peculiar familiar, Miss Vallière," she remarked as she looked at Kiritsugu. The comment was…innocent enough, but the classroom exploded with laughter.

"Louise the Zero! Don't go around buying random sellswords off the street just because you can't summon anything!"

Louise began to tighten her fists, until Kiritsugu stood up. "Are you saying she cheated of summonging a Servant? Fools."

"Ah! See, he admits he's just a servant." The large boy with an owl cried in laughter…then gulped as a palpable killing intent filled the air.

"The proper term for summoning of one such as me is Servant boy." There was venom in Kiritsugu's voice. "Though it is uncommon, it isn't that unheard of. My own mother was a Servant of my father."

"Ah…ah." The boy said sweat coming down his back. Then the killing aura vanished and the boy promptly fainted.

A few students chuckled…nervously

Chevreuse looked thoughtful at this, then asked "You say this has happened before?"

"Many times, mostly deliberately done, but not unheard of." Kiritsugu admitted. "Usually when the summoner wishes for a familiar that is more useful something like…an owl." The boy flinched at that. "Servants can be the best assistants a summoner ever has…if he doesn't mind having little control over the Servant." Kiritsugu admitted. "Opposable thumbs tend to be rather handy and higher thought adds new pathways for experiments." He wiggled his thumbs and tapped his head for emphasis

"I see, I've never heard of it before." Chevreuse admitted, "Very well, congratulations on summoning your familiar Louise."

"Servant, please. The proper title is Servant," Kiritsugu interjected.

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"Of course, my apologies, Servant." Chevreuse said nodding. This increased her value in Kiritsugu's eyes. The woman was confused, but she was taking it well in stride. Though, from the glance she had given him when the killing intent appeared, it seemed that she was not just a wallflower, there was strength in her, like a mother bear. Harm her charges and dumpy woman or not, Kiri was sure he would have one hell of a fight on his hands.

"Now then, let's begin the lesson." Chevreuse said and waved her wand. A few pebbles materialized on her desktop.

"My Runic name is 'Red Clay.' Chevreuse the Red Clay. This year, I will be teaching you all the magic of the Earth element. Do you know the four great elements of magic, Mister Malicorne?" she asked the fat boy who had just recovered

"Y-Yes, Mrs. Chevreuse. They are Fire, Water, Earth and Wind."

Chevreuse nodded. "And combined with the now-lost element of 'Void,' there are five elements in total - as everyone should already know. Of the five elements, I believe Earth holds an extremely important position. This isn't just because my affinity is Earth, nor is it simply a personal preference."

Chevreuse coughed heavily at this. Kiri had to fight a small chuckle at that. It seems that pride in one's affinity lingered no matter what world one went into.

"The magic of Earth is very important magic that governs the creation of all matter. If it wasn't for Earth magic, we wouldn't be able to produce or process necessary metals. Raising buildings from large boulders and harvesting crops would also involve much more work. In this manner, the magic of the Earth element is intimately related to everyone's life."

'_Not,'_ Kiritsugu thought. '_That you would actually waste your time doing any of that.'_ He was not fooled, such menial tasks would always be seen as beneath any but the poorest of magic users. The most he expected is that some of them might be commissioned to strengthen a building the commoners were constructing. The thought that any witch or wizard would actually spend the time farming made him smile.

"Now, everyone, please recall that the basic magic of the Earth element is 'transmutation'. While there will be people here who have already learned this in their first year, basics build foundations, so let's review it once more." Kiritsugu sat up at this. Transmutation was usually an alchemist's domain. At least…for the high level transumations.

Chevreuse turned her attention to the pebbles and twirled her wand over them. She whispered a spell in words Kiritsugu could not understand, and then the pebbles began to glow brightly. Then the light dimmed away, the pebbles had been changed into sparkling lumps of metal.

'Interesting, they are using a language different than their own to cast magic.' Kiritsugu thought. Not uncommon, but he was used to his family where they used an actual spoken language to cast all but the most complex of magic.

"Is that g-gold, Mrs. Chevreuse!" The rehead leaned forward over her desk eagerly

Chevreuse shook her head and bluched slightly as she admitted "No, it isn't. It's plain brass. Only Square-class mages are able to transmute to gold. I'm just..." Chevreuse coughed. "A Triangle mage..." She all but whispered.

Kiritsugu suddenly put his hand up.

The teacher was startled by this but her teaching instincts kicked in. "Yes?"

"There was a mention of square and square and triangle mages. What does that mean?" Kiritsugu asked. Several students began to snort and chuckle only for them to taste clay in their mouths courtesy of a wand wave of the teacher shutting them up

"It's the number of elements that a mage can add to a spell, which also determines the level of a mage." Mrs Chevreuse explained

Kiritsugu blinked, "So, a triangle can use three of the elements and a square can use four?"

"Correct." Mrs Chevreuse said. "Those that can only use one element are called Dot mages. Those that can use two are called Line mages."

"Hmmm….is it just restricted to the use of elements?" Kiri asked. "I would think it would be rare for there to be square mages."

The teacher nodded, "It is, however, the classification also goes for how much of an element a mage empower their spells. If they add two of the same element, the spell gets stronger."

"Ah, so it is possible to use only one element, yet possess the qualities to be a triangle or a square class mage."

"Yes, I for example can add my element three times to a spell. I will hopefully soon be able to raise my ability to that of a square." Mrs Chevreuse said.

"Thank you very much." Kiritsugu said bowing slightly.

"Oh no problem at all my dear." Mrs Chevreuse said taken aback by the politeness of Kiritsugu. She then looked over at Louise. "Miss Vallière, would you come down and demonstrate for me."

"Eh? Me?" Louise asked nervously.

"Yes. Try changing these pebbles here into a metal of your choice."

Louise didn't stand up. She simply sat there looking troubled and fidgety. Her face turned red while she glanced at Kiritsugu like she didn't want to do something

"No need to be nervous Master." Kiritsugu nudged her.

"Miss Vallière! Is something the matter?" Mrs. Chevreuse called for her again, but Kirche raised her voice in concern.

"Umm..." The redhead said nervously

"Yes?"

"I think it would be better if you didn't let her..." Kirche said looking nervously at Louise.

"And why is that?" The teacher asked with a small tilt of her head.

"It's dangerous," Kirche answered plainly. The majority of the class nodded in agreement.

"Dangerous? How so?" The poor woman was confused, however she began to develop a frown. If these children were bullying one of her charges…

"This is your first time teaching Louise, right?" Kirche asked

"It is, but I hear she's a hard worker." Mrs Chevreuse dismissed. She wasn't going to have any of this in her class. "Now, Miss Vallière. Don't you worry, just try it. You won't be able to do anything if you dread making mistakes."

"Don't, Louise!" Kirche cried, her face going white…or at least as white as her skin would allow.

But Louise stood up. "I'll do it." There was a finality in her tone.

"Good for you." Kiritsugu approved. "Ignore them and show them all."

Louise looked over at Kirin and nodded, however, as soon as she left his side, she began to fidget all the way down with a nervous expression. One student, the dragon riding blue-haired girl suddenly stood up, book in hand and walked out of the room. Kiri watched her mode unhurriedly out. 'Bathroom?'

Chevreuse stood next to Louise and smiled and placed a comforting hand on Louise. "Miss Vallière, you have to visualize vividly the metal that you wish to transmute them into."

Giving an adorable little nod that suddenly made Kiritsugu think of a kitten, Louise waved her wand. Kiritsugu felt like a parent watching his little daughter about to sing in a school play. It was probably going to be pretty bad, but Heaven help anyone that commented on how lousy she performed. Louise looked as adorable in that instant when she pursed her lips to begin chanting the incantation. '_Nothing should be that cute'_ Kiritsugu thought.

In the morning sunshine streaming in from the window, Louise's pink hair, there was no way that was strawberry-blonde, sparkled reflected the light. Her hazel eyes shown like jewels, and her skin was a flawless white. Her sculpted nose was befitting of nobility. She looked just like a little doll that Kiritsugu wanted to suddenly squeeze.

But as he sat there admiring the cute Master, the students sitting in front of him began ducking under their desks and chairs. Kiritsugu felt his eye twitch and had to resist the urge to yank them up and smack them for such disrespect. '_How dare you humiliate her like this. I see you, I see you all. I will remember this children. You who are almost adults are acting like five year olds. I will have retribution_.'Closing her eyes, Louise uttered the last word of the aria and flourished her wand.

A massive explosion ripped through the room.

Louise and Chevreuse caught the blast full-on and were thrown against the blackboard, as people screamed. Frightened familiars added to the chaos. The classroom was in pandemonium while Kiritsugu began dusting off the ash and dirt off of his armor and contented himself with looking at the large hole in the wall next to him.

Kirche stood up and pointed a finger at Louise and yelled "That's why I told you not to let her do it."

"Jeez, Vallière! Save us some grief and just quit school already!" Another student mocked

"My Lucky got eaten by a snake! Lucky!" A boy cried looking at a snake that had clearly gotten loose from his Master's control and ate the rabbit. Sloppy work. Still, the thought that the rabbit named Lucky had died a mere day after being summoned was hilarious. Clearly Lucky had been rather unlucky.

Kiritsugu stood up and began making his way down the steps towards his Master. He took in the scene around him. Mrs. Chevreuse lay on the floor; judging by her occasional twitching, she wasn't dead. Students moaned and complained but were clearly unhurt. Their familiars were going crazy showing how little control they truly possessed over their 'familiars'. Kiritsugu shook his head, this was not how familiars were supposed to work. These were just glorified house pets.

A soot-blackened Louise rose slowly. She was a miserable sight to behold. Her torn blouse revealed a slender shoulder, and her panties could be seen beneath her ripped skirt. Kiritsugu took some cloth off of his armor and wrapped it around her waist covering up her panties and he took another cloth and wrapped it around her chest covering any bare skin.

Kiritsugu found himself admiring the girl. Pandemonium and chaos ran rampant in the room, but She didn't seem at all fazed by the discord in the room. She just pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the soot off her face. "Looks like I messed up a little..." she said, in a weak voice.

"Just a little." Kiritsugu agreed. She could have died.

Of course, that elicited a vehement response from the other students. "That wasn't 'a little, Louise the Zero!"

"Your success rate is always ZERO!"

"Silence," Kiritsugu roared. Everyone froze where they were. "You two." He said pointing at the two largest boys. "Get something to place Mrs. Chevreuse on. She might be hurt." The boys looked at each other. "Move." Kiritsugu ordered. The boys hurried out of the room. "You three," He pointed to others. "Your familiars are large than the others, have them heard the uncontrolled ones out of here." A large dog, the floating eyeball, and the eagle went to work herding the wilder animals out of the way. "You," Kiritsugu said pointing at Kirche and her posse, "Get any of the lesser injured out of the room."

He delivered several more commands getting the chaotic atmosphere of the room settled as everyone had a job. Soon, a teacher came through the door. "What happened."

"Louise," several students answered at once casuing the teacher to sigh.

"Again?" He looked over at Louise, "Mrs Vallière, this is second room you have destroyed in a month. I'm afraid I cannot allow this to continue." He looked at her sternly "You will tidy up this room by yourself, without magic."

"But," Louise started, but Kiritsugu placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Understood, she will not use any magic to clean this room." Kiritsugu said. "However, as her Servant, it is my job to assist her in these matters."

"I see," The teacher said. It was clear he thought the armored man meant hired help. He had heard the rumors of the strange summons and partially believed that they were true. Still…"Very well, you may assist."

The other students filed out while the teacher levitated the unconscious Mrs. Chevreuse out of the room. When the last student left, Louise opened her mouth, but Kiritsugu help up a hand and leaned his head against the door. After a bit, he backed away and pulled out a knife. In a quick cut, he pricked his finger on his good hand and began writing. In a moment, he backed up and looked satisfied.

"Well then, let me just get this." He placed his bloody finger on tables and muttered in a language Louise did not understand. Yet, before her eyes, the tables and chairs began fixing themselves before her very eyes. "I said," Kiritsugu explained as he fixed the room. 'You would not use any magic, I never said anything about me."

Louise gaped as the damage was soon undone, even the hole in the wall. "Wha-what was that?"

"My magic, different than yours, but it works." Kiritsugu said. "I'm not the best, but I was taught the basics."

"You-you can cast magic? Of this caliber?" Louise gaped. This was triangle, no square class magic.

"I don't know what your society thinks, but where I come from, one of the first things all magi are taught is how to clean up any evidence left behind." Kiritsugu said

"But…but.." Louise stammered.

Kiritsugu looked around and nodded. "Yes, that should do it. And with the weak bounded field on the door, no one should bother us for a while. It should be too hard to detect unless they try to enter, and no one shall hear what we say." He then took a seat in the front row. "Now then, I think we need to talk Master. I have questions, and you do to from what I can see."

Oh she had questions all right. Many many questions.

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_This was the day my __**true**__ teaching began. He gave me a short introduction to politics and bureaucracy with Longbottom. How to go for the person that actually does all the work instead of the figurehead. How to do favors for favors in the future. How to make allies with those that truly run things to make my life easier. And then…_

_Then I began to learn magic a whole new way. He could tell in an instant that I used too much magic. Once, in the summoning, I used too much, which is saying something. Second I used to much on a silence spell and turned it into a translation spell, and third I blew up pebbles. Three instances he saw me use too much magic, and he knew my problem. I had too much magic to do such simple things without control. He compared me to his little brother Aoshi, who I saw in later dreams blew things up all the time. Though…Aoshi did this on purpose. In that class room, I learned of magic circuits, of how I had an almost unbelievable two hundred eighty nine magic circuits of the highest quality. He asked then and there if I had ever heard of the Barthomeloi. Of course I didn't at the time. He of course shook his head and said I was lucky. Apparently Kiritsugu only had low quality circuits, and he only possessed fifteen of those. _

_I don't think anyone truly understands what the difference is. A normal circuit can push out about fourteen units of Prana. Kiritsugu could only pump out about eleven units per circuit totaling his complete reserve to about one hundred seventy units. A single one of my circuits pumps out, according to him after some research, about thirty five to forty units maximum. Just a few of my circuits working dwarfs everything he could ever hope to do. _

_Yet, he had control. I did not._

_Transmutation should have only taken a few units of my power, but I kept pumping out hundreds of units every time I cast magic. No wonder I blew everything up, I was firing a cannon when all I needed was a slingshot. It was there in that class he told me we would have to learn from the beginning how to cast magic, how to control my magic. But then, he warned that it might not be possible for me to cast regular magic. Apparently, in his world, it wasn't unheard of for some magi to be unable to cast anything like the rest of the population of magic caster. He told me I might even be an Incarnation, a rare being that had been born lucky enough to have the same origin and affinity. These people though are rare, as rare as being born a princess. _

_Now, of course, we know different, but back then…I was feeling both special…and cursed. If I was an incarnation, it meant no one else could do what I could, but it also meant that no one else could teach me. Thus, we settled on a plan. Or more like he made a plan and I had to follow it. He would scout the area for training grounds and then we would practice in our free time._

_Oh, and before I forget, there were two more lessons he was able to teach me that day. The first was how to fight a battle, and the second was to never be a slaver. Make no mistake, the world has never seen something like my dear Servant before, and I doubt we will again for a long time. The way he thinks, the way he believes is wrong. He is broken, distorted, like his father, yet not. He believes in choice, and has no mercy on those that steals choice from others. _

_I will remember that incident till the day I die. I will remember the day I first saw him truly angry…_

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	58. Black Zero 12

**Black Zero 12**

_" After everything we've been through- past all the fire and fury- the one thing I know is that we can count on each other to get the job done. Or die trying, if that's what it takes...Because some things are just worth fighting for."-James Raynor_

_Vamp: You too…Immortal?_

_Raiden: No, I just don't fear death._

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Deep in the bowels of a sewer, Kariya winced in pain. Truthfully, it wasn't as bad as some of the things that had been done to him before to get ready for this war, but it was still bad. Thankfully, Caster was not all that draining to support. By luck or a twist of fate, his Servant's Noble Phantasm required little to no prana to summon demons. Said demons had taken over the bodies of swarms of insects provided by the Matous. While Caster was among the weakest of Servants, and the demons were, according to Caster, subpar, they were still uncountable in numbers. No matter how strong a Servant is, there was no way for them to fight against such numbers.

…

In theory

All around Kariya, the sound of dark liquid dripped and dropped. The man ceased to care as he looked over a few books he had taken from the house to research. In the background, rats and mice squeaked and scampered. All were fleeing the area, like they knew something was going to happen, something evil.

Kariya did not notice and continued to ponder and read.

Berserker had shown remarkable talent at destroying Demons with little effort or magic. It was like he was used to fighting monsters. Not all that surprising really, there were plenty of Heroes that went off to slay such creatures. Heck, there were tons that did all that before they sat down for breakfast. But…if that was the Black Prince of England as Caster kept crying, then why was he so good against demons? Kariya had gone to the library to look up more details on the legendary English Hero . There were many interesting things he found out, and some of them were even possible hints to the truth.

Kariya put down one book and picked up another and he considered the possible identity of Berserker.

Prince Edward was a strange hero, he fought with both chivalry, and expediency. He was part of the reason why the knights shifted from the chivalric mentality to patriotism, yet he was also one of the founders for the Knightly Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry and knighthood of England. The Order is still treasured and upheld by the current monarchs of England; so treasured in fact, that it is one of the few powers left for the crippled monarchy to actually distribute at will.

Kariya flipped through dozens of pages as he tried to learn everything. In the background, several insects flew aimlessly, waiting for orders.

Yet, for all his incidents of chivalry, the Black Prince was nothing, if not pragmatic on battle. In fact, he favored flank attacks when using cavalry, which was revolutionary for the time. He was also one of the greatest butchers in that century long war. His actions had secured a great deal of power, influence, and land for his country, but he was a monster to the French.

Kariya shut the book and placed it aside. All around him, the large pillars help up the roof without a sound. The hustle and bustle of the city was gone from this dark place.

Contradictions within contradictions, the honorable butcher, the cruel knight, the loyal tyrant, the Black Prince. Perhaps his reputation for butchery is what brought him into this War as Berserker. There might also be a reason to explain why he was impossible to identify. At the time, it was not that uncommon for kings and princes to fight in tournaments, which Edward apparently loved to participate in, under different arms. Of course, whether that was true or not was unknown. Hence, the Prince must have been good at tourneys to never be identified.

Kariya picked up another book and began to skim the contents.

But still, there were many other contradictions that indicated that this was not the Black Prince. While Berserker wore black, the way he armed himself was too different from history. Why was Berserker possessing two swords, yet never using them? Two swords, of clearly different lengths, even if it was impossible to tell the exact length. One was a short, single handed sword, while the other was clearly a large sword that probably needed two hands. And yet, Berserker used only his hands, feet, and shield. What kind of knight fought like that?

And the magic? None of the stories mentioned magic with the Black Prince. In fact, that was A rank magic he was performing, no make that S rank since not a single aria, not a singlewordwas uttered performing that magic. Kariya knew he wasn't the most knowledgeable of Masters, but even he knew that a word of power was supposed to be the bare minimum to cast magic, if only to activate it the first time. That wasn't magecraft, that was borderlinesorcery.

Kariya closed the latest book he had read and sighed. "Arturia Pendragon, Iskander the Great, Diarmuid the Lovespot, and…Gilgamesh. Each and every one of them were powerful Servants, though…Diarmuid was almost an exception of the rule, especially after that damage he took and the loss of a Noble Phantasm because of the unknown Berserker. Honestly, after hearing each and every one of the Servant's identities, Kariya felt despair. Knowing his luck Berserker was actually Lancelot or Uesugi Kenshin with his luck. Seriously, what was with all the highly famous Heroes? Couldn't there be someone simple like a minor African Hero?

Kariya turns to see Caster coming in wailing, crying tears from his disgustingly large eyes. "Oh my Maiden! Everything has come true. I once thought it was impossible, but the Grail is truly all-powerful… However, she has forgotten herself. She has forgotten all she has done calling herself a false name denying all she wrought. Aaaarg, curse you God, curse you with all the demons in hell. Why do you torment her so? Had she forgotten it all, I might have understood, to deny her all the light would have proven how you treasured her….eeeerg yet you left her a single thread. Me, not even you could erase me from her. How long did she cling to that thread in the dark remembering me and me alone like a lost lover? CURSE YOU GOD!"

Kariya just stood there baffled by the rant, the madness. "Um…what?"

"The Grail chose me!" Caster screeched "Yet you stole her mind from her in the moment of my glory. Curse you, curse you curseyoucurseyoucurseyou GOD! How painful, how tragic is all is! To lose her memories, and befuddle her mind…you... you cruel and malicious God! If this is your hand than I deny you entirely, I will scour your world with more desecration, more blasphemies! No! Just blaspheming God is not enough! I will prove to the world the powerlessness of God's authority and the hypocrisy of God's love! I will prove God does not have the ability to carry out judgment!"

Kariya began to feel incredibly nervous at Caster's maniacal rant. "Caster, what are you proposing?"

"I will blaspheme God even more vigorously! I will pile the sacrifices of blasphemy as high as mountains, and place the beautiful scene in front of her." Caster continued ignoring the man however, Kariya had had enough

"Caster, tell me what you are planning." Kariya wasn't an idiot, his Servant was planning something. Caster slowly turned to look at Kariya and sneered.

"Of course some philistines would not appreciate my work." He opened his Noble phantasm and muttered a few words of power. Kariya knew he was in trouble, but before he had time to command Caster, he felt something slimy and spiny grab him.

Kariya's second personal hell began from there.

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_**Save Him**_

I have no idea how long I've been at work in this room. It's almost endless. Every time I replace a missing piece of the wall paintings, I see a memory. A memory I know is not my own. Of a boy, a man, an idealist that I don't recognize. After every memory flash, something black rips off of the painting and goes to join the black mass hanging in the air. At the same time, the picture changes displaying something different. Sometimes nicer things like dancing, fighting back to back, shaking hands, yet at other times, it shows the figure doing worse things like stirring a bowl and a green abomination is pouring out of the bowl or the figure is cutting of a head.

Time and time again I've had to stop from the mere overload of the images and had to take a break. I've worked on various pillars. One of them was a list of…well…females and intimate acts done with them.

Others were of…fighting styles and weapons? What's an Ulak or Bāhu-Yuddha?

Actually, you know what, I don't want to know. Either way, there is a ton of different ones on the pillar. Well, actually it was more like a few basic moves from each of the styles and weapons and a lot more information on how to counter them. Seriously, it's like an instruction manual.

_**Kiritsugu**_

It seems like everything is dedicated to battle and war here. There's that pillar on military advice, one talking about Q1 and P4 and moving in such a way to counter enemy K2 and B1 in some sort of elaborate trap to paralyze enemy K1. One pillar talked about the average amount of grain someone eats and the ratio of protein and vegetables to optimize fighting. There's a pillar about navigation and compensating when out to sea. There's one about flight and bombing runs, calculating the best way to deliver a payload.

Then…there is that one pillar destroyed more than any other. At first, I was surprised that it was even standing, but somehow it was. I've slowly worked my way up, adding to the base and moving up. It's all about various angles, grips, parries and thrusts, counters and assaults. It's so intricate, and confusing. Yet it also seems to be one of the largest pillars of this place. So why would anyone destroy it? Might as well collapse the whole place while we're at it.

_**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**_

You know, I'm actually missing the other voices. Crazy really. At least it altered the haunting voice that screams through the area. One of them in fact sounded a bit familiar. Couldn't tell which one though. They all sounded the same in that pit. Though looking at it now, where had all the red flui-no, I know that was blood, where did all that blood come from. I look down now, but I can't see where it all emerged from.

_**Kiritsugu**_

Well…back to work on the painting. Hmmmm….ah, this one of a woman with a giant tiger behind her! I see where this one goes perfectly…Though, she does look frightening with that wooden sword for some reason.

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Takami looked at Yume and saw how serious she was about what she had seen. Tentacle monsters, men and woman in ancient arms, a chariot, and an Aphasic madman that held powers equal to or greater than Yume.

Takami pulled out a cigarette and lit it before she inhaled. Exhaling the smoke, she looked at Yume, "Well, what are your recommendations?"

"I need help." Yume admitted.

"Impossible, we need Karasuba back at MBI." Takami said with resignatioin. "Minaka will not let the entire disciplinary squad leave. He already stopped a plot to take some Sekirei after we tightened security. They almost got to number 88."

"Musubi?" Yume asked nervously.

"Yes, she's fine though. The infiltrators failed to even touch her." Takamki dismissed.

"I see, that's good." Yume said, "But I will still need help."

"Well, who can we use?" Takami deadpanned. "Miya will not leave the inn. Matsu is a criminal hiding with Miya. Kazehana is off getting drunk, not to mention she hates me. Mutsu vanished." Takami ticked off going over the old disciplinary squad. "Other than Homura, the rest are too young to fight and Homura is still unstable. Tsukiumi and Uzume still need training to be useful."

"There is one more." Yume said quietly.

Takkami frowned, thinking then grimaced. "The other scrap is useless. She's barely even alive for all intensive purposes."

"She's the most powerful one we can call on." Yume said. "Even if she is…apathetic, she is strong enough to qualify for the disciplinary squad."

Takami inhaled again finishing off her cigarette in almost record time. "Fine, get it done. Maybe you as the only other scrap can get her to actually fight." She pulled out her phone to make a call.

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Kiritsugu shot up out of bed and practically leaped out of the mattress. Irisviel woke up at the sound of his frightened gasp. Iri looked over at her husband who was looking at something she couldn't see with the most haunted look she had ever witnessed.

"Kiritsugu?" She asked worried for him. This was new.

Kiritsugu didn't even notice as he jumped out of bed completely and moved quickly out of the room. Unlike Kiritsugu who was wearing his clothes at all times, Iri had to hurry and pull on a robe to chase after him. She followed the sound of his footsteps to a parapet along the southern side of the mansion She had just made it to the doorway leading to the outside when she saw Saber standing out there.

Iri watched as Saber turned towards Kiritsugu and said , "Master? What's wrong, you look pale."

"Emiya Shirou." Kiritsugu said suddenly.

Saber suddenly stiffened at that name.

"So you do know who that is." Kiritsugu said, "Then you know about Illya."

"Master?" Saber said nervously.

"Why is Illya in the Grail War, and why is a boy with my family name fighting her?" Kiritsugu demanded. Iru gasped in shock.

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Saber looked down and bit her lip before she asked quietly, "The dream cycle, you saw it in the dream cycle." It wasn't a question, just resigned confirmation. Saber looked up, "I fought in the Fifth Grail war, which might take place about ten years from now." Saber said to Kiritsugu causing Iri to gasp. This was the middle of the Fourth Grail War, if Illya was in the fifth…failed, they had failed and poor Illya was all alone with the rest of the Einzbern family. They would not be kind to her.

"Why do you remember the war? Servants shouldn't carry over such memories when summoned." Kiritsugu demanded.

"Because I wasn't a proper Servant." Saber explained. She inhaled then looked up, "As Ilay dying, I made a deal. I would become a Servant…" Saber shook her head, "No, I would have become a Counter Guardian," She corrected, "in exchange, I would be granted the Holy Grail to…"Saber bit her lip like she tasted poison, "redo the King's Selection test. Someone else would pull out the sword instead of me."

Irisviel gasped at the implications. To do that would alter history, send it down a different path. Madness.

"So, until I would obtain the Grail, I would not die." Saber explained, "I was caught between life and death, in a near unending dream while time stopped for me. Though I lay against a tree bleeding to death, I traveled across time fighting to obtain the Grail. Time and time again, whenever the Grail would appear, I was summoned to fulfill the contract. However…each time I was summoned, I failed. For one reason or another, I failed to obtain the Grail, so I kept being summoned until I was summoned into the Fifth Grail War."

Saber inhaled, "It was then that everything changed. Emiya Shirou was…different. Kind, far too kind. He was…distorted, the most distorted person I had ever met at that time. He loved helping people, but once he finished helping, he never stayed long enough to be thanked. To him, helping was all he had. However, he had no value on his own life, if he could save even one person at the cost of his life, he would try to do so without hesitation. He was…broken, horribly broken. He tried to live an ideal to save everyone around him, but he never tried to save himself."

Iri remained quiet while he heard the tale of a boy with an ideal so similar to Kiritsugu's own ideal that it hurt to hear

"Almost immediately into the war, we partnered up with a classmate of his, Tohsaka Rin. Rin was a genius magus, the like that usually only comes about once a generation or two. But, it was her Servant, Archer, who was truly unique. A counter guardian, Emiya Shirou from the future."

Irisviel's eyes widened at that, there hadn't been anyone that qualified for ascending the Throne in almost a century.

"In the Fifth Grail War, Rider, was the first to e defeated, at the hands of Medea. Attemtps were made to try to defeat her, but Caster found a loop hole that allowed her to summon Sasaki Kojiro as Assassin to guard the gate. Caster eventually was able to use her Noble PhantasmRule Breakerto sunder my connection with Shirou. Afterwards, she used a Command Seal on me. However, I held out against it and refused to fight. While I was in my struggle, Rin and Archer seemed to attack…until Archer betrayed Rin. He had Caster break his bond to Rin. It was then that Shirou appeared to protect Rin."

Iri stood there trying to imagine a human, a mere human standing up against not one, not two, but possibly three Servants to protect someone. If that wasn't completely horrifying, that would have been very romantic. However, considering what the action truly was, Iri could only classify such an action as the height of insanity. She tried to imagine Kiritsugu doing such a thing and failed. Though the ideals were similar, the two acted very differently in their striving to be an ideal.

"Shirou and Rin were allowed to leave as they were no longer a threat in Caster's eyes." Saber continued. "It was then that they knew that they had to team up to defeat Caster, they decided to appeal to Illya to team up." Saber then looked down and said with regret. "They were there just in time to see it. Your daughter died, her Servant was killed and her heart was ripped out."

Iri repressed a sob at the fate of her daughter.

"After they witnessed her death, they left to find Lancer waiting for them. Lancer proposed to work with them, and they agreed. They headed back for Caster where Lancer faced off against Archer. Shirou and Rin made a desperate gamble to defeat Caster and her Master before I was consumed by the command Seal. They…failed. However, just as Caster prepared to finish them…Archer struck." Saber said as she recalled that black moment. "Archer had betrayed Rin for this moment, and Caster died. He then proceeded to try to kill Shirou. Rin had…placed a command Seal on Archer earlier to prevent him from attacking Shirou. Now that he was free, he could try to kill his past self."

Throughout the tale, Kiritsugu remained silent and Iri stayed back hidden behind the doorway listening.

Saber began to explain the problem with Archer. "Shirou, in Archer's life, spent a lifetime living his ideal. At one point, he witnessed a natural disaster. To save them, he offered his service after death to the Counter Guardians. So, for a few hundred saved, he condemned himself believing that he would be able to save more. However, he had become distorted. While trying to save everyone around him, reality had fought his dream. To save ten lives, he had to kill one person, to save a hundred, ten died."

Iri could see where this was going, it was Kiritsugu all over again.

"Eventually, he was blamed for starting a war he was trying to end, and a person he saved betrayed him and killed him. Then his true hell began."

"Counter Guardian." Iri whispered understanding instantly knowing what a Counter Guardian really was. The Einzbern had researched extensively on all types of Heroic Spirits.

"I don't know how long he fought, how many he killed, but eventually, he had only one thing left, a wish to kill himself. He gambled everything on the most minute chance that he would be summoned in the correct War, and it paid off." Saber said. "He and Shirou fought while Lancer protected Rin at the cost of his life. The two clashed fighting ideal versus ideal. And Shirou won, defeating Archer."

Saber looked up and gazed at the moon. "I was freed, and I was able to sign a contract with Rin. We then fought and won over Assassin and the…Grail. The Grail is a tainted thing." Saber warned. "It is corrupted with the Servant Avenger Angra Mainyu from the Third Grail war. All the Grail's wishes will be granted through destruction." She looked over at Kiritsugu ,"If you desire a world where no one is harmed, The Grail will grant this by killing everyone."

Iri stared at them realizing what it was she possessed in her heart.

"You are evading." Kiritsugu said coldly. "Why does this Shirou have my name?"

Saber looked at him, "Because he is your son."

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"WHAT?" Iri screeched Kiritsugu flinched as he slowly turned to see Iri by the door.

"Iri." Kiritsugu said nervously as Iri approached him with fire in her eyes. Right now, Kiritsugu wished he was fighting a future self of him rather than be here with his wife.

"Ah, Iri, wait." Saber tried right before Iri grabbed her husband.

"Kiritsugu, what's this about having a son and not telling me?" Iri asked

Right now, Kiritsugu was wondering what was worse, Herakles, or Iri? He looked into her eyes then shot them back up.

Iri, hands down.

Irisviel von Einzbern was worse by a long shot, and not just because she had him by his tie…

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The day was ending, and the night would soon begin. In a house that was in sore need of work, something was changing.

A boy was recovering. His fever was dropping. He was even waking up for the briefest of stints. Every time he opened his eyes, he saw something dark with mismatched eyes, one of gold, one of red.

Yet, he felt no malevolence in that dark figure. Instead, he felt a kinship. A few times he heard it make a sound, like a dog. But…he knew that was no dog. It was like it was trying to say something, but couldn't. Time and time again he listened, but it made no sense to his ears. As the night began to fall, the boy tried to speak

He tried to say he couldn't understand but something completely different came out of his mouth, an order, a _command_. His arm flashed, his body burnt and sent him spiraling back into unconsciousness, but not before he heard something new uttered from the dark figure. Words, actual words came from the dark figure, filled with horror, sadness, and desperation.

It as a plea, a heart wrenching plea.

_"__**S**__a__**V**__e__** H**__i__**M K**__i__**R**__i__**T**__su__**G**__u__** S**__a__**V**__e __**H**__I__**m**__._"

Save Him? That sounded nice, something that he should do.

The boy thought it was a nice thing, and planned to do that as soon as possible.

The question is, who is Kiritsugu?

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	59. Black Zero 13

**Black Zero 13**

_In time we hate that which we often fear. __– William Shakespeare_

_A terrorist is someone with a bomb, but doesn't have an Air Force –William Blum_

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The view from the penthouse suite of Fuyuki's Hyatt hotel was spectacular in its own way. There is no building taller than this in all of Fuyuki…at least for now. This title of the highest building will soon become that of the soon-to-be-completed Shinto shopping center where a certain pair of Masters and a Saber might go on a shopping trip to relieve stress and enjoy life right before a certain Caster held a Tiger hostage. But because the Shinto shopping center is still under construction, this Hyatt hotel is currently the tallest skyscraper.

Despite all the other hotels being built in the new wave of boosted economy and development, the Hyatt hotel boasts the most luxurious rooms with the most advanced facilities and the highest service standards of all and would not ever allow this status to fall upon any other hotel for some time. The staff, and most It's not only the hotel's managers and staff who think this, but also the hotel's customers who were _normally_ amazed by Hyatt's high quality service and management.

Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi's felt differently. Frankly, to him, this 'luxury', was wasteful and gaudy. There was no culture, no heritage, and reminded him of a child trying to act sophisticated by imitating someone else. Actually, that could be labeled to the entire country of Japan in his opinion. Had it retained t's backwater feel and culture, he might have given it some praise for treasuring the Roots, but there was none of this in the country. Too much of its culture had been steeped from those Americans after rebuilding from the 'World War'. Honestly the normals had no idea what a real war was. A great deal of the 'tragedies' were actually incidents of certain Dead Apostles that had to be covered up .

Still, this did little to ruin his good mood right now.

Unlike certain other people's marital problems at the moment, Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi was actually having not too bad a day. Yes, Lancer had lost a Noble Phantasm and had been heavily injured yesterday, but right now Kayneth didn't care. Actually, he privately enjoyed seeing that bandage on Lancer's face. After all, that cursed lovespot was covered up and was no longer affecting his wife. She was now the old, cold, calculating woman he had been married to. She no longer fawned over Lancer, and in all probability, if Kayneth ever dared to mention it, she would kick her husband out the window. When that Lovespot was present, his wife had doted on him Lancer like Kayneth wished she would dote on him. Now that it was gone, she just saw Lancer as a tool.

The wide screen TV in front of Kayneth was going over the damage done to the warehouses. Stating violent gang violence, baffled police, and possible yakuza wars. In addition, strange weather, possible signs of global warming with icebergs in the city, oh, and the most recent violent murders. Kayneth felt a small glimmer of pity for the supervisor of this war. It wasn't easy to convince the locals that there was no magic involved in the middle of a sanctioned all-out war between magi. However, at least it wasn't too hard to cover it up so far. Other than the icebergs, the rest of the damage was fairly easily explained.

Global warming, heh, not a bad excuse though…

Kayneth had to admire the efficiency of the supervisor. Within thirty minutes after Kayneth's bounded field was canceled, the entire incident was covered up from the population. Now the entirety of the truth lies solely in the memories of those few who had been present.

Kayneth mused over what he had seen and was participating in, the long-awaited Heaven's Feel. He had thought he was thoroughly prepared-for first battle, but the results were vastly different than his expectations. Lancer was nearly defeated by Saber, Rider interfered, Archer appeared, and Berserker fought like the mad dog he was against a mysterious woman and a horde of demons. Kayneth was the head of the Spiritual evocation department of the Tower, and had seen many different creatures in his time including a few Dead Apostles. But that woman…she was different. If she was a spirit, she was unlike anything he had ever seen.

Still, he had to put aside that woman and consider the rest of the events of the war. He has never been in a tight spot, nor has he been extremely frustrated in his life. In the world of the young Kayneth, he was the master of everything, a talented magus prodigy that came maybe once a generation. (Though he had no idea that there was a little girl was actually far smarter than him, would one day surpass him, and was an Average One to boot). But this war…it pushed him farther than he had ever been before.

This chaos, this outrageous alteration of his plans was like an insult to him.

Saber, the King of Knights had gone and ruined his plans for the Grail War in a single skirmish. Lancer had been certain that he could defeat his opponents. His Noble Phantasms were supposed to be a secret weapon to unleash at an unsuspecting moment killing Saber. Instead, Saber just looked at his face and instantly knew him. Then, Saber goes and throws out that she is the legendary King of Britain, King Arturia who promptly grinds Lancer down. Were it not for Iskander, Lancer would have fallen in an instant. And then there was Gilgamesh in this war to boot.

Archibald had known he was going in at a disadvantage when his catalyst to summon Iskander was stolen by Waver, but he had no idea that he was in this bad a disadvantage. Apparently even someone like Diarmuid ua Duibhne was small time in the Grail War.

Then there was Berserker.

Kayneth found himself rubbing his forehead losing his good mood just thinking about that thief. Berserker, an unknown Servant with B rank Madness and A rank Independent Action. Such a creature should have instantly killed his Master and began a rampage throughout the city. While it had killed many in the city, it had been fiercely protective of that boy. There was something very wrong with the behavior of that Servant. There was no way it should have casted Magic, yet it did. The way it fought belonged to something with a higher level of thought, did Berserker have some innate instinct how to fight? No, the Madness would have interfered with it.

More importantly, it had stolen a Noble Phantasm. Something that should be impossible. Lancer had assured him that his spear would return once it was removed. But it had already been a day without the return of the Noble Phantasm. Only two reasons for that could occur. One, the Master had somehow gotten the spear sealed indicating that he was probably working with another Master or with Caster. The other option, which Kayneth would have debunked had he not seen the boy's condition, was that the spear was still in Berserker. Either way, until that spear was returned, Lancer had been dealt a severe blow.

"Lancer, come." Kayneth ordered

"Yes, awaiting orders." Lancer said appearing out of thin air and bowed. His once handsome features covered up in a makeshift bandage while his face healed.

Kayneth could have spoken clearly to Lancer while his Servant remained in spiritual form, but by seeing him in the flesh, Kayneth was able to judge the minute changes in Lancer's expression and posture while conversing with him.

"Thanks for your hard work tonight. I was able to witness the might of Diarmuid ua Duibhne's twin spears." Keyneth said beginning his interrogation in a familiar pattern. First praise them, and then smash the truth on them.

"You are too kind Master. It was shameful for me to have performed so poorly." Lancer said not buying it for a minute. The King of Knights revealed his identity in an instant, the King of Conquerors and the King of Heroes could have flattened him at any time, and Berserker had not only injured him, but stole one of his Noble Phantasms.

"Lancer, you swore to me as a Servant. To do everything in your power to help me attain victory in the Heaven's Feel. Right?" Kayneth asked

"Yes, that is correct." Lancer said not looking up

"Then why are you not serious about this?" Kayneth scolded

Lancer did not show the faintest expressions of anger or guilt while being berated. "I only acted so for honor of all Knights, not for pleasure."

"You deny it?" Kayneth accused "You deny refusing to take down Berserker in a moment of weakness?"

"That's because" Lancer began before Kayneth cut him off

"You had the overwhelming advantage while he was in midair, but you refused to strike, you hesitated. Do you really want me to control you with a Command Mantra?"

"..." Lancer had no response this time, he only held his silence.

"I'll say it again. I witnessed all of tonight's battle. Only thus am I able to ask these questions. Lancer, do you feel that battles are 'fun'? Do you feel that you have to follow an antiquated ideal that only you would follow?"

'That is false Master.' Lancer thought. He knew the King of Knights would not sully her Honor. The King of Conquerors would not have interfered in a duel, nor would Gilgamesh. Each of them had their own code of honor, nor would they break it. "I'm sorry, my Master." Lancer ended up bowed his head deeply and said in a serious tone. "I swear on my reputation as a knight; I will bring you Berserker's head. Please believe me, no matter what."

"There's no need to swear to me again, that is only the natural result."Kayneth retorted "You already swore to me that you would bring me, Kayneth El-Melloi, the Holy Grail. In other words, you will destroy the six other Servants. But what you are saying now is that your oath is false. What's wrong with you?"

"There is nothing wrong with him, Kayneth El-Melloi." A female voice broke in.

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A black figure moved through the city scanning, searching, and hunting for something. It was a sharp contrast to how he had been moving over the last several days. Rather than run rampant, he moved like a shadow. This time, rather than killing people for food, they were knocked unconscious, and then robbed. It was different, silent, and all the more dangerous for others.

He had crossed the river, not by bridge, not by ice, but by swimming. It was a sharp indication of both his strength, and increased cunning that he was able to do so without drowning. Many a familiar watched the bridge, but none saw him enter or leave the river. All believed the figure known as Berserker was still across the river. All underestimated him, and there would be consequences.

Move like a shadow, keep to the darkness, look for easy targets. All the while, look for something, something that calls. Have to go, have to answer the call no matter what. The call, the noise, the siren's call, it's calling. But where, where is it? It's here somewhere, close, but far away. It echoes through the streets, in the trees, on the buildings, calling calling calling.

The Light is safe, secure. All will follow the faithful, all will ignore the Light and the faithful will find that which calls and offer it to the Light

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In stepped a woman with hair as red as fire, yet gave off an aura of ice. She's a bit younger than Kayneth, perhaps about twenty or so years old. One glance could tell anyone that she's an aristocrat to the bone. He eyes looked bored as she gazes upon both men in the room. "In almost every record of the previous Grail Wars, those summoned of the three Knight's classes, Saber, Lancer, and Archer, were known to follow strict codes of honor. Such codes have even brought about the loss of several Masters. Had you done a more thorough research on past records, you would have seen this coming."

"Sola, what are you saying?" Kayneth asked

"You should have expected him to follow his code. In fact, you should have conversed with him on what his code prohibits so you would not have to waste a command Seal. As far as records show Lord El-Melloi, this was to be expected." She looked him over coldly, "As the head of the spiritual evocation, I had expected better of you." Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, the daughter of Kayneth's old teacher, his fiancé.

Though Kayneth would not admit it, he was glad she was back to normal. She was no longer fawning over Lancer, instead, she saw him as furniture. True, she was still cold and condescending to him, but at least she wasn't a love struck teen with Lancer any more. Still, he was not going to back down now.

"He had the perfect opportunity." Kayneth argued.

"No, he was right to be cautious." Sola countered. "Unlike the other Servants where we know their identities, stats, and abilities, Berserker is an unknown. It could be that he is actually the strongest Servant in this War. Certainly, he is not the weakest, or…did you miss how well he fought against that army of demons? No, Berserker should have been left alone until more information could be gathered."

"So what would you have done?" Kayneth asked. It wasn't a sneer, merely phrased like an equal asking for a second opinion.

"Lancer should have left Berserker be. The fact that Berserker is wounded means little as we both saw. As it stands, we should avoid confronting any Servant until Lancer is healed. We should then seek out an ally if possible to get back the missing Noble Phantasm, probably Caster. Judging by the sheer hate he has for Berserker, he would be a useful ally." Sola suggested.

"Hmm… that isn't a bad idea." Kayneth said considering the plan. Both of them noticed Lancer's face had frowned for a moment.

"You have an objection Lance?" Sola asked. Well, more like demanded.

"Gille de Rais is nothing more than a madman." Lancer said. "He was known for his cruelty and his pleasure in sadistic and monstrous acts. Such a man should not be trusted and should be put down quickly."

"Lancer, just because he revealed his identity does not make him insane. Foolish, but not insane." Sola said

"Maybe, but he has a point." Kayneth considered. "Madmen are unpredictable, especially when they have something they desire and care not for what happens in between." Kayneth frowned as an idea came to him, but dismissed it.

Sola, however, knew her Fiancé too well and asked. "What did you just think? You had a plan forming in your head."

"It might be possible to appeal to Saber's Master. It is clear she has some kind of belief that a Master must stand beside her Servant. Such a person might be agreeable to fight both Servants, especially with the missing and murdered people recently." Kayneth said.

Sola considered it and found only one flaw with it. "It's…possible, but then we will be at a disadvantage after the two are gone."

"Exactly." Kayneth said. If Saber could defeat Lancer at the height of his power, what did they have to counter Saber? "Unless we are careful with the timing and have her face Lancer right after she tired herself out with the other two, we stand a good chance at being defeated."

Their conversation was suddenly cut off when the phone rang.

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Kiritsugu had been through many life and death situations in his life, but back at the castle with his wife was now ranked as the number one scariest moment of his life. It had only been through the intervention of Saber and a call from Maiya that he was still alive. Irisviel was unbelievably strong when she was angry.

Iri had huffed, but…reluctantly, very reluctantly let her husband go off to Maiya while Saber said she would explain the relationship to Iri. Kiritsugu wanted to listen in as well, but Kayneth's location would only be good for a short time before he might move.

So here he was outside the hotel waiting. In a moment, people walked briskly out of the building he had phoned telling them of the bombs. He knew without a doubt that Kayneth had barricaded himself inside.

Perfect

The hotel had become something akin to a stronghold for Kayneth. Twenty four of the thirty two floors were covered in a series of bounded fields. The whole place might as well be considered a castle and fortress of magecraft. In addition to the bounded fields, there were three different magical escape routes for Kayneth and his entourage and a dozen evil spirits and apparitions for guards. There isn't even an opening to be exploited in the sewage pipes, Kayneth completely covered the area underneath the hall with his bounded field.

Of course, all that was about to become useless with the push of a button.

Kiritsugu confirmed that everyone except Archibald and his wife had both remained in the hotel. With a short hypnotic suggestion, the staff promptly assumed that the man and his wife got out.

After walking to a separate area some distance away from the hotel, Kiritsugu pulled out the cellphone in his pocket and dialed a number

"Everything set on your end?" Kiritsugu asked

"No irregularities. Target has remained in place, ready on your signal." Maiya answered. Maiya had positioned herself on the skyscraper across from the hotel giving her the perfect angle to watch the enemy Master. In fact, she could even see him from her scope.

Kiritsugu inhaled his cigarette, then pressed the detonator.

***BOOOOOOOOOOOM***

Even from where he stood, he could hear the panic of the crowd as they watched the sight

"The hotel, the hotel is collapsing!"

The hotel, which had towered over a hundred and fifty some meters in height, collapsed as if the very earth had consumed it.

Although the evacuees were safe from the collapsing building and outside the range of shrapnel, they were still lightly coated with the dust sent flying by the collapse. Frankly, though, there were too scared and in the middle of a panic to care about their outfits.

"Maiya, how are things on your end?" Kiritsugu asked

"Up until the end there was no activity on the thirty-second floor. The target has not escaped from the building." Maiya answered

In other words Lord El-Melloi is now most certainly in the middle of that rubble. Staying on top of the Thirty second floor had just cost the magus dearly, a hundred and fifty meter free fall to his death…hopefully, Saber had warned not to make assumptions, and Kiritsugu would not, not until he saw the body himself. Still, no matter how well it was defended by bounded fields and spirits, if the base of the building collapses, then it's all for naught.

There suddenly came the sound of a child crying and Kiritsugu's attention was diverted from the ruins. The child's mother walked past Kiritsugu holding a child who would not stop crying due to fear. Both were wearing only pajamas and covered head to toe with white ash, appearing so miserable it was hard to watch.

Kiritsugu had a sudden flash of a boy walking through a world of fire more dead than alive; a small boy with red hair and brown eyes that did not focus on anything while the world around him burned. Kiritsugu held a hand to his head while the flash and headache subsided.

"What was that?" Kiritsugu muttered. The boy looked like the Master of Berserker, but what was that scene, and why did he see it, why did it make his dead heart ache?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Loud Noise. What is it? Go, gogogogo. Might be that which calls to the faithful. Might be the false offering. Find spot, find place to see. Up, up with the birds. Up Up Up

Head up, find the source. Find it, find it find it.

Berserker gazed upon the unfinished building in front of him, then entered.

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On the thirty-eighth floor of the under construction Fuyuki shopping center, Maiya gazed over the scene of ruin. The target was down as far as she could see, Lord El-Melloi was dead. Hisau Maiya knelt, keeping as still as possible while gazing at the scene with the night scope of her AUG assault rifle. If Lancer's Master had noticed the plan and escaped, Maiya was waiting to spot him if he escaped and ambush him.

"Maiya, what's the situation there?" Kiritsugu asked

But such a precaution had been unnecessary

"Up until the end there was no activity on the thirty-second floor. The target has not escaped from the hotel." Maiya replied. Although she has just witnessed a devastating destruction, her voice did not contain even a hint of emotion. Her mission is now finished up here.

Her surveillance mission here is over. Maiya prepares to leave when she freezes.

At that moment, she noticed something was wrong. An abnormality in the air, but not a typical abnormality, a subtle change of atmosphere. To an experienced soldier like Maiya, it is an easy matter to clearly detect this kind of killing intent.

"Your senses are sharp, miss." From behind the now still Maiya came a low, but cold male voice. The voice echoed inside empty, unfinished building making it impossible to determine from whence it came.

Maiya did not respond or ask questions, the voice is one man, but there is another here. She merely used her intuition to determine the speaking enemy's location and pulled out the 9mm-caliber handgun from her belt.

"Hmm, it's also nice to have this kind of preparation." The man hidden in the shadows mocked.

At that moment, something was tossed at Maiya's feet from the shadow of some pillar.

Maiya immediately aimed her gun at the object and after making sure it was not dangerous. She quickly pointed her gun back towards the place where the object was tossed from, but even so, Maiya still used her peripheral vision to watch the object that was tossed out.

The corpse of a small animal.

A bat. And judging from the camera on the bat's belly, this is definitely one of the bat familiars Maiya sent out. This is the one in particular that was placed by the Fuyuki church that she had lost communication with.

She knew, without doubt, the man who tossed out the corpse of the bat was the worst opponent for Kiritsugu to face, the one man that frightened Kiritsugu. And the man seems to have no interest in concealing himself any longer. Slowly walking out from behind the pillar where he was hiding, he exposed himself to Maiya's line of sight and line of fire.

"Kotomine, Kirei" Maiya uttered aloud announcing him

"Oh? This should be the first time we've met. So how do you know who I am? Is it perhaps your precognition?" Kirei said with a smirk. Maiya, realizing her mistake, regretted it instantly. Kirei did not show the slightest bit of discomfort at facing Maiya's gun and walked forward calmly. "If that's so, then you should definitely know about a lot of other things too, right? This is a prime location for spying on Fuyuki Hyatt hotel's thirty-second floor; perhaps some very important person lives there?"

Maiya's remained silent. What was this man's intention

Kotomine Kirei gazed at her a moment, then sighed "Was it really necessary to destroy the building too? To use this kind of tactics, can a man still be considered a magus? He acts more like a terrorist"

Maiya remained silent, with a single phrase, Kirei told her he knew of Kiritsugu.

"Look at me rambling on and on here, miss. Why don't you say something? where is the man who should be here in your place right now?"

After being asked that, Maiya made a new judgment regarding Kotomine Kirei. This man in front of him must be killed. She raised her gun, but noticed at Kirei tensed and half turned.

"What? Why is he here now?" Kirei said surprised. "How close? Why didn't you detect him earlier?'

Maiya prepared to shoot him, to prevent Kirei from meeting Kirtisugu when a dark aura enveloped the area. Maiya found herself freezing in place and began to sweat coldly. This feeling, this dark feeling belonged to one creature alone.

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Berserker

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Kotomine was a man that believed that he felt nothing, that he was a cold man. He had never felt anything similar to passion in his life. He had driven himself to near exhaustion many times in his pursuit of something that would give him meaning. He had become one of the best in every field he threw himself into, but it had not been enough. Even when his daughter was born, he felt nothing, when he watched his wife commit suicide to try to get him to feel, he felt nothing.

But right here, right now, he felt…nervous? Afraid? Something different, something that he had never felt before. He listened as heavy footsteps echoed through the building, moving quickly. This was definitely not in the plan.

Kirei had been convinced that his judgment is correct. If Kiritsugu wants the Holy Grail, then he would definitely act tonight. With Lancer nearly crippled, it was the opportune moment to strike. Kirei had then set up his net near Kayneth's dwelling, calmly awaiting the arrival of the ambushers.

But in the end he found not Emiya Kiritsugu but someone else, a strange and unfamiliar weapon. Yet Kotomine Kirei is certain that this person is acting based on Kiritsugu's instructions. She had positioned herself perfectly to gazed upon Lancer's Master. So this woman he been facing up until a moment ago was the key to finding Emiya Kiritsugu.

He had planned to capture her alive, to make her talk even if he had to.

All that just went out the window with the arrival of Berserker. Kirei could see the mismatched red and gold eyes approaching quickly. The atmosphere became tenser by the moment. Kirei glanced at the woman and saw her putting away her pistol and unslinging her rifle. Good, professional. Because right now, both of them needed each other to survive. Beside him, only one Assassin remained hidden, ordered to stay quiet and watch. It had been Assassin who warned him that Berserker was so close.

Questions of how Berserker had made it here almost undetected were put aside as he watched the mad wildcard of a Servant approaching. It was walking now, cautiously almost. It reminded Kirei of the time when Berserker had approached Saber. Perhaps, with just a bit of luck, Berserker came closer. In a small corner of his mind, he wondered what the reason Berserker was here was. Was it because the boy had sent Berserker, or had Berserker gone alone with his Independent Action.

Of all the Servants out there, the Berserker and his Master intrigued Kirei the most. They were a complete mystery, an enigma that defied any logical explanation. Kirei was…curious. Yes, that was the emotion he felt, not fear, not nervousness, curiosity. What a strange feeling.

Now if only he could survive to have a self-reflection. He hoped the woman wouldn't be stupid as to fire on Berserker. Thankfully, she seemed to want to avoid a fight here as well, good.

Kirei watched Berserker as he moved past them, not so much as giving them a berth, a merely moving in a straight line, and they were not in the way. Berserker stood at the edge of the parapet and gazed upon the ruins. A sound similar to a soft growl of a dog emanated from Berserker's throat. Both Kirei and Maiya looked at each other. Both of them nodded, coming to the agreement that this was the time for a truce. Berserker had all the cards, it was best for the two of them to leave. Softly, slowly, they backed away from Berserker who was busy watching over the ruins.

They didn't get too far when…

"What is it, Maiya? What happened?" Kiritsugu's voice sounded on the abandoned phone.

Both of them tensed, waiting for Berserker to rampage. It would be a race to see who Berserker would be content to chase while the other tried to get away.

However…Berserker did no such thing. Instead, it turned and reached down to the phone. Picking them up, Berserker spoke for the first time, uttering one word.

"**Kiritsugu**" The voice was distorted, so distorted it was impossible to tell if this was a man or a woman, an adult or a child. With that distortion, it was impossible to tell if that was hate, sadness, excitement, or a simple statement.

"Yes? Who are you?" Kiritsugu's voice came from the phone.

"**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**." Again that same distorted voice made it impossible to tell if that was a plea, a demand, or a simple message.

"What? Who?" Kiritusgu said again before Berserker crushed the phone in his hands. It seemed to be an accident of some sort, as the mad Servant gazed upon the broken phone in fascination. Berserker then turned and looked back over the ruins seeming uncaring about the two people still in the building.

The two looked at each other, and then Kirei noticed the woman had pulled out a grenade of some sort. She rolled it and began to run. Kirei turned and ran as well as the smoke grenade went off. The two scampered away hoping Berserker went for the other, however, Berserker did not move until long after they were gone. Their flight was unimportant, and Berserker remained an enigma to all parties.

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"I see, that poor boy." Irisviel said. To think that such a fire came from the Grail Wars. Saber did not mention what caused it, but to have such a thing happen to a boy was heartbreaking. To lose his memories, to lose a part of his mind and become distorted, it was wrong to see that done to one so young.

"Yes, Kiritsugu made no mention of a wife, and it was Illya that announced that she was his sister. It wasn't until later that we realized that Shirou found out she was the biological daughter of Kiritsugu." Saber said. It had been a careful tale told to Iri. Saber did not lie, but she did not mention she had fought in this war before, that she knew what caused the fire, that she knew Kiritsugu from before. As far as Iri knew, Shirou had been in a fire from the Grail War, lost his memories and his sense of self preservation, and Kiritsugu had saved the boy at the edge of death and adopted them.

Iri, however, was a smart woman, even if she did come of naïve. If Kiritsugu made no mention of herself or Illya, then something had gone wrong, horribly wrong in the Grail War. It was obvious that if Shirou had been in the Fifth Grail War, that they had failed somehow here in the Fourth. She had to have died somehow, and Kiritsugu had to have felt guilty if he made no mention of her. As for Illya, the Einzbern must have punished Kiritsugu and refused to let him see Illya again. Was that time in the forest the last time the two played? Was that time the last time Kiritsugu would see Illya?

"Iri, what's wrong?" Saber asked.

"Eh?" Iri said as she noticed tears were coming down her face. "Ah, never mind Saber."

"Iri," Saber said, "What can I do to help?"

Iri looked at Saber and asked, "Please, please win so we can be together again. Don't let my daughter be alone."

"I swear it." Saber said getting on one knee. "On my honor as a Knight, I will reunite you both will Illya."

"Iri," A third voice called. "I'm back."

Iri turned to her husband. "Kiritsugu."

"What's wrong Iri-" Irisviel tackled her husband and buried her head in his chest.

"Promise me, promise me you won't let Illya be left behind. I don't care what happens to me, but don't leave her alone Kiritsugu." She said tightening her hug.

"Yes, I promise." Kiritsugu said as he felt her tears soak his shirt.

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"_Not enough, not enough." A man in a red outfit with two sharp fangs said to me who is on one knee panting in exhaustion. "Still, you are the closest to anyone I've met in a long time." The man conceded. "As a sign of my respect, I will let you live to fight me another day."_

"_Wait." The I said trying to stand. Yet, the man in red vanishes._

"Bwegch" I try to vomit once more but nothing comes up

**Save Him**

The picture changes as the black blob is removed from the painting. That which was a painting of a black figure fighting a man in red is now a painting of a man in black and a woman in white fighting a woman in a police uniform with a giant gun and black wings.

I take the next piece, one of a woman on a bed with two babes in her arms. And put it in place

"_It's a boy, a healthy young boy." The doctor announces._

"_A boy." The woman with blond hair says as she looks at the little thing. _

"_Don't stop now." The doctor says, we've still got the other one inside._

"_Shirou," The woman says looking at him, "He needs a name." She holds him out for me to look at him. I hold him, my son, my beautiful son. He looks at me with his green eye and I fall in love with him. "Kiritsugu, I would like to name him Kiritsugu." I say.  
>"Kiritsugu." The woman says happily. "A good name."<em>

"_Push." The doctor says. "Push, I can see the head."_

"_Eeeerghaaaaaagh." The woman says pushing with all her might._

"_It's out, she's out. A girl." The doctor says clearing the babe and brining her up to the mother._

"_A girl." The woman says with a tired smile. She looks over at Shirou. "Come," I place Kiritsugu down in her arms and hold my daughter. I look into her green eyes and fall in love with her as well._

"_Arika, I think she would make a good Arika." I tell my wife._

"_Arika, a good name." She says. I place my daughter down by my son and look at the three of them with pride. This will always be one of the happiest days of my life._

"Bwegh, augh." I try to vomit once more, more violently than ever before.

I can't tell if this is getting worse or if that was just an anomaly. But I've had enough for now. I back off and gaze at what I've done. It seems like a lot, but I've barely scratched the surface. There are so many pictures left to place, then I have the other wall, and the ceiling, and the floor. Not to mention the pillars. OS much to do, yet I've done so much and can't help but feel pride in my work. I can look at the wall and see how beautiful the painting is. No, something this magnificent isn't a painting, it's a mural. The most beautiful mural ever, I'm sure of it.

Behind me, is that large blob of blackness growing as the latest splotch comes off the wall. I look back at the painting and see that the figure is now hiding behind a curtain while a woman is holding a single babe all alone. It looks like the figure is watching over them, but is not interfering.

Why? Why would anyone not want to be a part of that?

I reach up and touch it, but nothing happens. Ne memories that are not mine, no sickness. Nothing but a picture; they say (Who says?) a picture is worth a thousand words. Well…clearly more than a thousand words are needed to understand. But still. It makes me wonder.

I look around to see what else is needs to be done.

Hey…why is a leg of that black armor standing up? I don't understand. Last time, I couldn't get anything to stay in place, but now…now it's there.

And the throne…it looks…livelier? Well it's hard to tell since its all thorns and white vines. Still…something has changed, and I have no idea what.

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	60. Black Zero 14

**Black Zero 14**

_No regrets, no hesitation, no turning back, this is the path I followed, the choice I made. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_If there is no choice, is there such a thing as sin? –Emiya Kiritsugu II_

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He moved silently through the city back towards his Master. Berserker was careful to keep to the shadows, never allowing the lights of man touch him, keeping out of sight of humanity. But there was one that watched him always, despite his cautions.

Assassin.

The aspect of the most famous Assassin of all time watched him move shaking her head. This was stealthy? How had he gotten so close to her Master without her detection? She had slacked off, not even paying attention to the outside. Assassin had kept her eyes on the woman in the tower. Such a foolish slip had nearly cost them this war. Still, she watched Berserker under her Master's orders. Berserker was strange, both to Assassin, and to their Master. Any information on this elusive and mysterious Servant was needed. Lancer had paid dearly for trying to attack this Servant without information; his Noble Phantasm was still in Berserker's shoulder.

Assassin watched as Berserker suddenly stiffened and began to sniff the air. Assassin wasn't worried; she was downwind and far enough away that it was impossible for him to detect her, even in her corporal form. Her Master needed Assassin to be in corporal form to see through her eyes. And through her eyes, Kirei watched as Berserker homed in on a woman carrying a few bags of groceries.

Assassin watched in silence as Berserker carefully kept pace with the woman. Kirei deduced that this was going to be another killing incident. Berserker had killed many people over the past few days, putting the city on high alert. Kirei knew his father was soon going to take action, both with Berserker, and Caster who was kidnapping children en masse. With this next kill, Kirei knew his father would make the announcement.

The woman seemed to not notice that she was followed. She walked up a street, and then turned down a narrow, dark one leading to her residence. It was a poorly lit place, the perfect place for an attack. This, the woman seemed to notice, and began walking briskly.

She didn't make it far.

One minute, she was walking quickly down the street; the next, she was suddenly hit from behind. Assassin watched as Berserker reached down and began ruffling through the groceries. It was then that Kirei came to an epiphany. Every murder, every death from Berserker, all for food. Through Assassin's eyes, he had seen the tossed about foods near the victims, but had never made the connection. The people had died for food. It made a great deal of sense, countless people over the history of men have been killed for food, one of the most basic needs of life. Even the mad have to eat sometime.

Yet, something was different. Berserker ruffled through the groceries for a bit, then moved away quickly in the darkness. Assassin moved to follow, but she heard her Master speak.

"Wait, check the body first." Kirei said. He had a suspicion…

Assassin moved quickly, but she didn't need to be close to hear the intake of breath. "She lives Master, nothing more than a knockout blow." Assassin looked over the body. "Not enough force applied to kill or paralyze, just enough to cause unconsciousness."

"I see, continue to follow Berserker." Kirei said.

Assassin turned, only to freeze. Berserker had vanished from her senses. The blasted Mad Servant had moved out of her range. She could still track him…sort of, he did leave a few hints of a trail, but it would take time to catch up, and considering her target, it might take a while.

"Forgive me Master, he has escaped." Assassin said.

"I see," Kirei said, "It was my mistake to have you take your eye off him. Berserker truly is a wild card Servant." There was a pause, "Try to track him if you can, but don't risk exposure."

"Hai." Assassin agreed. Inwardly, Assassin seethed. Berserker, the supposedly stupidest of Servant had eluded her, used a moment of hesitation to the fullest extent. What the hell was he?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Berserker continued on moving in a strange pattern. He moved in bursts of speeds followed by slow careful movements hiding. It would take luck or skill to keep up with the mad Servant. Trackers would fall behind from the bursts of speed and the trail could go cold as Berserker moved stealthily through the shadows.

Skill had been trumped by Berserker, Assassin could no longer keep track of the Mad Servant. But luck, luck is not so easily tricked.

Yume had only gotten a glance of the black clad man as he moved through the night. She had caught him moving at high speed towards the river with a few bags in hand. _'Bags? What is he carrying?'_ Yume thought. "Let's go Akitsu." Yume said

"…Hai." Akitsu said moving easily along beside Yume.

Yume was glad her fellow scrap was beside her. The two of them were powerful, not as powerful as Number Zero One, but together they could probably take on the old Disciplinary squad minus Zero One and tie. This should be enough to take down the black figure. However, right now was a time of observation, to follow and track him until they could take him down from behind. They watched as he moved in his strange pattern of fast and slow until he came to the river.

Yume considered briefly whether they should attack or not, but discarded it when she recalled how he created ice. In fact, she expected him to cause more ice to form before he crossed, that or he would run parallel to it and lead her to some sort of lair. It took her completely by surprise when she saw him jump **into** the river, in armor, and began swimming…

Yume just stood there watching what had to be one of the stupidest things she had ever witnessed. _'Who goes swimming in a river with a full set of armor, two swords, a shield, and several bags loaded with things?'_ Yume thought. She began calculating the best way to head off the figure. It would be best to rush at full speed across the bridge then hurry over to watch over Berserker. Unfortunately, she forgot one small factor in her plans.

Akitsu wasn't trained for subtle, actually, she wasn't trained at all since she broke.

Before Yume's very eyes, the river froze in an instant. Countless tons of water were turned into the thickest ice rink the world had ever seen outside of the northern and southern poles in an instant. Yume found her jaw drop as she saw the blatant use of power by Akitsu

"What did you jus-?" Yume began to ask before she heard the roar of rage emerge from Berserker.

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Yume watched in mute horror as the dark figure suddenly burst out of his icy cage. She watched as he turned to them and roared once more in that horrific sound that chilled her to the bones. She expected the figure to charge at her once again screaming in rage. Instead, however, it turned and began running across the ice.

Yume saw Akitsu raise her arms and began unleashing a blizzard of ice while a great wall formed in front of the figure.

"Dammit Akitsu, what happened to just watching?" Yume yelled as she dashed forward. Behind her, Akitsu cocked her head to the side and said softly.

"Ah, I forgot."

Yume dashed forward heedless of the ice shards flying the air. She had to get to the man, she had to move quickly. The figure ignored all pursuit and kept running, smashing ice walls apart with his head and shoulders as he bulldozed through the obstacles. He gave little to no notice to the ice shards that flew towards him as he charged. The ice, for the most part, bounced off his armor, with only a few shards actually sticking in, none of them doing anything to slow the man down.

In fact, it seemed to speed him up. The ice began exploding under the man's feet as he dashed forward. In less than ten seconds of running, the man was already halfway across the ice. Yume was 'catching up' solely because her opponent was busy charged through countless obstacles while being assaulted by what could only be called a storm of ice.

Yume, however, noticed a problem. The closer she got to the man, the harder it was to avoid the ice shards. There would come a point where she would get in the way of the ice and have to concentrate on dodging, losing her small gains in an instant. "Dammit, Akitsu, stop shooting the ice and focus on blocking him." Yume yelled. She couldn't hear Akitsu's voice, but the ice sekirei clearly heard her as the rain of ice stopped while the ice walls grew larger and thicker.

Not that it helped any. Berserker just kept steamrolling through the ice smashing everything in his wake. A few times, ice formed on his armor, but it all broke instantly. There was just too much power coming from this man to be stopped by some ice. More than ever, Yume was sure that she was facing something completely alien. Even a power type Sekirei would have been slowed down from this assault.

This one just kept pumping forward heedless of the attack. Actually, the man was almost ignoring them and opted to just keep moving in the same direction as he had previously. Yume tried to think of any landmarks in that direction and came up with one answer, the temple. With the untouched land around the temple, it would be a perfect place to hide a child. Yume poured power into her fist, preparing to attack, but something caught her peripheral vision.

Akitsu

'_She caught up? So quickly?'_ Yume thought in surprise. She knew Akitsu was more 'broken' then her, but to this extent? Yume only had a crest on her stomach, while Akitsu was on her forehead. _'Is this the true difference between us?'_ Yume wasn't going to argue on power level right now, if Akitsu was faster, all the better. "Akitsu, take him down, but don't kill him." Akitsu dashed forward, surpassing even Yume's speed and closed in on the enemy. That was a mistake.

The dark figure suddenly planted his feet on the ground causing an explosion of ice, covering the place in a mist of sorts. Yume suddenly saw two mismatched eyes glaring at her and Akitsu in the mist. Akitsu moved forward, her hands sheathed in ice claws, only to have something move at high speed at her. Akitsu blocked it, barely, and her ice claws shattered in an instant. Yume barely got in to block a second strike with the armor on the back of her glove. It surprised her to no end, the last time she fought this man, he had never even touched his swords; now, he was wielding two of them. Two swords that were never meant to be dual wielded were being used like a Master.

Yume and Akitsu began desperately blocking as best they could against this man pushing themselves to the limit to stay alive against him. He was fast, incredibly fast. Yume was sure that even Number One would have a hard time fighting him. "Akitsu, can you do anything to throw him off?" Yume yelled blocking another attack. For a response, the ground under the man shot up and away. However, the figure had jumped out of the way in an instant. All around him, the ice burst, trying to send him flying, or at least throw him off, but it wasn't doing anything. Instead, it looked more like a dance, a dance that he excelled at.

"▄▅▃▄▅▃▄▅" Berserker roared in anger and rage. Yume fired several blasts of energy at him, but it failed to do anything more than cause him to roar even louder. Still, Yume and Akitsu fought as best they could, but Berserker just kept on going. After what seemed like an eternity fighting, Yume suddenly noticed something, they were almost at the shoreline. The bastard had been leading them towards land this whole time. Yet, there was little they could do as they fought tooth and nail with the figure. Every attack they launched was shrugged off like rain while every one of his attacks was almost fatal.

In the background, Yume began to hear a strange noise, the sound of insects buzzing. It made her blood turn cold as she recalled exactly where she had last heard that noise. "Get back." Yume yelled. Akitsu jumped back in an instant. For a moment, the black figure looked at them, then turned towards the land. From the darkness, countless abominations rushed towards them. "▄▅▃▄▅▃▄▅" Berserker roared in rage as he charged towards the horde forgetting the two women in an instant. Both Sekirei then witnessed the savage attacks of the mad Servant upon the horde and found themselves shivering. Where he had been fast before, he was faster now. Where he had been brutal, he made look tame. It was as if he found these creatures more offensive to him, and did everything possible to end their existence faster. Dozens of creatures were felled in seconds, each sweep of the swords cleaved apart multiple enemies in an instant.

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KillKillKillllllll

_Sixty down countless more to go_

Rend, tear, squeeze to bits, smash with leg and shield, cleave with big and small blade. Unleash fire and lightning upon the corpses. Grab in hand and rip apart with teeth. Ptew, tastes bad, throw at enemies, send them flying, crush, flay, KIIIIILLL.

_Enemy intends to surround, thin spot a five o clock, burst through there_

Offerings gone, offerings lost in the cold. Hate hate hate. No offerings for the Light, no words of praise fo the faithful. Kill them all. Kill the Faithless, the Shadows and the Dark Ones. Kick with legs, duck under assault, flip over one to crush another. Smash with head, backhand, cleave, swing blades in circle, spin to complete action.

_Leaving slick terrain in three…two….one…back on regular terrain_

Kill Kill KIIIILLL, Burn, Burn in the name of the Light. Fry from the hammer of the Light. The Faithful will never fall. Crush, cleave, rend, tear, split, mash, grind to mush, pummel, parry and stab, burn. Destroy the Dark Ones, offer their deaths to the Light. No mercy, no prisoners, no pity. Kick, punch, swing blades, destroy, kill them all.

_This is taking too long_

Rake with claws, grab Dark One and swing against others, swing swing swing until it breaks. Grab another to start again. Swing swing swing swing swing, this one last a while. Ah, it broke…Cleave with sword and smash with boot. Jump on one, body goes squish. Black fluid fly everywhere. Is good, Dark Ones need no fluid, deserve no fluid, deserve nothing.

_This battle is pointless, continue on. CRUSH ALL IN THE WAY_

Time, is time to leave. Kill all in the way, but get back to Light, darkness ending and the false light will soon rise. Fire into the ground for smoke cover, hide self in the smoke and begin the call.

_Come forth me faithful steed, come forth from your prison and aide me once more._

"▅▃▄▅▃▄▅▃▄▅▃▄"

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"Houyhnhnm," Comes a cry from the smoke surrounding Berserker. Yume and Akitsu watch from a distance wanting no part of those…things touching them. Their very instincts tell them that it is dangerous to approach, dangerous to come near those abominations. In the smoke they see the appearance of two glowing red eyes bigger than those of the black clad figure. There is a burst of fire, then the sound of metal striking the ground hard. In a moment, a large black object that looks vaguely like a horse with a man on it charge through the horde of abominations crushing all within their path.

Yume and Akitsu watch as the horde tries to keep up, but fails. In a moment, the dark figure is lost to sight, vanishing into the shadows, leaving only the sound of metal striking hard surfaces.

Yume sighed, "Let's go, we can't keep up right now and I'm tired." Yume then turned and began to walk back towards Takami. Beside her, Akitsu kept pace. Yume noticed that even Akitsu was showing signs of exhaustion. "Akitsu, do you think you can unfreeze the river?" Yume asked.

Akitsu tilted her head a moment, then nodded and promptly unfroze the river…with them still in the middle of it…

*Splash*

"I meant when we got back to shore!" Yume cried in the ice cold water as they were sent flying downstream after the river had been released from the great dam Akitsu had made.

"Ah…sorry." Akitsu said unconcerned with the cold as they headed for the ocean at an incredible pace.

News casters the next day would be talking of how a sudden surge of water had flooded parts of Fuyuki, baffling scientists as to how that had happened. Once again, global warming ended up being used as the excuse.

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After a night of continuous deadly fights, the first break of day slowly appeared in the sky, as if the sun was afraid of being caught in the crossfire. At this moment Kotomine Kirei and Risei were using a special magical communication device that was connected to Tohsaka mansion for an emergency strategy meeting.

"We can trace Caster's trail immediately now?" Tokiomi asked in surprise

Kirei and Assassin's efforts had finally found some good news, one of the two most enigmatic of Servants' activities could now be traced.

"Our opponent is a magus Heroic Spirit of a degree that most modern magi could not hope to match." Kirei said "Despite having Assassin's Conceal Presence, it was still tough for them to enter Caster's workshop unnoticed. However, we now have the approximate position of the enemy. Currently Assassin is carrying out close surveillance around the perimeter of the area. Once Caster appears out of his workshop, his activities can be known immediately."

"Which is to say that Caster did not stay within his workshop, and is actively operating outside?" Tokiomi asked

"Yes, that's because," Kirei hesitated slightly. "He went to the city beside Miyami town and captured numerous children to back to his workshop. Until dawn, fifteen of them were caught. Of those children, each and every one of the families involved were killed save the children. There have been a total of seventeen children reported missing over the past few days. However, once we take the situation of this morning's surveillance into account, and if we include the extra ones Caster captured, the number of missing children will be at least thirty."

There was a brief pause as Tokiomi's fury became clear despite how hard the magus tried to hide beneath the façade of elegance. Some things hit a little too close for home, especially since he had a daughter of his own.

Able to clearly feel Tokiomi's fury, Kirei continued, "Caster uses magecraft unhesitatingly, and he does not even clean and tidy up the place after it. Under my father's instructions, workers from the Holy Church are clearing the traces they left behind at the scene. However, I'm afraid that even after today, Caster will not change his behaviors."

Servants attacking human beings, this itself is nothing abnormal. For spiritual beings who feed on prana to exist, Servants are not restricted on acquiring prana from their Masters. They can also procure energy by feeding on the souls of men. Masters who are incapable of providing sufficient prana to their Servants may use sacrificial ceremonies to make up for the inadequate prana.

Even in this Heaven's Feel, cases like offering sacrifices were still within the head of the Tohsakas' expectations; this is something without blame for magi. Magi themselves are already existences beyond common rules; they can and often do ignore morality and usual perception of right and wrong. If they have to sacrifice innocent people, as long as it is covertly and secretly done, silent approval is given, especially if it brings good results. However, reckless murders that risk the very secrecy of magic are not tolerated and such abusers are brought down swiftly by other magi.

For Tokiomi, to have such a serious thing to occur during Heaven's Feel was infuriating. The Heaven's Feel must be carried out in secret, this is a solemn rule for all contestants, and Caster was ignoring this. Tokiomi breathed in heavily, fury building up in him, then asked, "And Berserker?"

Kirei paused for a moment, "Something strange happened last night. I told you of my encounter with him, but I did not get around to telling you of what Assassin saw him do."

"What?" Tokiomi asked.

"It seems that he was killing people for food. His latest victim was hit from behind and had various articles from her groceries taken. However, he didn't kill his target, just…knocked her out. Unseen, unheard, a perfect attack."

"You think he wasn't the cause of the earlier attacks? Impossible, the first several attacks began when only Berserker and your Assassin were summoned." Tokiomi dismissed.

"Something has changed," Kirei insisted. "He spoke for the first time last night. He recognized Kiritsugu's voice and told him to save someone, though he was not clear on who needs to be saved. In addition, Assassin was able to watch him battle the mysterious woman and her new ally who casts ice magic at a level near sorcery. When Berserker fought them, he was different. For starters, he used his swords, a first. He was more aware of the terrain, and even used it against the enemy. There were several more aberrations, in the way Berserker moved. He's become cautions, quiet, leaving no evidence of his path."

"You have a theory?" Tokiomi asked.

"I do," Resei spoke up for the first time. "The Master, the boy, looked rather ill from the descriptions. Fever, pox, possible signs of prana exhaustion. It is possible that the boy was unable to control Berserker at all, especially with his A rank Independent Action. It is possible that the boy is finally strong enough to control Berserker to a certain degree. If Berserker continues as his is now, then that will be proof enough that Berserker's Master understands the need for secrecy."

"And the attacks continue because?" Tokiomi asked.

Kirei spoke up, "Your own daughter is a genius Tokiomi, but not even she would be able to fuel a Servant. The boy looks to be about Rin's age. It is possible for Berserker to restore his Prana levels through food. My father and I have consulted, and it might be that the attacks were all supposed to be like tonight. Attack without killing, however, the boy could not control Berserker enough to stop killing, only prevent feasting on souls." 

"What would you recommend?" Tokiomi asked.

"While we will call upon the other Masters to unite against Caster to preserve the secrecy of the Heaven's Feel ritual, I cannot do the same to Berserker at this time. If the Master of Berserker is now able to work in secrecy, then all is well. If not, then after Caster is defeated, we will do the same to Berserekr and his Master."

"Secrecy? Is that what you call fighting upon a river completely frozen into ice?" Tokiomi asked sardonically.

"That was the work of the two mysterious women." Kirei argued "Assassin is scouring the place for the two at this time. We're still unsure as to why they were in the middle of the river as Assassin only arrived at what we think was the middle of the fight. Berserker went completely out of sight until we think the women initiated the attack. In the middle of said fight, Caster sent his familiars against Berserker once more only for Berserker to crush them far easier, quicker, and more efficient than the last time, using little to no spells."

"I see, very well. That is the prerogative of the church." Tokiomi said. "But how will you get the other Master's to agree to work together."

Resei spoke up. "It is not well known, but any unused Command Seals after the war will be brought into the possession of the supervisor of the war." He looked down at his arm. "I will offer one Command Seal to whoever takes down Caster."

"I see, a tempting offer, and one that no Master would refuse." Tokiomi said, "Very well, I await your next communication." With that, the magic communication shut off.

Kirei waited until the communicator was in complete silence before leaving. Just as Kirei opened the door of his room, he felt a sense of wrongness, as if he had just walked into a wrong room.

It was neither the change of scent nor the change in temperature of the room. Overall, he felt a great change in the overall feel of the room. The plain room of his had suddenly emanated a luxurious and elegant feeling as if it is a palace. There was no difference in the settings and lighting of the room, no change in the Spartan decor. The only difference was the man who sits on the bench in the middle of the room.

Startled, Kirei frowned. "Archer?"

With golden hair standing upright as if it's burning and a pair of ruby-red eyes, this man in front of him was none other than Tōsaka Tokiomi's Servant, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. However, instead of wearing his original golden armor, this Heroic Spirit was donned in a modern white shirt and black pants with a small necklace with three gold circles around his neck.

Since he was summoned, Archer had been wondering around carelessly with his ability of Independent Action. But, getting tired of parading himself in his spirit form, Archer decided to dress himself in 'playing attire' to take on physical form on a whim while having a stroll in the streets at night. Although he had heard of Archer's idiotic deeds from Tokiomi, Kirei had never imagined that Archer would appear in his room.

Apparently, Archer was not ashamed at all at intruding other people's rooms, he had even removed a bottle of red wine from Kirei's cupboard and had poured himself a cup. Elegantly, Archer sipped the wine. "Despite being few in number, compared to Tokiomi's collection, yours is more high-class. What a presumptuous apprentice." It was hard to tell if that was a complement or an insult from the first king of man.

Still in the dark about the reason for Archer's visit, Kirei looked at the row of empty wine bottles on the table. Archer had gone and tasted every single one of Kirei's hidden wine stash. Kirei has a surprising habit that, once he hears of a wine of extraordinary quality, he would purchase it immediately. However, Kirei had never even tried one of his wines even once; all he did was increase to number of rare wines for his collection.

Kirei felt his eye twitch for some reason. "What do you want?"

Archer lifted up his wine glass and gazed meaningfully at Kirei. "Looks like the ones who are bored aren't just limited to me alone."

"Bored?" Hearing this reply, Kirei realized the meaning behind those words instantly.

Apparently, this heroic spirit had known why Kirei had gone out by himself to hunt Kiritsugu.

"What's wrong, Kirei? Are you also feeling unsatisfied with only obeying Tokiomi's commands?" Archer mocked

"So, are you still unhappy with your contract now, Gilgamesh?" Kirei evaded

Archer merely snorted, and took another sip of wine. "The one who summoned me here and has been providing me with prana is Tokiomi. So no matter what, I still have to treat him with Servant-like etiquette." After declaring this, a sliver of melancholic haze flashed in Gilgamesh's red eyes. "But frankly speaking, he is really a boring man, completely devoid of any interesting aspects. Wanting to achieve the omnipotent, wish-granting device to reach Akasha? What a pointless wish."

The only thing every magus yearns for even in their dreams, and Archer just laughed it off like a bad joke. Kirei was able to empathize with him. "The craving desire for the Root is something every magus has. Bystanders like us would not be able to comprehend it."

"So you admit you are merely a bystander." Archer says with a smile.

"The path leading to the Root can be said to lead to the outside of the world, which means that it will not bring any effect on this world. For the Church, which only focuses on the world, the magi's pursuit is downright pointless. We can only take their action as a meaningless plan."

Kirei continued, "If the Holy Grail of Fuyuki City is only a special device to reach the Root the Holy Church would just ignore them. Unfortunately, the ability for the Holy Grail to realize wishes is supposedly omnipotent. It is said that the Grail has unlimited power to change the world. If such a great power were to fall into wrong hands, it will become an existence which threatens our belief. This is the reason the Holy Church chose Tohsaka. Instead of ignoring this matter and let the grail fall into wrong hands, it is better if it is wasted on a boring, and meaningless wish like seeking the Root"

"What you mean is, the other Masters fight for the Holy Grail for reasons different from Tokiomi's?" Archer said with a small smirk

Kirei nodded his head in response to Archer's query.

"Then what about you? Kirei, what wish do you want to fulfill by getting your hands on the Holy Grail?"

At such a direct question, for the first time, Kirei hesitated.

"I…do not have any special wish."

At his vague reply, Archer's red pupils glowed

"How can that be possible? I thought the Holy Grail only summons those with wishes?" He said refilling his cup.

"It should be like that. But, I am not sure of the reason. Why would the Holy Grail choose me? Someone without any ideals to accomplish, someone without any cravings to fulfill, why was I chosen?"

"Is this something worth such frustration?" Noticing his heavy look, Archer could not help but to laugh loudly. "If it is not for any desire or ideal, won't merely seeking pleasure be enough?"

"How dare you! You want me, a disciple of God, to seek pleasures? How can I commit such a sinful act which would cause me to be condemned?"

"Sinful act? Condemned?" Looking at the serious expression of Kirei's, Archer felt more meaning to those words and began to laugh "Ahahaha. That was a leap in logic, Kirei. Why did you correlate pleasure and sin?" Archer asked "When were those two things one and the same? Ahahaha"

Kirei could not reply.

At Kirei's silence, Archer continued "Acquiring pleasures through sins is wrong, but humans do acquire happiness through virtuous means. If you say that pleasure in itself is sinful, does it make sense at all?"

"What pleasures? I do not even have them. That's why I will not seek it."

Finally opening his mouth, Kirei answered in a voice unlike him at all, unsure and hesitating. As if he could not find the answer and simply came up with something to end the conversation.

Archer scrutinized him and saw the distortion, then burst out in laughter again. "Kotomine Kirei, suddenly I have a new-found interest in you."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't mind me." Gilgamesh waved it off and leaned back on the sofa, speaking loudly. "Happiness is fundamentally a part of the human soul. There isn't any 'yes' and 'no' distinction. It is just whether you are 'aware' or 'not aware' of it. Kirei, you had only failed to find it from the depths of your heart. To experience happiness, that is the first thing to do."

"Mind you own business, Servant. Trying to educate me." Kirei said ruffled

Archer looked at Kirei seriously "This is no ordinary education. It is gained by a king from experiencing all the luxuries and pleasures of the world, listen carefully. Kirei. First of all, you have to understand something about this thing called entertainment."

"Entertainment?"

"Limiting your views is not the right way, you must broaden your horizon. Let's start by letting you experience my entertainments, how does that sound?" Gilgamesh offered generously

"There is no time for entertainment."

"Hey, don't say something like that. After accomplishing Tokiomi's tasks, you will have lots of time, eh? You duty is to dispatch spies to monitor the movements of the other five Masters, right?"

"You are correct." Kirei acknowledged

"In that case, you shouldn't just understand their intentions and battle strategies, find their reasons for seeking the Holy Grail and tell me about them. That's not something too hard for you, right?"

Indeed, this type of investigation did not diverge much from the assignment Tokiomi gave him.

Assassin, who observed the everyday life of its target, could easily record their conversations. By analyzing the content of the dialogues, the reason they sought the Holy Grail could then be deduced easily. All he had to do is just to ask Assassin to pay extra attention to this type of conversation.

"But Archer, why do you want to know such things?"

"I mentioned it before, right? I am interested in the behaviors of human beings. And among those who fight for the Holy Grail, there has to be one or two interesting Masters, right? At least more interesting than Tokiomi." He glanced up from his cup and smiled, "Like Berserker's Master, what could a boy wish for so desperately that he became a Master? Fame? Fortune? For one so young, I doubt it. He must have an interesting reason, of this I am sure."

Kirei nodded "Very well, Archer, I will do this, but this will take some time, especially with Berserker. He is an enigma"

"I have the patience to wait, it is no problem. In fact, I hope it takes a while, that boy looks like he will teach you many things Kirei." After finishing the wine from his cup, Archer rose from the couch. His movements caused not only the air to waver slightly; the glow within the room fluctuated with him as well. This Heroic Spirit who controlled all the creations of the earth seemed to emanate an invisible radiance from his entire body.

"I will come again to taste your delicious wine. You collection can even rival the heavenly wines. To leave them gathering dust in a monk's storeroom is such a waste." Archer admonished. Expressionless, Kirei neither agreed nor disagreed. Maybe Archer took his silence as consent. Wearing a satisfied smile, he left the room. Right after Archer left, the majestic atmosphere left the room leaving the room feeling plain and…empty?

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Kiritsugu? Who is that? Why does he need saving? The boy asked that question time and time again as he stood in the barren land with a hill in the center. All around him, countless ghosts of blades pierced the ground like grave markers. In the sky, giant gears turned, creating more and more of the ethereal blades to pierce the ground. Smoke was churning everywhere and sparks or fire filtered down like fireflies.

The gears made a horrific noise as they turned, ground, and forged. The gears looked rusted, like they had never been maintained, yet they kept on turning, kept on forging more swords.

Here in this dead place, the boy did not think about his surroundings, did not think about the meaning of this place, did not even think of how to get out of here. Instead, he thought of what he had heard. Saving, someone needed saving. Could he ignore it? Of course not, someone needed him, someone needed to be saved. He would not abandon them to their fates. He would save them, be a hero if he must.

But what could he do? He's short, his body isn't trained, he has no experience. Was it impossible to save anyone?

_No_

No, no it was not impossible. If he was short, he would counter it with something long. A sword, one of these countless blades could work for him. If he wasn't trained, he would train himself, here in this place. He knew time meant little here, infinite time could pass and barely anything would flow elsewhere. If he lacked experience, he would take it from somewhere. Each of these blades held the experience in them. Siphon the experience, take it within himself and make it his. Those twin blades, the white and black ones, those ones would be best to start with. So much experience was in them, forged by the need to be forged, not to be used. Yet, one had used them, for countless lifetimes they were used, then passed on to another to be used, and now…they were the boy's to use.

'_Kiritsugu, I'm coming'_

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	61. Black Zero 15

**Black Zero 15**

_The Wild Bunny by Sander Cohen: I want to take the ears off, but I can't. I hop, and when I hop, I never get off the ground. It's my curse, my eternal curse! I want to take the ears off but I can't! It's my curse! It's my ** curse! I want to take the ears off! Please! Take them off! Please!_

_They're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!_ _They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa_ _To the funny farm. Where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be_ _happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're_ _coming to take me away, ha-haaa!_

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Caster looked upon the children and smiled. With this, he would awaken her, he would awaken his Maiden from her slumber. Surely the sacrifices before him would awaken her memories. Her very being would not allow these children to suffer. With the promise of salvation to these children, Jeanne would do everything she could to save them.

"Oh Jeanne, my beautiful Rose of Orleans. You are as beautiful as ever, OH CURSE YOU GOD! You who torment her so, curse you and all your creations. Why do you insist on torturing her? She who worshiped you above all others, she who fought in your name and honor for France, and you let them burn her. You let them defile her, and now you defile her yourself, robbing her of her memories and leave only me as her one comfort. CURSE YOU GOD. I who once bowed to your majesty and did all I could to hear your voice. No More! I shall spit on your name, condemn all that you love and grind them into the dirt." On and on Caster ranted and raved for his Maiden and against God. It might have been disturbing to Kariya were it not for two facts.

One: This was probably rant number forty two or something. There is only so long anyone can listen to a rant before it just gets annoying.

Two: Kariya was busy being bombarded by demons. They ripped at his flesh then healed it anew. Never letting him die, but never letting him truly live in anything except a personal hell.

Kariya couldn't even scream as the demons defiled him in ways that was only matched by the insect pit in the deepest level of the basement. Any power he tried to summon up to us a command Seal was stolen away in an instant by the demons, keeping him bound in this unending hell while knowing he was helpless against Caster.

"Tonight I will awaken her, tonight she will remember it all and tell me how she truly feels about me. If she can remember me even when she cannot remember herself, she must have truly loved me. While she claimed to look on high, she glanced back at me. I'm sure of it!" Caster said in ecstasy.

Takami found herself clenching her hands until they pierced skin, "He got away, again?" She hissed.

"Hai," Yume said. "The man fought the two of us on the river and managed to flee in the ensuing chaos when the abominations appeared again."

"You speak of these abominations, yet I have never even heard a hint of their existence," Takami said suspiciously.

"If you want, I'll record them next time with my phone." Yume offered knowing Takami wasn't trying to offend; she was just worried for her son.

"Do it." Takami ordered. She then inhaled her latest cigarette trying to calm herself down. "So, he can match the two of you then?"

"More than match, he was holding back." Yume said regretfully. "When the monsters appeared, he moved faster, swung harder, displayed swordsmanship unlike anything I've seen before. I honestly think he could give Miya a run for her money." Takami's eyes widened at that a bit.

"Match Miya? Is that even possible?" Takami asked. Not even Karasuba could match Miya when she was serious. Miya could destroy entire fleets with a few swings of her sword.

"I don't know, but he was incredible." Yume said thinking back to the fight. "No matter how slick the ice was, he moved like he was in the middle of a dojo. He had total control of his footing, complete mastery of his terrain. The way he fought, it was like a typhoon." Yume said her voice rising with excitement. "Besides his swords, he used his knees, the back of his hands, his feet, his elbows, even his head. His entire body was used as a weapon to defeat the monsters." Takami watch was Yume began to gush over the fighting style of the black figure, talking about how he had spun on one leg using his leg as a counter balance and sliced apart dozens of monsters and crushed others with the spinning leg. If Takami didn't know better, she would swear that Yume was reacting.

Impossible

"Okay, I get it, he's strong. But how are you going to get my son back." Takami interrupted. Yume was silent at this. "Yume?"

"I don't know, if the two of us will be enough. We need more help." Yume said

"There is no more help." Takami cut off. "Karasuba has to stay behind, especially since there was a kidnapping attempt back at headquarters. Miya and Matsu won't move, none of the rest of the disciplinary squad have been seen for years. You two will have to be enough."

Yume bowed her head, "I understand, I'll think of something-"

Knock Knock Knock

Yume and Takami looked over at the door while Akitsu took a few moments before echoing the same. Was it housekeeping? Takami signaled Yume to get it. Yume looked through the peephole and gasped. She unlocked it quickly and threw open the door. "Kazehana-san!" Yume said surprised.

The purple clad Sekirei nodded at Yume, "The president asked for me to help." She said not looking at Takami. "Little Minato was taken, right?"

"Hai." Yume said feeling relief that one of the original guardians of the Sekirei was here. Number three, Kazehana was help that she could not pass up. "Come in, come in." Yume gestured. "I'll explain everything inside."

"I see, this is not what I was expecting." Kazehana said taking a jug of alcohol and drinking deeply. Yet, not even the taste of her favorite drink did much to ease her feelings. "He seriously matched you when you went all out?"

"Hai," Yume said. "It is shameful to admit, but he was even holding back on us."

"Hmm, interesting." Kazehana said taking another drink. "Well, do you have a plan to take him on?"

"Not yet." Yume said. "Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to integrate you into our strategies." Yume thought on Kazehana. "It would be best if you stayed back from him. Indirect support would be best. Gusts of wind to try to throw him off at opportune moments."

"Oh, so you want to keep him for yourself?" Kazehana asked with a smirk, "Really, if you are reacting to him, you only had to say so." "Eh?" Yume asked confused. "Reacting? What are you talking about?"

"Your cheeks are red." Kazehana said and began to squeal like a school girl. "Forbidden love between two mortal enemies forced to fight each other over a misunderstanding. Ah, how romantic." She said placing her hands under her hand while she gushed.

"Your- your wrong!" Yume yelled. "That's impossible, absolutely impossible." Her voice lowered, "I'm broken."

Kazehana smiled, "Oh, so embarrassed. Don't worry, I won't steal him from you like **some** women." Her eyes flicked over at Takami who was looking analytically at Yume.

"Yume." Takami asked, "Are you reacting?"

"NO!" Yume yelled. "There's nothing between us. He's the enemy, he stole Minato." She waved her arms in the air. Right now, Yume was beginning to regret having Kazehana here, the older Sekirei always had a way to destroy Yume's comfort zone.

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At the collapsed Fuyuki Hyatt hotel, the rescue teams worked frantically through the night. After the effect of Kiritsugu's hypnosis was lost, the evacuation personnel discovered that the Archibalds had not been evacuated from the building before it collapsed.

Because they were on the top floor of the hotel when the incident happened, rescue workers lost all hopes at finding them alive. Still, their bodies had to be found before they threw in the towel completely. Rescue workers quickly cleared the rubble at the scene using heavy equipment and machines removing tons of concrete as fast as possible. At the break of dawn, the rescue team that had toiled throughout the night to the point of exhaustion found something.

"You said you found something strange?" The chief asked. According to the workers, they found a silver sphere of about 3 meters in diameter amongst the rubble. No matter how they looked at it, the sphere did not look like part of the building materials at all. It was too smooth, like a fine sculpture, but too liquid-like to be a piece of art.

"Is this from the building? One of the decorations of the revolving restaurant on the top floor?" A worker asked

"Even if that is the case, this thing is perfectly undamaged. Isn't that weird?" The chief asked

At closer observation, its surface did indeed have no signs of damage at all. Reflecting bright light just like a mirror, it looks like it had just been polished.

"Mercury?" That's what it reminded the chief of, a giant ball of mercury that was somehow retaining its shape despite the conditions. Mercury at this temperature should be a liquid, it should not hold a shape, instead spill out like the liquid it is. The chief reached out to touch the material trying to determine what this outer-worldly material was. Upon touching it, his hand sank in as easily as putting a hand through the surface of water.

The ball suddenly sank inwards and a spark erupted around the chief's hand. The chief's head twitched for a moment and his pupils dilated then contracted in rapid fashion.

"Chief?"

"…et out of… have to…g…here" The chief muttered in a low tone

The nearby rescue workers grew puzzled expressions and looked at their chief. "Did anything happen boss?"

The chief suddenly turned to look at the men and said "We have to remove this thing from this place."

"Huh?"

"Use the truck to transport it away. Hurry!" The chief yelled booking no argument from the men that had worked with him for years. If the chief said they had to move it, then they would. This must be something big if the chief acted so strange. To a man, the crew looked at the sphere and felt a shiver of fear as they gazed upon it. None of them wanted this thing to be near them any longer than they had to. Several smarter men grabbed some chains and wrapped it around the sphere and attached them to a crane. The ball was easily lifted up and heaved into the back of a dump truck.

"Huh? Where's the chief?" One of the workers asked. The chief, who was just overseeing them seconds ago, had disappeared. From behind the backs of the busy rescue workers, the sound of an engine starting could be heard. The workers turned to see the chief in the driver's seat of the truck taking the ball away.

"Well, **." One of the foremen said, "I don't know what that was, but the boss clearly wanted that thing out."

"Any idea what that was?" another worker asked.

"No, and I don't want to know. If the chief thought he needed to personally get rid of it, then it's best not looking into unless he tells us." The foreman said trusting the man he had worked with for fifteen years. "Enough slacking off boys, we've still got two unconfirmed bodies to find. Clocks ticking." With that, the men went back to work frantically digging, forgetting about the sphere and focused on the job at hand.

Five hours later, at the outskirts of the city, a police patrol discovered the lost truck, with the chief still sitting at the driver's seat, unconscious. The silver sphere was missing from the truck and the chief was strangely non-responsive. He would be rushed to the hospital for possible injury or poisoning, but no evidence would be found. He would later wake up and without any memory of what happened. Even the memory of the sphere would be lost to him. The matter would be quietly lost in a discrete shuffle of paperwork courtesy of the Church. Only a few conspiracy theorists would try to clamp on to the elusive tale of the mercury sphere, and even they would have a hard time trying to put it together with the strange occurrences of the Fuyuki incidents.

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Night had fallen, casting ominous waves through the city once more. A heavy atmosphere hung over the pews of the church. Kotomine Risei would not help but chuckle at the ominous aura that filled the church though he was the only man in the room. The signal had been sent to the other Masters an hour ago to gather at the church, but only four familiars had come to this place.

Apart from Kotomine Kirei who had withdrawn from the war, Caster's Master who was…indisposed and would not have liked to hear the announcement, the other Masters had sent their representatives. All, that is, except for the boy, who neither heard the call to gather, nor was able to respond. None of responding the Masters bothered to show etiquette towards the church. The fact that only four Masters sent familiars made Risei frown.

Tohsaka Tokiomi had sent his familiar, a small golem in the shape of an owl. Risei knew the bat with a camera belonged to Emiya Kiritsugu. The small rat was probably the Archibalds. Oh, they had done a good job faking their death, but the church had secret methods to determine if a Servant was killed off or not. That would make the last golem belong to either the Matou's or one of the two other Masters, Waver or that Boy.

Still, it displeased Risei to know that not all the Masters even bothered to come or even send a familiar. The church, that was supposed to supervise this war was being ignored. It was possible that Caster was watching through some lost arcane Magic, but that left one of the Masters not responding at all. Inwardly, Risei suspected it was the illusive Master of Berserker.

That one was still completely under the radar of Risei, Tokiomi, and Kirei. They had no name, no residency, no linage, not even an idea of what powers the boy had. How he had accomplished that was either a testament of his or his Servants skills; that or the boy was incredibly lucky. Of course, a lucky Master/Servant was a dangerous combination. It doesn't matter how skilled and prepared one is if the enemy is gifted with the luck of the gods. Still, the priest needed to get this over with, the masters would not like to

"I had actually prepared the usual pleasantries of greeting the participants of this war," Risei said indicating a table laid out with various food and drink. "But it seems no one has come. So I'll go straight to the point. The War of the Holy Grail, which can achieve all of your wishes, is currently in great crisis. The Holy Grail is supposed to bestow power only to the Master and Servant who seek it, but now there is a betrayer. Ignoring the cardinal obligation of the Holy Grail, he and his Heroic Spirit misused the power granted them to satisfy their frivolous desires."

Risei continued. "We discovered that Caster is behind the serial killing and kidnapping cases over the last few cases which have happened lately in Fuyuki city and in other nearby cities with the exception of Berserker's blatant attacks. However, unlike Berserker who has only attacked in mundane ways, Caster has not been concealing the very nature of magic and has even endangered the whole of magecraft with his blatant disregard of secrecy."

Although there was no response from the familiars, the Masters who heard his words through their familiars should be wavering right now, at least slightly. Just like how Tokiomi reacted this morning; such is the usual reaction of a magus. With their reaction, Risei confirmed that yes, the Master of Berserker had not come. The reactions of the various Magi had been too similar, Risei had worded his speech to try to get a small sense of pride from the Master of Berserker. After all, controlling a mad Servant with A rank independent action was almost impossible. The fact that Berserker's Master had somehow restricted the killings and was possibly even getting the killings to stop was an achievement to be proud of.

Risei continued to speak "Caster is no longer your individual enemy, but a general threat to the summoning of the Holy Grail and the secrecy of magecraft. Therefore, I use authority of supervision I have at such critical times, to change the rules of the Holy Grail War temporarily."

In a strict voice he declared, whilst pulling up his right sleeve, revealing his right arm.

Although his body was old, the strong and muscular arm he once had during his younger days could still be seen. On his arm, are various tattoo-like images fully covered his arm from elbow to wrist. Of course, these were not just simple blots of ink on the arm, but actual Command Seals.

"These, are the things recollected from previous Holy Grail Wars, and entrusted to me as the supervisor this time's Holy Grail War. The inheritance of the Masters who lost their Servants before the final battle, their leftover Command Seals." After this proof, no one would doubt the authority of Father Risei as the supervisor. All the Command Seals not used in time were taken care of by him, the overseer. "I can transfer these reserve Command Seals to anyone based on my judgment. For all of you who control your Servants, I guess you all know the importance and value of these Seals?"

Although he was only facing the familiars whose only duty is to pass what they're hearing to their owners, they still shook with excitement. It was a shame that the Master of Berserker was not here. Any Master of the Berserker class would more than likely need the Seals more than any other Master. Though, once again, the boy may be an exception of the rules. Who was that boy? Was he the secret weapon of the Matous? Had Kariya been a mere stalking horse while the boy was secretly made a Master? Was the boy a secret weapon of a completely independent faction? Was he a weapon from a house that had lost in a previous war? The Edelfelts perhaps?

The boy was a question than needed answers quickly. Any Master that could remain this enigmatic was a powerful threat, especially if he continued to remain an enigma.

"All Masters should stop all current hostilities. Everyone needs to destroy Caster with all available speed. I will meet with the Master who manages to annihilate Caster and his Master, and bestow him an additional Command Seal for his efforts due to this special mission. If this mission is accomplished alone, only that person will be awarded; if several of you cooperated in this endeavor then all will be awarded. Once I have made sure that Caster is destroyed, the War of the Holy Grail will resume."

Father Risei rolled down his sleeve and further added. "If there are any questions, ask them now." There were none, only the sound of wings flapping and the scurry of small feet were heard as the Master's orders their familiars away.

Risei should have felt at ease after sending the Masters against Caster, after all, this would aide Tokiomi win this war. Instead, he felt a sense of wrongness, and he knew the reason why.

Berserker.

Whether the boy had intended to or not, he had become a wild card that no one could predict. Every action seemed like a piece in a puzzle, a hint of a large plot that could only be glimpsed on in tantalizing hints. Berserker's attacks may have been random, or they may have had a purpose. Perhaps Berserker and Caster were working together, hiding the actions of each other with blatant murders and kidnappings while darker ceremonies were laid. Perhaps the feud between Servants was a fake to hide an alliance. Every action of Berserker made no sense, yet there seemed to be a purpose. Had Berserker appeared alone, all the other Masters would have assumed that Berserker had probably killed off the Master when they saw how high a rank of Independent Action the Servant possessed.

Instead, the boy revealed himself, even if he was sick and weakened. It showed the other Masters, he could control the mad Servant, to a degree. How? That was the question, but it threw everyone off with his declaration. With his revealing act, he showed that despite his age, he was worthy to stand as an equal with the other Masters. Then there was the question of why he had made his Servant insane, after all, he was the second person to summon a Servant. Did the boy have some kind of hold that would restrict the Servant? It seemed likely. And the women? Where did they come from? Why did they attack

And then there was Berserker's response to Kiritsugu's voice. How had he recognized it was beyond anything either Kirei or Risei could determine, and then the message, 'Save him Kiritusug Save him

Questions, questions that left only small assumptions, that's what the boy was, a mystery, an enigma, and a wild card. His very existence was a question, and he was the spoon that stirred the pot in this war. Risei couldn't help but think that this boy, or his mysterious backers, was the true manipulator(s) of this war in some way. A ridiculous thought, but still it remained.

Either way, this war was certainly interesting.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Darkness, time for the hunt, time for offerings to appease the Light. The Enemy and the Dark Ones stole the offerings, they will pay. The offerings were for the Light, the Light deserves everything, they are jealous, they steal what was meant for the Light and take it for themselves. Curse them, curse them all. They will die, they will all die.

"Kiritsugu."

!

The Light speaks. Look Look Look, the light opens eyes, they see all and take everything in Glory to the Light

_(Actually they were unfocused and unable to see anything. The boy was starving, he hadn't had anything decent to eat in a long time and even the meager morsels were absent for over twenty four hours. While the fever had lowered, it was still high and the chicken pox weren't helping either. The boy spoke in his feverish dreams.)_

"Save him, I need to save him."

Orders, the Light gives the faithful orders. Turn to leave, to find this Kiritsugu, Light has orders. Bring Kiritsugu to the Light.

"I need to go." The Light speaks.

Ah, Light needs to go, to find, to hunt? Light orders, must obey must obey. Light is everything, Light is all. But where? Where is the target? Where is Kiritsugu? Don't know, have to find what Light wants, need anwers, can't find them, Light giving test. Must find the answers. Take Light, find one with answers, but who.

_The woman_

False offering, yesyesyes. That one has answers, must have answers if calling. Take Light there, find answers, beat out answers, then make pay for laying trap to Light. Offering refused Light, Kill. Kill false, but after find target. Light demands come first, Light always come first. Gogogogogogo

Wrap up Light, place on back and cover with metal. Keep safe on back, kill any Enemy and Dark Ones in path. Gogogogo Hunthunthunt. Find offerings, find target, find this Kiritsugu

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"Are you tired, Iri?" Kiritsugu asked his wife. She had been looking depressed lately.

Irisviel hid her melancholic expression and shook her head with a smile. "It's nothing, I'm not tired. Keep going." She urged him to continue the strategy plan.A map portraying the entire Fuyuki city was spread on the table in front of Kiritsugu.

"Two locations are the heart of the entire area. One is the residence of the Second Master, Tohsaka. The other Mount Enzo, which may or may not be the headquarters of Berserker and his Master. Both of them are covered with defenses that repel Servants in their own way. Mount Enzo, however, it both stronger and weaker than the Tohsaka manor. "

It'd be a lie to say that she's not tired, but Irisviel wasn't concerned with that, all she could think of was the fact that there was a fifth grail war, one with Illya serving as the host and as a Master at the same time. A war that Illya had died in, her heart ripped out. How could she care about being tired when she knew they had failed. Failed so bad that Kiritsugu could never see Illya again. Iri was proud that Kiritsugu had saved Shirou, but still…

"A powerful bounded field was established with the Ryūdōji temple on top of Mount Enzo. As a result, apart from Servants, all other natural creatures can only enter the bounded field through the mountain path. Saber needs to be careful of this when she's moving. However, considering you've been there before, you are probably more familiar with that than I am"

"Hai." Saber said, "I know all too well. If a Servant stands at the gates, it will require another Servant to distract that Servant to pass through and assault it. Sasaki Kojirou, though of the Assassin class was not a true Assassin. Instead, he was more like a weakened Saber class. Still, his one function was to guard the gate. I can honestly say, he ended up being one of the greatest fights of my existence. Had he opted to fight using his skill rather than face me head on, I would have probably lost."

"I see," Kiritsugu said frowning "That will be a problem. Apart from these two locations, there are two more key positions in Shinto where leylines gather. One is the Fuyuki church on top of the southern hill, and the other is the new housing development to the east of the CBD. To conclude, there are four key spiritual grounds in Fuyuki where it is properly equipped to carry out the Holy Grail's descent. We'll fortify these positions once the number of Servants have been narrowed down."

"So, as for our policies from now on. It seems all the other Masters will hunt down Caster first, right, Kiritsugu?" Iri asked

"Yes, that seems to be the case. The supervisor did say that there would be compensation for the effort." Kiritsugu said.

Saber knew all too well what the compensation was, and ever more so, what Caster was going to do. She knew how to counter it. Tonight, Saber would kill Caster. No mercy, no pity. She would not be fooled by the children. They were dead already, just demons taking the flesh of the children until summoned.

"However, concerning this Caster, it would be more advantageous if we did not join with the other Masters." Kiritsugu said with a cynical smile. Saber looked at that smile and saw it in a new light. That was the sign that Kiritsugu was suffering. He wanted to save lives, but his ideal prevented him from moving as Kiritsugu would save the greatest number of lives possible.

Saber wanted to tell Kiritsugu that it was all right, but what could she do? Iri still had the Grail inside her. Once the other Servants were defeated, Iri would die unless Saber could figure out a way to save Iri. Saber had racked her brains for a way to do this, but she came up with nothing. She looked up at Kiritsugu to see him looking at Saber, like he was expecting something from her. It took Saber a moment before she noticed, she should be opposing this plan. But, could she? The children were dead already, and Caster was coming tonight.

"As you wish Master." Saber said. "It is-" Saber bit her lip, "frustrating that we are not going after him, but I can see your reasons. Just…be careful Kiritsugu. The Counter Guardian version of Shirou followed that ideal to his death, and all he gained from his ideal was pain. Please, be careful."

Kiritsugu didn't reply, but Iri moved her hand to place it on Kiritsugu. To know that in one future, the boy Kiritsugu adopted followed Kiritsugu's even more staunchly that Kiritsugu himself was frightening. Kiritsugu at least enjoyed his time with Illya. That version of Shirou, however, hadn't taken any time to enjoy life. He had focused on the ideal every second until he died, and was then condemned. Perhaps, perhaps this is why they had faield in the Fourth Grail War.

"Kiritsugu," Iri said, "Will you not hunt down Caster, to save a few more lives?"

"No," Kiritsugu said with his blank look that masked his soul, "We will remain here."

"I see…" Iri said looking down.

"Do not worry, Iri," Saber said, "Caster is obsessed with me, he will come soon enough." '_Any minute now._'

Irisviel smiled at Saber, thanking her silently for that comfort, then asked a question that had popped into her head "How should we deal with the new rule of the war the supervisor had proposed? Didn't he want us to enter a ceasefire with all enemies apart from Caster?"

"Ignore that new rule." Kiritsugu dismissed. "The supervisor only provided the rewards for abiding with the new rule, not the details of the punishment you'd get if you break the new rule. If the supervisor really buggers us about it, we can just pretend we didn't know about this rule. Besides, I feel that the supervisor of this war cannot be trusted. He hides Assassin's Master as if he knows nothing about it. He's probably on Tohsaka's side."

"A wise attitude," Saber said not going into details of Kirei being the supervisor of the Fifth War. The less details she gave, the less contradictions would appear.

"Then the meeting's over. Irisviel and I will remain in the castle and prepare for Caster's assault. Maiya is to return to the city and gather intelligence. Report it to me if there are any changes there. Focus on Berserker if you can" Kiritsugu said remembering the phone call.'Save him? Who?'

"Yes sir." Maiya said nodding. She herself puzzled over Berserker and his strange words.'Berserker, what are you and your Master planning?' she thought.

Irisviel followed Kiritsugu to the balcony overlooking the front garden. "Kiritsugu." Irisviel whispered as she slowly walked up to Kiritsugu's back, her voice full of worry and sadness. When she looked at his back, she saw an image of him as a Counter Guardian, a broken spirit forced to kill and kill and kill even when his own ideal mocked him. What must it have been like for Saber to see that battle between Shirou and his future self? To see how two men fought for the same ideal and found different things. What must it have been like to see a man she loved, and Iri could tell Saber loved him, become so hollow? To see him hate himself so much that he wanted to kill his younger self?

Kiritsugu must have also felt her presence as he slowly turned around. Kiritsugu's expression was like a hurt and helpless child, forcibly holding back his tears. Kiritsugu looked as if he had been driven up against a wall. The Kiritsugu standing before Irisviel right now was so very remote from the figure of that powerful magus killer, a weak and cowardly man desperately seeking for salvation.

"Kiritsugu, you-" Iri whispered

Kiritsugu didn't speak, instead he hugged Irisviel tightly. His chest was shaking as he repressed sobs. In Irisviel's eyes, her husband's shoulders had always been strong and powerful, something others can rely on, but now her husband was as helpless as a baby sheltering in the arms of his gentle mother.

"If I-"Kiritsugu cried. Irisviel felt that her husband hug her tighter, to the point where it began to hurt her. Then, her husband's weak question whispered beside her ear.

"If right now I decide to throw away everything and run away from here Iri, will you leave with me? If I ran back, to get Illya and took the two of you far away, would you go with me?" His voice was full of sadness and despair. "I could save you both, free you both from this nightmare. I'll give everything I have for our family; I'll protect you and Illya with my life."

Irisviel understood what was eating her husband. He, like herself, felt fear knowing that in one lifetime, they had failed. They were gone, and Illya was left all alone in the castle. Right now, Kiritsugu was facing the greatest battle in his life. He had been told where his dream might take him, down a road of pain and misery, where he would have nothing but an ideal that betrayed him while he killed countless people, unable to save anyone.

Quietly, Iri asked him "Are we able to run away? We…"

"We can. Now there's still a chance." Kiritsugu replied immediately. But that wasn't believable. Kiritsugu only said that to allow his own heart to still cherish that illusionary hope.

"You're lying." Iri said gently, but cruelly. She knew the truth, she knew him better than anyone. Not even Maiya had seen all the sides of her husband. "That's impossible. Emiya Kiritsugu, it's impossible for you to run away. Giving up the Grail, giving up the ideal of saving the world. Impossible. You would not forgive yourself."

In her arms, Kiritsugu cried out, a pitiful sound of a breaking man knowing the path he was walking was damned, and he could not, would not leave this path no matter how much he wished to. "I'm so scared…" Kiritsugu sobbed uttering what he truly felt beneath the mask he always wore.

"At first, I was afraid of Kotomine Kirei. That guy used Kayneth as bait to lure me onto his hook. He's already guessed all my plans…But now." His fingers dug into her flesh, "We lost the war, you died, Illya was left alone and all I could do was focus my pain onto a boy and condemn him. The one person I saved, I condemned him to a fate worse than death. What kind of monster am I?"

"I won't let you fall my Love."Irisviel said gently as she caressed her husband's shaking back.

"I'll protect you. Saber and Maiya will also protect you. We won't let you become that way. If that was the path of the future, then we will fight the future, we will deny it and make something new." She placed a hand on his head, "We can change Kiritsugu, we are not forced to follow the same path. Saber proved that, Shirou changed his fate. We can too." In her embrace, she held the man that feared becoming a monster, a weak and cowardly man that had no pride. In her arms, she did all that she could to heal him, to sooth his aching heart. A touching moment, but one not destined to last.

Irisviel's chest suddenly throbbed painfully, and she couldn't help but tense up her entire body. Repeating and intensive vibrations appeared in her magic circuits as soon as she held the forest's bounded field within her own magecraft.

That was the alarm system for the barrier around the Einzbern property at the edge of the forest.

"Here already?" Her husband muttered beside her ear. Calmly he returned to the resolute and cruel tone of the Magus detected that something had happened just by seeing his wife's expression. Irisviel nodded silently and left her husband's embrace. "Fortunately, he came before Maiya left. Now we can smash him face on. Irisviel, prepare the crystal ball used to look into the distance."

"Right." Iri said.

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	62. Black Zero 16

**Black Zero 16**

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_"Wars are fought to gain a certain objective. War itself is not the objective; victory is not the objective; you fight to remove the obstruction that comes in the way of your objective. If you let victory become the end in itself, then you've gone astray and forgotten what you were originally fighting about."_

_- Jawaharlal Nehru,_

_My twin is the sword and I am the sheath. She cleaves the evil in a brilliant display of skill and I contain it within me, preventing it from escaping. She dances amongst the enemy paving the way to victory and I bind the darkness within. We are a powerful pair, none can stand against our combined might, not even the strongest of our siblings could match us when we fought together. But our days of fighting side by side were few and now finished, and I regret that more than anything…save one. –Emiya Kiritsugu II, the Black Knight, two weeks before he vanished over the Pacific Ocean_

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"Caster." Irisviel said in wonder and horror at the same time. Irisviel, Kiritsugu, Maiya, and Saber had gathered in the meeting room. In Iri's hands was a crystal ball that dislayed the image of the intruding Servant.

There he was, in his inky black and ill colored purple cassock with crimson red stains that looked like blood and with an aura so evil around him that the very trees seemed to wither in his path.

"But, what's he going to do?" Iri muttered. Caster was leading dozens of individuals with him into the forest.

Children. The oldest only looked like primary school students. All the children staggered as they walked like they were sleep-walking, while Caster walked at the front like a shepherd leading his flock. There was no doubt that these children were under the control of Caster's magecraft. Apparently Caster had seen the supervisor's notice and rule change and had decided to be proactive. Kiritsugu looked at the children and recognized them from missing children lists from Fuyuki and various nearby towns.

"Iri, what is his location?" Kiritsugu asked

"Within two kilometres northwest of the castle." Iri said. She frowned as she saw him halt his march. "It seems that Caster doesn't intend to go further into the forest."

If Caster went any deeper towards the center of the bounded field, then Irisviel could support Saber in battle. However, as if Caster saw through Irisviel's intentions, he started circling around the outside of the bounded field.

Just like last time…

"Irisviel, the enemy is baiting us to come out." Saber said. "However, I have a bad feeling about those children." Saber said warily. "Bluebeard was famous for his merciless atrocities upon children. Add in his ability to summon demons and I fear it is a trap." She bit her lip at that. There was nothing Saber could do to save them. These children were already dead, sold to demons for assistance with their perverse summoner. The best Saber could do was give these children a quick death, burn their bodies to prevent them from being defiled by the demons any longer, and kill Caster before any more children were sacrificed.

"A trap? Not hostages?" Iri asked nodded.

"Probably, they carry the seeds of demons in them. They would be eaten by the demons and sent against me hoping to use my disgust as a way to hold me down. These children, unfortunately, cannot be saved."

Iri looked down at the children with sadness. These children were doomed no matter what anyone tried. To be killed so early in their life for such cruel reasons, it was tragic, heartbreaking even. Iri looked at them and saw her own daughter in their reflection.

At that time, Caster's fish-like eyes suddenly looked up. Could it be that he had already sensed Irisviel's spell? Without uttering a word of power or an aria? Strong, Caster was a powerful enemy and magus. Caster stared at Irisviel's direction and lifted his arms and bowed through the image. It was such a simple thing to do for the magus Heroic Spirit.

"As promised Jeanne, I have come to visit you and free you from God's curse." The crystal ball wavered as Caster took control of it from his position and transmitted his voice from the receiver that was never meant to send sound, only images. "Now, please give the order, to send the holy maiden and allow me to be in her divine presence once again." He held his hand out as if asking a lady for a favor, "Now, hurry hurry hurry, send the order."

Irisviel stared at Saber, wondering if she should give the command. The Servant of the sword had already made the preparations to fight; it was Iri who was hesitating. It was Iri who didn't want to send Saber forth and end those children's lives. Saber was ready to do what must be done and free those children from their horror.

As if he saw through Irisviel's thoughts, Caster's face grew scornful, "Ah, it looks like you still can't make up your mind. As expected, but I came prepared to pass the time as well."

Caster clicked his fingers. The children who were obediently following Caster's back all the time opened up their eyes as if waking up from a dream. The children looked about themselves helplessly, as if they couldn't figure out where they were. Caster spoke to them in a patronizing voice, oozing sympathy "Listen children, we're gonna play hide-and-seek. The rules are simple. Just run away from me. If I catch you – "

Caster's hand stretched out and grabbed the nearest child beside him.

"Stop!" Iri knew that her words would have no effect, yet she couldn't help but yell out. Saber reached forth and covered Ir's eyes quickly before Iri had to see the sight of Caster crushing the boy's skull in. Brain matter sprayed in all directions and eyeballs slid down in the air. A gruesome death for a little boy, but par for the course for Caster's cruelty.

The children let out a harrowing scream and scattered everywhere as fast as their little legs would take them. Caster stood in the middle of the clearing and laughed loudly and happily while licking his blood-covered fingers with his tongue. "Ahahaha. Hurry up and run. I'll start chasing you after I count to a hundred." He looked up, "Come Jeanne, before I catch all the children, hurry up and come to me. I will free you from God's grasp.

Irisviel couldn't hesitate anymore when she saw this scene. It was impossible to wait, to see those children killed before her eyes even though she knew it was a trap. That child who was killed and then discarded was exactly the same size as her own daughter Ilya. All she could see when she looked at that ruined body was Illya dying in the Fifth Grail War.

"Saber, defeat Caster for me."

"Hai." Saber turned to leave when a familiar roar came from the crystal

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅"Berserker Roared as he blazed towards the scene. Iri took control of her crystal once more and focused on the scene. Tree and rocks flew out of the way of Berserker as he charged forward. A girl looked up and screamed right before she was beheaded by the mad Servant.

"YOU!" Caster screamed. "Was it not enough when your people BURNED HER Prince? DID you vow to claim her SOUL as well? NO MORE!" The children that were running suddenly stood shock still then turned and ran back at Berserker, their bodies distorting as they neared. Five more children died instantly, cleaved apart by Berserker's blade.

Xxxxxxx

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Dark Ones, hiding in the Shadow Ones. Think the faithful are blind, think the Light is blind. Kill Kill Kill and end the Dark ones. Kill them all. Burn their bodies, dedicate their dead to the Light. Kill Kill KiLlLlL

_They come, THEY COME_

**What?**_**  
><strong>_

Fire and Ice, burn and freeze, clear the bodies, destroy Shadow and Dark. Leave nothing to be fed upon. Leave their bones as ash and dust. Grab the screaming one and impale on a tree. Ram hand against head so hard it shatters, BURN. Grapple and rip apart Dark one emerging from Shadow. Take corpse and impale it through new Shadow. Kick, punch, cleave, spin, dodge, counter with shield. Splatter their fluids. Smash, rend, tear, kill. Show them the power of the Faithful to the Light. Only the Faithful will be rewarded by the Light, all others will fall by the Faithful. Only death awaits the Shadows and Dark Ones. Impale Shadow to tree, it writhes in pain, good, all is good. Remove sword, cleave in half. Shadows screams, Shadows dies. Dark Ones rage, Dark Ones Die.

_Three more on the left, a quick spin and slash will deal with them. Two of the two legs are bulging, prepare to be attacked by something._

**Where**?

End their retched existence, silence their screams Buzz? What Buzzing? Small Dark Ones, bursting from the shadows, Large Dark Ones feed on Shadow as they grow. Squish with fist, crush with boot, destroy with knee and sword. Send fluid flying. Burn small ones, arc lighting to burn more. Swing shield to take out hundreds. Protect the Light, let none touch the Light. The Light commands and the Faithful will serve. Grab Shadow, crush in fist, savor the scream. Burn, burn, burn Shadows. They dance in the fire. A tribute to the Light even as they fall. They beg the Light to save them, the Light ignores them. They will not be saved. They are faithless, they will die. Only the Faithful will be granted the Light's words of praise.

_No Mercy, no prisoners, we cannot afford to be bogged down. Fast and hard, keep up the momentum and the battle will be won._

**Who?**

They are not worthy to bask in the Light, they are not worthy to kiss The Light's feet, to touch the Light, to Embrace the Light. They will die screaming in the night, begging for the Light to save them. Impale Dark Ones on sword, grab one and sling it against others crushing them. Kill KILL Kiiiiiiilllllll

_Speed is the key, if they cannot catch, they cannot win. The hawk will never be defeated by the sloth, the worm will never catch the cricket._

**Who am I?**

Burned by Dark One, spat acid at Faithful. Death to the Dark Ones

!

The Light, the Light is flying! Nonononononononono NO KILL KILL KILLL PROTECT THE LIGHT!

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Iri had turned away from the crystal so as to stop seeing the children die. Berserker ripped through them like a juggernaut and burned their bodies at lightning speed. Berserker, though she had seen how he fought before, it was only at this moment that she truly understood what it meant. No mercy, no pity, just blind rage and hate at anything deemed an enemy. Only the mad or the cruel could cut down those children without hesitation, without a shred of confliction.

"Mommy Mommy Momm-Aaaaaagh!"

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅"

"Help me, please, Help me-eeeeeeeee!"

"▄▅▄▅"

"No, Noooooaaaaagh!"

"Yadda, yaddaaaaaaaaaa!"

"▄▅▄▅"

Iri covered her ears trying to cover up the sound of the children dying. Again and again she saw Illya dying at the hands of this creature and shivered and sobbed. She didn't feel the hand of Saber rest on her shoulders as she tried to block out the horrific sounds of the children dying. _'How could anyone do that to children?'_

Saber gazed upon the crystal with a stoic expression, no trace of emotion slipped from her mask. Yet, she was not unmoved by the sight. Saber watched on with a storm of emotions hidden within her mask.

"I don't want to die. I don't want-"

**Relief**: She would not have to do this. The children were dead already, all that changed was how they died. Rather than being hunted down with sickening glee by Caster, they died quickly by Berserker's hand. Rather than staining her own hands, Berserker was doing what needed to be done himself. Each child that died was killed with a single stroke of Berserker's blade, smashed by his fist, stomped by his boot and knee, or died from the collision with his armor at high speed.

"Please, ple-!"

**Grief**: These were children, harmless, innocent children manipulated by Caster's madness for a foolish mistaken identity. All those poor little ones, snuffed out of existence because of this foolish war. How many had died already for the cursed cup that only granted miracles through destruction? How many more would die if Caster would not die this night.

"Kaa-san, Tou-sa-!"

**Anger**: Berserker killed them without pity, without even a shred of remorse. How callous. To disregard the lives of the children and merely see them as enemies. How low had this man, this Servant fallen to not be phased in the slightest by what he was doing. Did he not realize what he was doing? Humans, once they stand at the edge of life and death, they will become ugly, despicable and evil. On the blood-stained battlefield countless men become demons themselves, blood lusting, cruel, and callous demons that live for the moment, ending the lives of their fellow man for a rush of excitement.

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅"

**Disgust**: Berserker was a knight, there was no denying that. The way he had moved when she first saw him, that dignity that remained even when his mind was ripped apart had proven without a doubt that he had sworn an oath. To who? Impossible to tell, but Berserker had made an oath, and he was now spitting upon it. A knight must proudly illuminate the entire battlefield by inspiring awe with his justice, not swamp the land in fear and hate. Put aside his own anger, sadness and anguish and focus on the greater good: that is the duty a knight must bear. When Saber had first seen him, she had felt that Berserker had understood. The way he protected Shirou, uncaring for the wounds he felt himself, surely Berserker had been a worthy and honorable foe. Now look at him, nothing more than a Mad Dog, just as Gilgamesh had called him.

"Monster, mons-"

**Fear**: This was what was supposed to be protecting Shirou, this dark, cruel, insane monster? Saber had no idea how Shirou had controlled Berserker, but it was clear he was not right now. Shirou would never let any Servant of his kill these children. Berserker was truly an uncontrollable Servant. One that needed to fall quickly before Shirou was put in any more danger.

The last of the children were silenced by Berserker, the little boys' bodies were burned to the bones in seconds.

She watched as Berserker took a close call with a demon, and saw something melt on the front of the Servant's armor. Feeling a sense of deja-vu, Saber watched as the shield of Berserker flew off once more with a certain figure. Saber's eyes widened in fear as she saw Shirou.

There, there he was, and she wasn't there. Saber turned to run when she saw Iri collapse. "Iri!" Saber cried.

"I'm fine." Iri said as she tried to get up, "But another Servant has crossed the barrier."

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Fire, fire everywhere in the land of infinite blades, it was his only warmth in this inhospitable land. Ash, smoke, cinders, and of course, blades. All alone, surrounded by the countless blades sunk into the ground like graves. The gears turned creating more and more swords that impaled the ground, testifying for something that was lost. The world was endless, and so were the blades. The sheer number was beyond human comprehension. Blades of Victory, blades of Loss, Holy blades, Cursed blades, Ordinary blades, Epic blades, each of them had a history, a story, a memory. Yet, no matter the blade, each one was planted into the ground like a grave, signifying the end of something.

Yet, the boy noticed not, cared not a bit.

_Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him._

The boy knew he was not Kiritsugu, he knew not why, but he did. Someone needed him, he who was lost and broken, someone needed him. A call, a plea, a heart wrenching wish uttered in despair. The boy had heard it and grasped onto it like a drowning man would a lifesaver. He had purpose, he had a reason, and so he had to do something. Blades, each of them had a history, a memory, all for the boy to take. He had grasped the twin blades, learned what he could and found a way. It was foolish, suicidal even, but the boy did not care. He had no value for his own life. Kiritsugu, that one had value. Someone had begged for him to be saved, such a heartbreaking wish had been just what the boy needed as he burned. It kept him going, to stay away from the light and plunged into this burning world.

The boy put down the twin blades and searched for more memories, more lessons, more experience. He walked forward feeling out the blades. Some were strong, powerful artifacts that promised great power, but they were not what the boy was looking for. No, the boy needed something, something that would save, not destroy. He walked and walked for an indeterminate time, searching, ignoring blades that could cleave mountains, decimate armies, bend the laws of reality, and even guarantee the death of enemies no matter the protection. He walked, climbing the lone hill covered in swords and blades, heading for something on top.

He passed a blade the size of a man, made of a black rock that had served as a giant's grave, he passed a red lance that would always find a way to pierce the heart, he passed a sword that granted three miracles, he passed a strange set of daggers attached to a chain, he passed a sword that chose the path to victory, he passed a sword that brought ruin to the one that held it, he passed a sword of gold that guaranteed victory. He passed so many blades that were unfamiliar, yet familiar, until he came upon two blades.

One was a two handed sword, covered in runes while the other was a single handed sword also covered in runes. Unlike the other blades that he had passed, these two had called him, two blades that he seemed to know far better than all the others. As he touched them, he knew, he had made these. Somehow, in some time, these very blades had been forged by his hands and covered in runes etched by his own talents. He looked deep into the blades and fell into an all-consuming blackness.

When the boy opened his eyes in the darkness he saw nothing, but he heard, he heard the sound of marching; the sound of countless feet moving in a single direction. The boy turned towards the noise and watched as a set of red eyes came from the darkness, then another set, then two, then ten, then a hundred, a thousand, tens of thousands, maybe millions of red eyes flickering in the darkness.

"This is not your road," A firm but soft voice spoke. The boy turned to see the outline of a man in the darkness with a set of red eyes of his own. "We march to find the one, to march towards the one that started it all. You have your path, go back to your world, your choices. We made ours, and we gladly bear the sins that came with them."

"Are you Kiritsugu?" The boy asked.

"…why do you ask child?"

"I have to save Kiritsugu." The boy proclaimed.

"Hmpf, admirable of you. For one so young to wish to save, clearly you belong on another path." The man spoke, "If you wish to save him, then tell him this, we are coming. Across the infinite spans of the Root, unaware or caring of the time that passes, we are coming. We will find you."

From the marching horde, countless voices spoke up.

"We come My love."

"My Master,"

"My Servant"

"My Father,"

"My Captain"

"My Leader"

"My Lion"

"My Lord."

"My Emperor,"

"My Knight"

"My King."

"My General"

"My Friend,"

"My Dragon"

"My Rival"

"My Idol"

"My Ideal"

"Myself." The man said to the boy. "Tell him that, and he will be saved."

"I will," The boy said.

The man gestured, and the boy found himself falling. As he fell, he heard the man speak a poem, a warning in verse.

_The only the dead should seek glory_

_For it is already the end of their story_

_No matter their death, peaceful or gory_

_The living have no need for this quarry_

_You who choose the path of salvation_

_Stand on the brink of your damnation_

_Beware the devil and his temptation_

_And do not fall into stagnation_

_Remember to always value your own life _

_To know your limits in your desperate strife_

_For your life also belongs to your wife_

_And she __**will**__ chase you down with a knife_

_Go lord and master of your own fate_

_I know that you will be mighty and great_

_You will be a legend if you keep straight_

_And only take what you can carry on your plate_

_We shall meet again at a later date_

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The boy opened his eyes and saw something black reach for him.

"Trace On," The boy spoke. A sword appeared and skewered the demon in an instant. The boy summoned a certain pair of Chinese blades and held them in his hand. Moving like a sleepwalker, his eyes unable to focus on anything while his mind delved into the sword began to spin. He began to swing, he began to fight.

"I am the Bone of my Sword"

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	63. Black Zero 17

**Black Zero 17**

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_No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, I will find you. I will hunt you down and kill you, slowly. Your weapons will be useless, your traps will be evaded, your friends will betray you, and all that you held dear will be destroyed before your very eyes. You have harmed my family; there will be no second chance – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_Where they flee, I charge; where they whimper, I snarl; where they do not expect, I prepare for; what they fear, I embrace. I am a god amongst men, and I hate gods. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

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The boy moved, slowly at first, but speeding up faster and faster cleaving apart demons in his path. "_I am the bone of my sword_." The twin Chinese swords were cleaving the demons with ease. The boy instinctively ducked as tentacles lashed at him. The boy then cleaved off the tendrils and spun to face another foe. Again and again he moved, slaying foes far stronger, faster, and bigger than him. The swords called, they sang a song of death upon the demons. These two blades that had been created for the sake of being created had been altered through countless uses, countless battles, countless times alone and outnumbered. The blades sung the song, and the boy danced to their tune.

A dozen demons leaped in the air trying to kill the boy, the boy braced himself for the attack, but there was no need. A scream of rage and hate ripped through the air as fire and lightning scoured the demons. The demons screamed in pain as a black monster destroyed them, grinding them into paste. The red and gold eyed figure screamed again and again as it removed all that tried to near the boy.

"Save him Kiritsugu, Save him." The boy muttered. Faster, he had to go faster. Someone needed him. Someone needed to be saved. No matter the cost, no matter the pain, the boy had to go. Faster, he had to go faster, this body was too slow, too untrained. The mind was ready but the body is weak. The spirit is steadfast, but the body is uneasy. Then, if this body is weak, then it needed to become stronger. "_Steel is my body…"_

*Crack Crack Crack*

It burned, it burned so bad, but the boy kept on moving. The boy moved forward charging into the thick of the demons moving according to the song, the dance, the will of the blades. Rather than controlling the blades, it would be more accurate to say that the blades controlled the boy. He was different, wrong, broken. He had broken in a different way, and danced differently. The boy did not sip from the blades and use them like a master swordsman, he drowned himself into the blades using them as they had in the past, in the present, in the future. The boy was not a wielder of blades, he was an extension of the blades. As he charged into the horde, the black man stayed right on his heels.

The demons leaped and the boy spoke.

"Save him."

"▄▅▄▅" The mad Servant roared. As fast as lightning, it charged ahead and spun, swinging blades so fast, they were a blur to the eye. On the armor, engraved runes activated as prana was poured into them. The boy had given an order, and the Servant aimed to please.

"It can't be…he wasn't using the enhancement before?" Caster screeched seeing Berserker moving faster, swinging harder, destroying demons quicker by an order of magnitude. All this time, Berserker had fought without the enhancement part of Mad Enhancement? Madness, insanity, where did this Servant come from, the bowels of Hell? Did nothing faze Berserker, did nothing slow him down?

The formerly black colored figure was ablaze with countless red runes glowing on the armor. Yet, even still, Caster could not identify the origin of the runes as Berserker's strange ability distorted the very air around him. Caster could barely even see Berserker as he moved, cleaving the demons apart while the boy moved forward and killed the few that had evaded Berserker's wrath.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Save them, The Light had ordered they be saved. The Faithful obey the Light. The only way to save the Dark Ones is to give them a quick death. They will be born anew as one of the Faithful. Kill Kill Kill, Save Save Save. The Light commands, the Faithful OBEY. No matter the cost, no matter the numbers of Dark Ones and enemies, the Light shall receive all.

Xxxxxx

"_And Fire is my Blood_." The boy spoke as the demons died all around him as he moved. He did not notice the pain, the feeling of countless blades piercing his boy. He moved forward towards what felt right. Deeper and deeper into the forest he moved, the black man supported him, clearing the way and covering the boy's back at all times.

Had Saber seen this, she would have been proud…probably…maybe.

But right now, Saber had other issues to deal with, namely Lancer and Archibald coming from the East and Kirei coming from the North. With Bererker and Caster to the South, Saber knew they were boxed in. The west was covered by a harsh mountain range that would hamper any humans trying to cross. At the moment, it would be foolish to try to flee the mansion. Instead, Kiritsugu and Maiya were turning this place into a fortress. Booby-traps, mines, gun stashes, etc. The whole place was going to be a battle ground soon. Saber was busy standing atop the Mansion waiting to jump down and intercept any Servant that came near the Einzbern's property. She had no time to watch the crystal, she had to respond to the threats that had come for them.

Irisviel held her breath and gazed unblinkingly at the battle in the crystal ball. Though she had to keep an eye on Lancer and his Master, as well as Kirei, she couldn't help but turn back towards the battle between Berserker and Caster.

Considering the special abilities of Servant classes, Berserker had an overwhelming advantage over Caster when they battle. That in of itself was strange, normally Casters have an overwhelming advantage over Berserkers. Though the Mad Servant is supposed to be the physically strongest Servant in the War, traditionally they are weak against the forces of magic sent by Casters. But, once again, this Berserker defied the norm. Instead of being weaker against Caster's magic, he was stronger. So strong in fact that Iri suspected that Berserker had a hidden skill that boosted his attacks against demons. That, or one or both of those hidden swords is responsible. No, it can't be that. The way Berserker moves, it's too different, too varied to rely on the swords. Berserker kills with his feet and fists as easily as he does with sword and shield. No, Berserker is used to this kind of battle, he is used to fighting monsters…somehow.

What's more, the way he defeated the demons required little to no magic as far as Iri could tell. Basic fire and lightning spells were used to burn the bodies, but nothing as spectacular as the great lightning strike back at the docks. Faced with the monstrous tentacles that continuously attacked him and his Master, Berserker was a whirlwind of death. Every time Berserker swung his swords, monsters would be cleaved apart in the air, turned into mincemeat and then ground into goo before being burned to a crisp. Only a few Demons got past Berserker, and those were easily dispatched by the young boy.

Never before had Iri seen anyone fight like that boy did. It looked like some sort of sleep walking, the boy didn't focus on anything, he just swung his swords while his eyes remained unfocused. Was this some sort of lineage of another family, turning a child into a weapon without the boy understanding? The Einzbern had clearly done so in the Fifth Grail war is Saber was any indication. Perhaps the family had decided to copy the boy's appearance and ability for the Fifth. It would keep to the pattern, a young Master summoning a powerful Servant as Berserker, Herakles for Illya, and this mysterious Servant for the boy.

The battle of the forest reflected in the crystal ball was definitely not an optimistic situation no matter who won. If Berserker won, the pair would head immediately for the castle, if Caster won, he would be free to commit more atrocities at his leisure. Either one was a bad outcome for her husband Kiritsugu. If Berserker killed Caster, that boy would be given a command seal later while being free to attack them with the other intruders. If Caster won, he would have time to amass more children for his evil spells and summons.

Facing against the countless tentacles that continuously attacked them, neither Berserker nor Shirou hesitated for a single moment. Fast and hard they moved cleaving apart any demons that stood in their way. Though they threw themselves at the pair, not a single demon lasted more than a second against them. They were unstoppable. Wave after wave, the demons threw themselves at them, and all that was left of the demons were cleaved and burned bodies. Some demons tried to reform from the carcasses, but the damage was too severe, they could not be reborn from the flesh of the dead. From the pools of blood, shapes moved and squirmed, only burned before anything formed.

Caster had planned on overwhelming the duo with sheer numbers, but numbers counted for nothing. On and on the demons came, and every single one of them perished. It seems that Caster plans to fight a drawn-out battle backfired. Berserker did not tire out, his energy seemed limitless, and his hate seemed unmatched. The trap Caster had prepared for Saber had caught a completely different prey, one that was not trapped at all. Instead of catching a woman, Caser caught a monster…

"How far have the other Masters made it into the forest at the moment?" Kiritsugu's voice came from behind Irisviel, taking her by surprise. She had been so engrossed by the battle that she hadn't noticed her husband entering the room.

"Both of them are less than a mile away." Iri said. Honestly, if Saber hadn't pointed out that some Magi would enter the forest in the direction completely opposite of Berserker, she would have never noticed Kirei coming towards them. Lancer and Archibald were easier to spot as Lancer radiated power as he moved.

Obviously, Kiritsugu cared about the precarious situation with Berserker and Caster, but they had other problems to deal with. Kiritsugu had placed various grenades and small machine guns into the suspender beneath his jacket. This is something quite unbelievable, the preparation of a magus about to enter battle with modern weapons. However, Irisviel saw that the holster by Kiritsugu's waist contained his special gun that Kiritsugu only carried at crucial moments. A certain gun that made him so dangerous to mages that he gained the title of Magus Killer. She understood that her husband had made the preparation to fight the best he could.

"Maiya, take Iri to the basement and secure it the best you can." Kiritsugu ordered. Flight was pointless, it would only invite an attack coming from one of the various opponents. Maiya nodded indicating she understood the order. But Irisviel couldn't conceal her worry and uncertainty.

"Will you be alright?"

"Saber will be on hand if anyone tries to enter. With the various Masters heading for the castle, the best place to protect you is in the basement. Though the castle is no longer safe, I will protect you Iri."

So many Masters were taking advantage of the chaos and attacking Saber and Kiritsugu while Berserker and Caster were busy fighting each other. In a way, the church's special edict was being completely ignored by the Masters. They had determined that Saber was the greatest threat, not Caster, and so the enemy Masters had made their move. Risking their own hands to ensure that Saber was defeated here.

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He was going too slow, no matter how fast he wanted to move, he was too slow. Kiritsugu needed to be saved. How could he do so while being this slow? Shirou kept moving in what he felt was the right direction. Something, something told him in the back of his mind that this was the right way to go. In the north was something, someplace that this Kiritsugu might be. Shirou pushed himself as much as he could, he had to get north, he had to get to Kiritsugu.

As he ran, he heard the foul smelling one yell. "Damn you boy, damn you and your pet demon Prince. You will not touch her, you will not have her, you will harm my Jeanne. I'll bury you all first if I have to. I'll cut out your tongues and offer your hearts to her on a platter. I'll-"

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" the black man roared cutting off his tirade. The Mad Servant was close enough to attack and all but a few of the demons were dead. Swinging his sword he charged at the Caster who vanished in a puff of red smoke that smelled of blood. Screams of rage could be heard in the air as Caster fled for his life.

"I have to go faster." The boy muttered. The black man must have heard him as he suddenly grabbed Shirou and lifted him off the ground. The very earth seemed to explode in a cloud of dust, then the sound of a horse could be heard. In a moment, Shirou found himself astride a horse with the black man behind him, protecting him. It was nice, but Shirou had to save, he didn't want to be saved. Instead of him, the man should have gone to save Kiritsugu. But they were going north towards whatever lay ahead of them.

"Save him Kiritsugu Save him…huh." Shirou said trying to relieve the pain in his body. Strangely, it felt a like it wasn't hurting as much anymore. Looking up, the black man had strange eyes. One eye glowed crimson, like fire or lava, just looking at it made Shirou want to shudder in fear. However, the other eye was a complete contrast to the red eyed, the other one glowed with a golden color. It was a warm color, that seemed to calm Shirou's fears, it seemed to push away the eerie feeling the red eye gave, and just looking at it made the world hurt a lot less. Shirou reached up to touch it, to embrace that golden light, and felt a hard resistance. Shirou frowned slightly, that didn't feel like an eye.

A part of Shirou wondered if it was a good idea to touch someone's…eye, but the golden light seemed to call for him. It called, and demanded to be used, to be held in the right hands.

"**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**" The man suddenly spoke. Shirou was taken aback by the strange voice, it seemed to be a male, a female, a child, an old man, and many more at once yet none at the same time. It was a powerful voice, and one that hid the intent of the words, still, Shirou had to agree.

"Yes, we're going to save him." Shirou agreed. Together, they would save this Kiritsugu. For whatever reason he needed saving, they would be there to do so. It seemed so natural, so right ot go and save this unknown man, it seemed so right, like it was always meant to… Something in him churned and his eyes went even more out of focus for a moment. He tapped into his world and it tapped him back. "_I have created over a thousand blades_."

"**Save Him**" The man spoke once more. He then began twitching and holding his head as he spasmed in something akin to pain. He bashed his head on the side of the horse three times causing a loud clang of metal on metal to be heard "**Save Him Save Him Save Him**" He suddenly arched back and screamed. "▅▄▅▄" The boy did not hear though, he was in another world, a world of blades, gears, ash, and smoke, where the sun never rose and only sparks of fire illuminated the world. The man reached forward and his hand vanished for a moment into a distortion of the air. "Ge▅gh▄ah▅lei▄ah" He cried as he reached into a place he knew yet could not remember, a place that he owned, but forgot the key. His mind shattered, but the order compelled him. "**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**" With a heave, he pulled out something from the void. He raised up the cloth wrapped object and rammed it into the boy.

Yet, no damage was done, instead, the bundle seemed to unravel as the object was impaled into the boy. Said object flowed into the boy like the boy was made of water. Shirou did not see, or even show a hint that he noticed what was happening. In a moment, all that was left of the object was gone, vanished into the boy, leaving naught by a scrap of cloth that had wrapped up the object. It was then that the golden 'eye' of the man began to glow even brighter illuminating the area around them.

"_Unaware of Loss, nor Aware of Gain_"

At the same time, the glow appeared in the boy…and in another.

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Iri stumbled as she ran down the stairs, were it not for Maiya's intervention, Iri would have fallen down the stairs.

"Are you alright Madam?" Maiya asked.

"Yes, just surprised." Iri said.

"Madam, it would be best if you stopped performing magic right now." Maiya said pointing. "It will draw the enemy."

"Magic? I'm not performing any." Iri spoke. She looked down to her chest where Maiya was pointing. Iri gasped in surprise as her own chest was glowing. It took her a moment to realize what was causing it, Avalon. "Eh? Why is it glowing?" Iri asked.

"I don't know madam, but it would be best if you found some way to turn it off." Maiya said while indicating that they head down the stairs. As they descended, Maiya left behind various mines to try to slow if not halt any enemies entirely. Of course, against a Servant, there was little they could do, but hope for the best and prepare their defenses as best they could.

"Gomen, but I have no idea how to turn it off," Iri said, "It's Avalon."

Maiya raised an eyebrow, "Saber's sheath?"

"Hai." Iri confirmed.

"Strange, why would it be so active?" Maiya asked.

"Is Saber under attack already?" Iri asked.

"One moment," Maiya said, she pressed a button on her headset and asked, "Has Saber engaged the enemy?"

"No," Kiritsugu's voice came over the radio. "Not yet. Why?"

"Avalon is reacting," Miaya replied as she and Iri descended to the lowest level of the basement.

"…I see, Saber must be sending it for some reason." Kiritsugu responded. "I'll try to signal her to stop."

"Arigato." Maiya said. Maiya looked up at Iri and said, "No, Saber has not engaged the enemy yet. She may be sending prana to it unconsciously, Kiritsugu is going to signal her to stop."

"I see," Iri said. "Then it's fine." In all honesty, she liked the feeling Avalon gave her. It was warm and comforting, like holding Illya in her arms with Kiritsugu's arms wrapped around the both of them.

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Saber opened her eyes feeling a familiar sensation. She gazed down to see the familiar outline of a tall man in teal armor. His face was covered in bandages, and he only had one spear instead of two, but it was still the same proud Lancer that she knew. "Lancer," She said in a plain voice, "You know you cannot defeat me as you are."

"That is true," Lancer agreed, "At the moment, I cannot hope to defeat you, however, my Master has merely ordered me to delay you."

Saber didn't speak for a moment, those words alone were will of pride in his skills with a lance. He truly believed that even with his injuries and one spear, he could delay her. She nodded at Lancer, who had a hint of a smile on the corners of his mouth, and stood at his right. "I'll just get this clear Lancer, with just my left hand alone I would be able to defeat you as you are. However, though I would have to fight you, my Master is more than capable of handling your Master. Indeed, defeating him is a paltry task for my Master, therefore, I propose a cease-fire." She offered. Lancer was taken aback at that.

"Though I can best you, it would leave my Master vulnerable to other opportunists. Berserker and Caster are battling for now, but one or the other will be here soon. In addition, there is another Master heading our way right now. I propose that neither of us interferes with our Masters' battle, and focus on preventing others from joining the fight."

Lancer looked at her for a minute, then his eyes narrowed. "You think so little of me Saber?"

"You are a strong, proud Servant Lancer, but you are not at your best. It is unsightly to face me in battle when you are still wounded. Face me when you are healed, and not a moment before." Saber said, he hands on the hilt of her invisible sword.

Lancer's sharp glance stopped Saber from continuing. "My Master's commands for me today are only about delaying you Saber. However, with your scornful words I cannot allow this insult to slide"

Lancer prepared to leap forward towards Saber when he suddenly stopped and turned to his left. Saber did not attack the opening as she also turned towards the south. They could feel it, a massive wave of power fueled with hate and madness. Berserker had come to the Manor on a horse as black as his armor. The sheer hatred was palpable in the air as the monster approached.

"Dammit," Lancer said. "Though I would prefer otherwise, perhaps it would be best if we worked together."

"Indeed," Saber said, "This will be a difficult fight." The two Servants readied themselves to face the darkness.

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The world was barren, a lonely barren place with no hint of life no matter where she looked. It was a sad place in her opinion, no life, no light, no signs of civilization beyond the countless blades planted like graves. She had seen cemeteries before, but this…the sheer size of this place was staggering. It was tragic. It was a sight she wanted to deny, wanted to never look at. She had seen too much death protecting the young. She had done it all for him, and he never said anything beyond that it was expected. Love, she needed love, not duty, but he never noticed, or if he noticed he never cared. She walked down through this massive graveyard wondering when this dream would end. It had to be a dream, why else would there be gears turning in the air? It was all probably some sort of symbolic meaning about her regrets in life.

Still, couldn't her mind have come up with something a little less depressing? This is why she drank so much…when it wasn't to forget about him. She didn't want to remember the dead men, how they had looked at her as they died. She remembered that one helicopter pilot, how he had crawled out of the downed gunship and crawled towards her feet. She remembered the way he held out his hand begging to be saved even though he had attacked her moments ago, that hollow, desperate look in his eyes as he died. She had only held off drinking for this job because the son was stolen, and right now she wished she hadn't.

How long she walked, she had no idea. The ash, the smoke, the sparks, the cinders, it all looked the same in this desolate world. All she could see that was different in this world was a hill. Unlike the rest of this flat place, only that hill stood out. So, with nothing better to do, she walked until she came to the foot of the hill. She looked up at it and saw nothing remarkable about it except that it was a hill, a hill covered in swords. She shrugged and began to climb, there was no reason to do so, but there was no reason not to either. So she walked up that hill, past countless blades. She was no connoisseur of swords, but even she thought that these were high quality blades. Karasuba would have been jealous of the sheer number and be appalled that they were left here to rust. Miya on the other hand would have understood the need for the blades to be left here. Mutsu carried his own burdens and kept his thoughts to himself too much and Matsu would have looked at them sadly and moved on. She walked to the top expecting to see nothing here. More blades, more barren ground, or maybe the faces of the people she killed.

She did not expect to see a boy up here, a redhead boy practicing with two blades in his hand, one black, one white. It took her a moment to match the face, but she recognized him. It was Minato, of course, why not dream of finding him when she had spent all day looking for him?

"Heh, you sure are hard to find Minato." Kazehana said. The boy didn't notice, he continued to swing his swords in a way that Kazehana thought looked rather competent. He had holes in his defenses from what she could see, but then…he was young. "My, you are a strong boy." Kazehana complemented. "What are you doing?" She didn't expect him to answer, this was a dream after all, but instead…

"I have to save him." The boy replied.

"Save him?" Kazehana asked.

The boy nodded, "Kiritsugu, he needs saving."

Kazehana smiled kindly at that, "Well, that's nice. You're a kind boy Minato."

The boy stopped swinging his swords and looked at her. "Who's Minato?"

His eyes, they were different. This was no crybaby that Kazehana had seen form a distance, these were the eyes of a man, a man on a mission. And they were looking at her in confusion about his name.

Kazehana opened her eyes, awakening from her dream. "What was that?" She asked.

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	64. Black Zero 18

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**Black Zero 18**

_I am not a good man. Good men don't burn villages to the ground no matter the reason. Good men don't break the law no matter the written rule. Good men don't turn children into soldiers no matter their request. Good men don't kill men no matter the time. Good men do not order massacres no matter the opponent. Good men don't start wars no matter the cause. I have done all these things; I am not a good man - Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_Some days, I can't even look at myself in the mirror. I see the faces of those I killed in the mirror staring at me, accusing me, hating me, screaming me, begging in front of me, even demanding I pay for my crimes. They hate me, they despise me, they call me every hateful thing in every tongue ever spoken by man. Those days, I have three options, stay in bed, drink myself into oblivion, or don't look into a mirror, guess which one I end up picking most of the time. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

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It was pure luck that Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald spotted Caster strolling through Fuyuki. Although he had been taken aback at seeing the ugly black cloak, one clearly from a different time and long out of fashion, strolling casually along the suburbs, Kayneth carefully began his chase with familiar until he saw Caster stopping a small yellow bus that passed by. Caster gave a hypnotic suggestion on the driver, and then sat in it with the children as if it was a kindergarten trip and he was the teacher watching over the children. Kayneth was under no illusion what Caster would do to those children. His atrocities were not well hidden, hence why he as now being targeted by all Masters.

A battle between Servants can only be conducted away from other people, or at least that is what is supposed to happen. Caster and Berserker were much less discrete than the other Servants. However, the bus carrying Caster began driving towards the remote mountains far from the city. Kayneth snickered at this, figuring that this suited his purpose perfectly. Caster all alone, isolated from the rest. Lancer, though wounded still retained **Gae Dearg** which would wasily counter Caster's magic and demons. However, Keyneth found himself hesitating when he realized Caster's destination is the Einzbern forest.

Kayneth already knew of the Einzbern territory near Fuyuki from when he conducted investigations on previous Heaven's Feel Rituals. Since the forest was territory of a magi family, the forest would obviously have a bounded field, making it a location where enemy Masters would find it hard to battle with an advantage. Kayneth had turned the entire top level of the hotel he had stayed in into a fortress…not that it did much good when the entire hotel collapsed. That whole venture had had only taken a few days for Kayneth and his wife to set up. The Einzbern had generations to prepare for the War. Granted, it had probably been destroyed during each war, but that still left the Einzbern sixty years to prepare.

Despite that, leaving aside the true reason for Caster to specially travel here – his intention of challenging the power of the Einzberns is obvious. If so, then maybe there's a chance to gain something in the battle. Kayneth made up his mind, and stepped into the forest with Lancer. Kayneth had originally planned to send Lancer to assist Saber against Caster while he went on alone to deal with Emiya Kiritsugu. That had been the plan, but said plan had fallen apart before Kayneth and Lancer even entered the forest. For, that was when Berserker dashed into the forest right after Caster.

Kaynth had quickly concocted a new plan. Lancer was to go to the manor with Kayneth. A familiar flew ahead to determine if Saber was joining the fight against the two other Servants or holding back to wait for the possible victor. It turned out that Berserker and Caster were doing enough damage to themselves that Saber had been able to stay at the manor and wait. Lancer was to delay Saber, something Lancer assured his Master that it was possible, while he dealt with the Master.

Had it been any other Servant besides Berserker, Kayneth would have opted to send Lancer against Caster while Kayneth went to deal with the Master. For Kayneth, who has already spent one Command Seal on a wasted attack against Berserker, the reward the supervisor brought up concerning defeating Caster is something he'd do anything to obtain. However, even if Kayneth defeats Caster here, it would seem that he's on the same side as the extra Servant fighting Caster. The enemy Master would also be given the extra Command Seal, and that is something that Kayneth definitely didn't want to happen. However, since it was Berserker, who possessed an A rank Independent Action and was Mad, there was no way that Kayneth would risk his Servant siding against Caster. Instead, Kayneth decided that a little vengeance was in order against Saber's Master that blew up his residence in now destroyed hotel.

Although it was a bold and risky move, Kayneth had an unshakable confidence in himself. No matter what defenses Einzbern had built, Kayneth was willing to bet the title of Lord El-Melloi that he would able to break it apart. His wife had told him many times that only the bold will grasp victory. One has to gamble to grasp victory. With those words of advice in mind, Kayneth entered the Einzbern's lands

Kayneth moved toward the forest as quietly as he could while easily evading the various traps of the bounded field. Although illusionary magecraft has been cast upon the forest of the bounded field that would cause ordinary people to become lost instantly, Kayneth's outstanding knowledge and instincts allowed him to make precise deductions, and easily found the location of the central point of the bounded field. It wasn't for nothing that he had acquired the mighty title Lord El-Melloi at a young age and was the head of the spirit invocation department.

The trees hindering his sight suddenly vanished, and the antique stone castle appeared before Kayneth. _'So that is it, as expected from these prestigious northern magi; they even relocated a castle.'_ However, Kayneth is also the son of the prestigious house of magi, he is the head of the Archibald family, a family that has a deep connection with the great Barthomeloi family. Even if the castle's majesty can overwhelm others, the only sentiment it rose from Kayneth was a snort and a stray thought. _'Not bad. After the Einzbern and her dog are dealt with, it wouldn't be bad to take this castle and make it my new headquarters. It's certainly better than that factory.'_

After Kayneth lost the Hyatt hotel suite he had obtained an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city as his temporary base, and hid Sola there. Obviously, his fiancée's mood couldn't be worse. She, one of the jewels of the tower, and a Lord in her own right, living in a rundown factory, unacceptable. After all, it's an place that Kayneth's pride didn't tolerate either. Still, his wife had accepted that it was better for the two of them to lay low. Their pride in booking the top of the Hyatt Hotel had cost them. Many magical artifacts had been lost, though Kayneth's Mystic code was still intact. So, if Kayneth was going to live here and move out of the factory, he had to keep the destruction of this building at the minimum. As he neared the castle, he spotted Saber standing atop the castle, waiting, watching for enemies. Noting Saber location, he had circled the building to enter the rear entrance while Lancer was sent off to delay Saber.

As soon as Kayneth stood before the door, he laughed and placed the large porcelain vase he carried under his arm on the ground.

_"Fervor, mei sanguis." _Once he chanted the spell that activated the magecraft, the thing in the vase oozed out from the mouth. That liquid, giving off a mirror-like metal sheen, is a large amount of mercury, over ten liters of it. Flowing out of the vase as if it is a disciplined primeval creature, the ten-kilograms-or-so mercury, shivering, formed a ball. Among the many of things in his possession, this is the Mystic Code Lord El-Melloi took pride in, **Volumen Hydragyrum**.

"_Automatoportum defensio__. __Automatoportum quaerere__. __Dilectus incursio_." Following Kayneth's low chanting, the surface of the mass of mercury vibrated and rustled as if answering him, and followed his every movement. "Scalp!" Kayneth yelled, a part of the mercury ball suddenly became a long and thin ribbon extending towards the door, then the mystic code savagely ripped through the door like a scalpel on a whip. Attacked by this mercury blade edge, the heavyset bolt was cut in half as smoothly as if it was a piece of tofu. The great gates collapsed inwards with a heavy groan.

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At the same time, another Master was entering the Mansion, though he was doing so by breaking through a window rather than through a door. Kotomine Kirei entered the building wearing his trademark black vestments with a cross on his chest and Black Keys in his hand. As the man entered the building, he noticed several modern devices. Lasers, motion detections, and various other signs of defenses. Unlike most modern Magi, as an executioner and an ex-member of the Burial Squad, Kotomine was familiar with the modern devices and moved carefully so as to not set off the traps. It wouldn't do to set off everything like an amateur. Kotomine had a purpose here, meet and face off against Emiya Kiritsugu.

Victory was not necessary today, instead, this was a reconnaissance mission, a testing of the waters so to speak. He had noticed Caster's movements as well and had Assassin keep watch in the shadows. Assassin had brought it to his attention that the Archibald Master and his Servant Lancer were entering the forest at the same time, as well as the arrival of Berserker. Assassin was keeping an eye on Berserker as long as possible. Kotomine had no illusion that if Berserker fled again, no one would be able to follow him. His Noble Phantasm was worthy of belonging to the Rider class.

Kotomine paused as he noticed a small trip wire hidden behind a laser detector. Clever, even if a person evaded the laser, they would step on the trip wire and activate…something over by the book shelf…Hmm.

As Kotomine carefully moved through the layers of traps laid throughout the room, he heard two explosions rip through the air. One explosion was in the direction of the back of the house, Kirei figured that was where Lancer's Master had gone, and the other explosion came from the direction of the main entrance. Kirei figured that was Lancer facing Saber…until he heard the familiar blood chilling roar.

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅"

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Even the air felt extraordinarily still when Kayneth burst through the door. The very atmosphere remained eerily quiet even after he had ripped the door to pieces, like the place was waiting in anticipation.

"The ninth head of the Archibald house, Kayneth El-Melloi, demands for an audience!" Kayneth proclaimed loudly in the deserted hall. "Magus of the Einzbern! For the Holy Grail that you seek, betting your life and pride, come out to meet me!" Despite Kayneth's taunting, there was no response, the owners of this place were not so foolish as to announce themselves. It was as if they weren't looking forward to duel with Kayneth. Understandable, he is a prodigy, but there is a limit to cowardice. Kayneth sighed, and walked toward the center of the hall with heavy steps.

The moment Kayneth arrived at the center of the hall, the four suits of armor standing before the door like escorts exploded firing shrapnel and thousands of metal fragments everywhere. These metal fragments flew towards Kayneth as fast as any bullet. This crude trap had activated without any magecraft, relying on modern technology to activate and assault the intruder. Spreading the damage in a massive circular formation, any normal person would be cut down like wheat at harvest time.

Of course, the target of this trap is not a normal person, he is a magus, and a powerful one at that.

In a split second before the countless bits of metal impale Kayneth, the Tower Lord became enveloped by a silver semi-circle. His mercurial Mystic Code had activated and changed form. Although the thin mercury membrane surrounding Kayneth was barely one millimeter thick, its surface tension reached the strength of several inches of steel when supported with prana supply. Block and reflected back towards the wall hammering the walls and destroying several pieces of art and tasteful decoration.

This is Volumen Hydragyrum's 'automated defense' mode. This pre-set magecraft can automatically respond when Kayneth is threatened, forming a powerful protective membrane in a split second. This kind of reaction speed can even defend from a bullet from a sniper rifle fired half a mile away. It was also this defense system Volumen Hydragyrum created that protected Kayneth and Sola when the Hyatt hotel collapsed. The malleable mercury is a perfect weapon that possessed a powerful attack and perfect defense all onto itself, becoming both Kayneth's sword and shield. His ultimate trump card as it was.

Yet, as he moved through the hall, he found himself pausing. Some dormant instinct told him to beware, to be afraid. Foolish, he was Lord Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi, head of the spiritual invocation department. What was there to be afraid of, the Einzbern Master was weak, relying on technology instead of magecraft proving how far the family had fallen. There was nothing to be afraid of…

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" the bone chilling scream of rage echoed through the air

…Except that

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Saber and Lancer leaped aside as Berserker's Noble Phantasm, ripped through where they had been standing. Though they were both strong Servants, neither of them felt comfortable being trampled by something that belonged to the Rider class. Saber leaped to the left and Lancer went right, as soon as their feet hit the ground, they charged after the Mad Servant who had just burst into the building. As Berserker charged, four flower pots exploded firing almost three thousand metal pellets from the placed claymores. A few of the bits of metal pierced Berserker in the joints of his armor, but not a single one hit the boy hidden behind the shield.

Berserker opened his mouth and roared in pain and rage. "▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" The Servant leaped off of his mount and dashed forward over a dozen mines causing each to explode, but not a single one did any damage to either the Servant or the boy. The Servant let the boy drop and turned towards the two onrushing enemy Servants. Berserker pointed his left hand at them, the two Servant move to evade any spells fired from that arm, but instead Berserker yelled out something, "N▅hu▄rgh▅gl▅▄ea▅sha▅▄▅▄" In response to the gibberish, the Noble Phantasm steed turned back and charged. Saber leaped out of the way. The horse raised up and kicked it's forelegs at her, Saber zipped and slid under the assault and swung her blade on the horse. However, her sword met an unexpected resistance to her blade, the sound of metal colliding with metal was heard.

"What the?" She asked just as it turned its to her and breathed fire. Saber leaped clear of the fire by mere millimeters. The steed screamed in rage as it charged away from her towards Lancer who was nearing Berserker. The wounded Servant barely evaded having his head caved in by the Noble Phantasm as it bucked and kicked at him. Lancer thrust his spear at the horse, but it too felt far more resistance than it should. Lancer rolled to the side as the Noble Phantasm breathed fire at him as well.

"What manner of beast are you?" Lancer cried The horse responded by breathing more fire at him. The horse took an instant to find it hated Lancer and kept on attacking him while Saber used the moment to chase after Berserker and Shirou. She had to protect him. He was in grave danger here, Kiritsugu would shot him down without hesitation. If she killed Berserker quickly, she would be able to protect Shirou.

Meanwhile, the boy ran forward completely on instinct. Something about this place called to him, seemed familiar to him. Something in the depths of this place. Red? Yes, something red called to him, with black atop the red. He had to go, had to save Kiritsugu. "Help me look for him." The boy asked as he moved. The black clad man merely burst through a wall in response.

The boy knew the man was right, now was the time for speed. The boy looked into himself and wished he was stronger, faster, better.

Shirou gasped in pain as he felt like a billion needles lanced through his body. Yet, at the same time, the golden light glowed once more on his body. The boy nodded, finding himself acceptable and burst through a wall himself. He didn't notice the changes that came upon him as he made himself better. All he thought about was saving whoever this Kiritsugu was.

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Through the various cameras concealed in and around the building, Kiritsugu had meticulously observed the power of the mystic code Volumen Hydragyrum, Lord El-Melloi's pride.

Using spells to manipulate mercury for automatic protection…although Kiritsugu's heard about this before, he never thought that the real thing would have such powerful abilities. Even the shockwave of the mines couldn't beat its defense in speed. If that's the case, then he can't expect to use firearms to obtain victory. Although Kiritsugu was very annoyed, he had to admit that this magus indeed possesses first-rate skills. However, there were two other things that worried him more. The first was the man Kiritsugu had initially thought would be the greatest threat to victory in the Holy Grail War, Kotomine Kirei. The ex-Burial Squad member was a man that was possessed, searching for answers. The driven priest was a man that sent chills down Kiritsugu's spine even after having spent years fighting things that hunted men for sport, entertainment, experimentation, and food. The other had just burst through the main doors on a black steed ignoring the two Servants hot on the trail.

Berserker

The Mad, Independent Servant had come at the same time as the others. It seems that Caster had either been defeated or fled, leaving Berserker free to head for the castle. Before having seen Berserker fight, Kiritsugu had feared Kirei as the greatest threat to Iri and himself. Now, after seeing what Berserker was capable of, Kiritsugu had reevaluated the threat level and found that Berserker was the worst opponent. Normally, defeating Berserker was simply a matter of killing the Master and leaving the Servant free to rage for a few minutes before it faded out of existence. However, this Berserker was different. With A rank Independent Action, it didn't matter of the boy was killed; the Servant would be free to fight for an entire week without support. Kiritsugu had seen how the Servant defended the boy regardless of the Independent Action, which told him one thing, the boy had some kind of hold over Berserker.

Kiritusgu was under no illusion that the boy wouldn't have some sort of backup plan in case he was killed, probably some sort of command that Berserker go after the one that killed him. Saber was good, but if Berserker didn't care about survival as long as Saber died, it would be difficult to win. Kiritsugu had seen the disreguard of his own safety when he attacked Lancer and pushed the impaled lance into his body so that he could get close enough to bite off a part of Lancer's face.

Berserker's Master, at first glance, the boy had a strange set of magical skills. It looked like Reinforcement for his body, no child moved that fast no matter how well trained he was. Gradiation Air and Projection for his swords? Yes, that's what it looked like. A strange set of skills to possess, but ones that clearly worked to the boy's advantage if he could defeat Caster's demonic summons. A close range fighter, that's what it looked like the boy was, but then again…Kiritsugu had seen how the first sword had appeared in thin air and pierced a demon. Once again, Kiritsugu was baffled by the opponent. It seems that both Berserker and his Master were an enigma that liked to defy the bounds of any standard classification.

Still, if there was one silver lining in this disaster, Kiritsugu figured he could pit the various intruders against each other without risking Iri, Maiya or himself. With any luck they would all kill each other or at least one or two of them, and Kiritsugu could order Saber to finish off whoever survived. Right now, to find the Kiritsugu hiding in this castle, Kayneth was searching all of the rooms on the first floor one by one. At the moment Kiritsugu is located at the innermost part of the second floor. If he acts immediately, Kiritsugu should be able to steer Kirei and Berserker towards him.

Kiritsugu recalled the blueprint of the castle in his head as he ran out of his room and towards the door, it would be tricky, relying on listening for the sound of the clash between Berserker and the Servants as well as outmaneuvering two other Master, but it was doable. Kiritsugu gave himself a forty percent chance of success that he could pull it off. Not the greatest odds he ever had, but considering the circumstances, this wasn't too bad. Kiritsugu moved towards the stairs when he stopped. A drop of mercury, like a thread of cobweb, hung in the air. Although it was only a tiny bit of mercury, Kiritsugu could still see it drooping toward the ground as it left a silver trail on the surface of the floor. The drop of mercury suddenly stopped the moment Kiritsugu saw it. Then, the trail of mercury retraced its tracks, retreated backwards as if it was alive, and disappeared.

Kiritsugu immediately turned around and dashed away muttering "An automated search." Fine, he could work with that. Rather than him hunting Kayneth, Kayneth would hunt him, and be lead around by the nose. The prey always dictates the path of pursuit, and Kiritsugu knew this castle like the back of his hand.

In the blink of an eye, a circle was cut out on the floor at the center of the hal behind Kiritsugu and fell to the ground below, a silver tentacle leapt up from that circular hole.

In behind Kiritsugu, Volumen Hydragyrum's new shape looked similar to a metallic jellyfish. The middle of the body had formed into a platform for Kayneth to stand on while countless tentacles grabbed the edge of the opening on the floor and raised the Master of Lancer out of the hole .

"I finally found you little mouse" Kayneth announced triumphantly.

Unfortunately for Kiritsugu, another had found him as well. In front of Kiritsugu, Kotomine Kirei appeared. "Damn." Kiritsugu muttered. Only two of the three were here, still, more than enough for his purposes. Kiritsugu leaped into an adjacent room just as the entire building rocked on its foundations.

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Kiritsugu found the floor beneath him give way under his weight. This was beyond abnormal, the floor should have easily borne his weight. However, the entire floor beneath him fell out, just as it did for Kirei, Kayneth was spared the fall only because he was still standing on his Volumen Hydragyrum. Both Kiritsugu and Kirei tthrew themselves back on their feet to fight, only to stop. Before them stood something that they mistook for an angel for a moment. It glowed with a bright golden light obscuring the chest and head, and it had wings.

But then, those broken, shattered wings were made of blades, it had claws made of blades, it's legs were covered with blades, it's hair was made of blades. If this was an angel, it was an angel of death. Kiritsugu drew the Calico submachine gun from his waist holster and opened fire. The little monster opened its mouth and screamed in pain.

"▅▄▅▄▅▄" a mad voice roared behind him. The wall behind them burst to reveal Berserker looking at them with, if it was even possible, even more hate than they had ever seen before. Kirei wordlessly drew his blades and Kiritsugu reloaded in record time. Both of them prepared to fight the Servant when a flash of Blue crashed into the Black Clad Servant. Saber and Berserker rammed through another wall where the sounds of combat could be heard clearly. Kiritsugu saw that the blade covered creature was coming for him at a phenomenal rate. He rolled to the side and ran out a door firing round after round at the creature that targeted him.

Kirei swung his Black Keys at the creature, but it easily blocked them with the claws. Just above the monster, a dozen blades shot forth at Kirei. The priest had to roll aside lest he be impaled by the various weapons. A part of his mind noticed that several of the blades were Black Keys just like the ones he possessed. While it wasn't unheard of for Black Keys to be stolen from a fallen Burial squad member, it was rare that any creature would try to use them. After all, the Black Keys are conceptual weapons used to fight the inhuman.

A dozen more blades were shot at him forcing Kirei to fall back while the creature turned and ran after Kiritsugu. Kirei swore he heard a distorted and pained voice from the creature mutter "_Withstood pain to create weapons."_ If it was an aria, Kirei didn't feel any buildup of power from the creature. Kirei was about to chase after the two when Kayneth took that moment to descend. The two enemies looked at each other and knew there was no way they could evade the other. It looked like they would have to battle each other in this place.

Kiritsugu ran with that creature behind him. Despite the size difference, the creature had no problems chasing after him. Kiritsugu grabbed another clip and fed it into his gun and unloaded it on the thing. Kiritsugu wondered if this was another Demon sent by Caster. The thing halted and screamed once more in pain even as the bullets bounced off of its skin. In the background Kiritsugu could hear the sound of explosions ripping through the house as Saber and Berserker fought tooth and nail against each other. Kiritsugu took the opening to chant his spell. "_Time alter, double accel_!" Following the pronounced spell, the prana inside Kiritsugu began to gallop at light speed. The thing leaped at him, but Kiritsugu's spell finished preparing. Kiritsugu was now moving at an inhuman speed evading the attack and fled from the area hoping to lose it.

As he ran, a nearby wall exploded, nearly clipping Kiritsugu were it not for his enhanced reflexes. Kiritsugu saw, out of the corner of his eye, Saber being sent through the wall by a punch from Berserker. Saber's invisible blade was outlined with blood. Clearly Berserker had let her take a hit on him so that he could hit her back. Berserker and Saber rolled and slashed at each other trying to kill one another. Saber was graceful and precise, Berserker was wild and unpredictable, the two Servants fought like demons as Kiritsugu fled the scene. Mentally he cursed that Saber was fighting Berserker rather than dealing with Lancer. Still, there was no doubt that she had saved his life back there.

Now to get out of the battle zone and use a command seal to pull Saber back. Iri and Maiya were deep underground as safe as it was possible to get while enemy Servants and Masters were abound.

Booooom

Kiritsugu turned to see the glowing blade creature burst through a wall leaping right for him screaming "▅▅▅▅ Ki▅its▅g▅" Kiritsugu dodged left avoiding the attack and kept on running, his whole body felt like it was being devoured due to the after effects of using his magecraft. Manipulating the time of his body was painful, the longer he used it, the worse the feeling felt.

Kiritsugu suddenly stopped as he turned a corner, and hid in the shadow of a pillar. It was a long shot, but perhaps he could trick his opponent. Right in front of the hall he had just left was a great big hole that was probably created by Berserker. With any luck, Kiritsugu could trick the creature to go down that hole. "_Time alter, Triple stagnate_." Following the chanting of the spell, Kiritsugu's field of view became very bright. Of course, the outer world didn't make any changes; it was merely a delusion of Kiritsugu's senses. While Kiritsugu's optic nerves registered whatever he saw, his cornea received three times the light a person's eyes would normally receive. Rather than speeding up his body's time, Kiritsugu slowed his biological processes to one third of its normal speed. His breathing nearly stopped and his heart beat slowed until it barely beat at all.

Kiritsugu watched as the thing did exactly as he expected, it ran down the hall and dived into the hole looking for Kiritsugu. "_Release Alter."_ Kiritsugu was too experienced to look down the hole, but he did notice something, it took far longer for the thing to hit the ground than it should have. Kiritsugu shrugged it off as he fled. He soon made it to a far distant corner of the castle and leaped out of the building. Inside, he could hear the continued sound of combat as the various Servants and Masters fought. Kiritsugu's hand began to glow as he prepared to summon his Servant. However…

Crash

Kiritsugu witness as Saber was thrown out of a first story window. Saber's once pristine appearance was ragged with cuts on her armor, blood stains on her clothes and a few injuries to herself. However, it was far more noticeable how she looked in despair as she gazed inside. Kiritsugu saw from his hiding place a most horrific sight.

Bursting out of a wall, Berserker, astride his Black Noble Phantasm ran out and away from the castle. It seemed to be an unspoken signal as Kirei leaped out of another window while Kayneth and Lancer did the same. Kiritsugu paid no mind to them as he focused instead on what had horrified him. On Berserker's shoulder, hanging limply was Irisviel. Somehow, Berserker had taken Iri, dead or alive Kiritsugu could not tell and fled.

"Iri!" Kiritsguu yelled at the fading silhouette of Berserker. He didn't notice when the castle listed and began to cave inward. Kiritsugu stood there looking at the direction Berserker had fled unaware or caring of the world. He didn't notice when Saber walked up and placed a hand on his shoulders and asked for forgiveness, he didn't notice when Maiya crawled out of the wreckage holding her side while her left arm was clearly dislocated. He didn't notice any of this as one thought kept going through his mind.

'_They took Iri, they took my wife._'

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The next chapter will explain more on what Kiritsugu missed. In the meantime, to all you fellow Emiya Clan readers, let's hope that FFN will fix our forum soon.


	65. Black Familiar 4

**Black Familiar 4**

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Colbert was a teacher who had dedicated twenty years to Tristain Magic Academy, and was by now a mainstay figure of the academy. To most of the students and faculty, Colbert was a straight forward, if a little strange, person who was eager to assist any student when they had a problem, magical or not. Many students liked him for his easy demeanor and belief in second chances even after mistakes were made. Though…several students wished he would stop allowing Louise to attempts magic in class and thus spare them from explosions. Still, Colbert was the go to teacher for questions as he was always willing to help out, especially with fire magic since his Runic name was 'Colbert the Flame Snake.' To many, he was _the_ definitive expert in fire magic in the academy.

Only old Osmond 'the Siege' knew the true horrors the 'Flame Snake' had committed, the atrocities he had done in his youth. Only the headmaster knew how truly dangerous the bald teacher really was and what lengths Colbert had gone through fulfilling his orders. Still, that wasn't relevant at the moment as Colbert was happily retired from the military life and busying himself with his strange research.

Today, however, Colbert had put aside his latest research on a device that burned oil without magic (an early piston engine) in favor of researching something that had caught his eye. Since the Springtime Familiar Summoning a few days ago, he'd been concerned about the commoner Louise had summoned. Or more precisely, he'd been concerned with the runes that had appeared on that boy's left hand. The man himself had struck Colbert as an honest, to a degree, protective man that would do what he could to protect Louise. The runes themselves were ancient and rare so it was taking him a while to find what he was looking for in the library. Tristain Magic Academy's library was located in the same tower as the dining hall. The bookshelves were unbelievably tall, about thirty shelves high each, and the way they were lined up against the walls was a spectacle to behold and rightly so, since this place was crammed with the history of everything following the creation of the new world in Halkeginia by the Founder Brimir six _thousand_ years ago.

Colbert levitated himself up to an out-of-reach shelf and scanned it intently for a particular tome another book had referenced. Hopefully this one would be the source of the tantalizing hints several other books had doled out. His efforts were rewarded as his gaze fell upon the title of the book. It was a very old text which held descriptions of the familiars that had been used by the Founder Brimir. Colbert pulled out the book and memorized where he took it from to return later. He took the book over to a table that had been piled with various other books and moved the other books aside as he opened his newest acquisition and began scanning the pages. His attention focused on one particular paragraph that possessed a copy of the runes placed upon a certain important figure in the Founder's life, and as Colbert read on in fascination, his eyes grew wide. He compared the book's copy of the runes with the sketch he'd made of the runes on the boy's left hand.

"Ah!" Colbert gasped in surprise. "It is, it really is, the mark of the Gandalfr!" Holding the book tightly in his arms, he ran out of the library. He had to inform the Headmaster, this was big news. The Legendary familiar walked upon the earth once more.

xxx

The Headmaster's Office was located on the topmost floor of the central tower. Sir Osmond, the current Headmaster of Tristain Magic Academy, was sitting with his elbows propped on his elegantly desk looking unbearably bored as he shook his white beard and hair.

Idly plucking out nose hairs, he slowly murmured "hrm" and pulled open a desk drawer. From inside he procured a smoking pipe. Miss Longueville, who had been writing something at the other desk placed to the side of the room, waved her feather quill at the offending pipe.

The pipe floated into the air and landed in Miss Longueville's palm. Not only was smoking bad for his health, but it stank up the room and made her job almost unbearable when she could barely breath. Sir Osmond muttered dejectedly at that, "Is it fun taking away an old man's little pleasures? Miss, um..."

"Managing your health is also part of my job, Sir Osmond." She retorted lightly as she finished one document and moved onto the next in the large pile beside Osmond stood up from his chair and walked up to the cool and collected Miss Longueville. Stopping behind the seated lady, he closed his eyes, his expression grave.

"If the days keep passing by so peacefully, figuring out how to spend time is going to become a rather big problem."

The wrinkles etched deeply on Osmond's face were only hints to the history of the life of the man who had earned the Runic name of 'The Seige'. People guessed him to be a hundred years old, even three hundred (only the youngest of students believed that, only elves lived that long). But his true age was a complete mystery to the world. It's possible Osmond himself didn't remember anymore either, then again that would be a sign of senility, and there was nothing wrong with the mind of the Headmaster.

"Sir Osmond," Miss Longueville spoke up without taking her eyes off the feather quill that was scribbling away on the parchment.

"What is it? Miss..." Osmond asked curiously

"Please stop saying you have nothing to do as an excuse to touch my bottom." She snapped. Far too many times had the perverted old man goosed her.

Sir Osmond opened his mouth slightly and began walking around in tottering steps as if he was suddenly afflicted with weakness.

"Please also refrain from pretending to be senile whenever a situation goes bad," Longueville added calmly. That routine was about as convincing as a doom speaker and just as old. Sir Osmond sighed deeply; it was the sigh of a man bearing the weight of many burdens and regrets, or at least that's what he tried to convey.

"Where do you think the ultimate truth may be? Haven't you ever wondered that? Miss..."

"Wherever it is, I assure you, it's not underneath my skirt, so please stop sneaking your mouse under the desk." She cut off as she stomped her foot on the ground warning the little white rodent away. She resisted the urge to reach down and crush the little bugger…if only just.

Sir Osmond's face fell, and he called sadly, "Motsognir." From under Miss Longueville's desk scurried out a little mouse. It dashed up Osmond's leg and perched on his shoulder, twitching its tiny head. He fished out some nuts from a pocket and held one out to the mouse.

"Chuchu," the mouse chittered, apparently pleased.

"You're my only truly trustworthy friend, Mótsognir." Osmond said sadly feeding his familiar. The mouse began nibbling on the nut. It disappeared quickly, and the mouse chittered 'chuchu' once more. "Ah, yes, yes. You want more? Very well, I shall give you more. But first, I would ask that you report back, Motsognir." Osmond negotiated.

"Chuchu" the mouse answered

"I see. White and plain white too, hrm. But Miss Longueville should really stick to black. Wouldn't you agree, my cute Mótsognir?" The headmaster commented.

Miss Longueville's eyebrows twitched violently "Sir Osmond." She said dangerously, the rage building up in her until it threatened to burst and force her to commit murder.

"What is it?" The old man asked unconcerned with the killing intent rising from the woman.

"The next time you do that, I'm reporting it to the palace." She warned, _'After I kill you of course.'_

"Kah! Do you think I could be Headmaster of this Academy if I was scared of the palace all the time?" Sir Osmond flashed his eyes wide and yelled angrily. It was an impressive display, completely unexpected of a frail-looking old man. "Don't get all prissy just because I peeked at your underwear! At this rate, you'll never get married! Haa… To be young again… Miss-"

Sir Osmond began stroking Miss Longueville's bottom without hesitation.

Miss Longueville stood up and suddenly kicked her boss in the nuts. As he fell to the ground, she kicked him in the ribs and began kicking him harder and harder, her righteous fury would not be denied. Forget her future plans, the old man was dying today.

"Sorry. Stop. Ow. I won't do it anymore. I promise, really." Somehow, the beat down was doing little to the old man other than getting a few grunts of pain. Normally a man would be screeching in pain when kicked in the jewels, but it seemed to have done little to the old man. Instead, he had calmly covered his head and curled up while asking for her to stop. Of course, she refused and kept on kicking him venting the stress she had felt. Why was it that there weren't any decent men left in the world? Chivalry was clearly dead and only a black clad sell sword seemed to remember what manners were.

"Ack. How can you. Treat a senior...in this…way. Hey. Ouch." True, his words were filled with pain, but there was something strange about the old man, no matter how hard he was kicked, there were bruises, no abrasions…no actual signs of damage despite being kicked with heels from a woman in the height of rage.

This routine moment was interrupted by a sudden intrusion. The door was thrown open with a slam, and Colbert rushed inside. "Sir Osmond!" Colbert cried with excitement

"What is it?" The Headmaster asked, all signs of distress wiped from his voice. Miss Longueville was back at her desk, sitting there as if nothing had happened. Sir Osmond had his arms behind him, and turned to face the visitor with a serious expression. That was certainly a quick recovery…far too quick.

"I-I-I have some big news!" Colbert stuttered out in his excitement.

"There is no such thing as big news. Everything is but a collection of small events." The old man waved off offering a tidbit of knowledge he had collected from over his long life. Everyone seemed to think the world was made of big news…frankly everything was just a minor change to the world. Honestly, the young these days needed to relax, the world was old and had endured much greater things over time.

"P-P-Please take a look at this!" Colbert handed Osmond the book he had been reading just before.

"This is The Familiars of the Founder Brimir, is it not?" The headmaster said looking over the tome. He looked up at the bald teacher and asked "Are you still going around digging up old literature like this? If you have time to do that, why don't you think up some better ways of collecting school fees from those slacking nobles?" Frankly, there were several places in this old academy that needed remolding. The kitchen needed a new giant cauldron, three…no four class rooms needed to be rebuilt. Floors were rotting, roof tiles needed replacing, and the medical wing was running low on potions again. The headmaster was about to tell Rowland off again when he noticed that it wasn't old Rowland bothering him, it was…" Mister, err... What was it again?" Sir Osmond cocked his head. Bloody memory, even Osmond had to admit he was old. Rowland had died off a long time ago.

"It's Colbert! You forgot?" Colbert asked hurt

"Right, right. Now I remember." Yes, this was Rowland's grandchild. Honestly the boy looked just like him. "It's just that you talked so fast I never really caught it. So, Colby," heh, that's what Rowland used to call his grandchild. Always made the little tike glower and turn red. "What is it about this book?"

"Please take a look at this also!" Colbert then handed him the sketch of the runes on Kiritsugu's left hand.

The moment he saw that, Osmond's expression changed. He didn't even bother looking into the book. He knew those runes all too well and what they meant. His eyes took on a solemn light. "Miss Longueville, would you please excuse us?" Miss Longueville stood up and left the room. Osmond spoke only after he confirmed she was properly outside. "Explain this to me with every detail, Mister Colbert..."

Meanwhile, the woman who was now going by the name Longueville was leaning against the door listening in intently on the conversation.

Xxxxx

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_Looking back, I think all the little trifles that chipped at my pride made me stronger. I could endure abuse better than anyone, including the men Kiritsugu trained. The others would mock my lack of a success rate and I would hold it in. No matter the cruel jokes, the mocking runic name, the pranks, the shunning, I endured. I had my pride, and I clung to it like a safety line. I had, as Kiritsugu put it, erected siege walls around myself, isolating myself from the world. Yes, it made me stronger, yet it also made me weaker. A castle can endure only for so long under siege before the defenders break. If I had failed at the familiar summoning ritual, I am sure that it would have been the 'straw that broke the camel's back' as Kiritsugu put it. _

_But I didn't fail. True, I didn't realize it at first, but I had summoned a familiar unparalleled in the history of the academy, an epic spirit given flesh and blood, born anew as powerful as a demigod, a Servant. The first week or so, we had no idea what class he was. Kiritsugu figured that he was the Saber class given his B rank magic resistance. We were wrong, he was a Gandaflr. In his terms, it was a cross between a Saber, a Rider, and a Berserker class. He had the mastery of skills like a Saber, could ride any mechanical vehicle that was meant for war like a Rider, and whenever he wielded a weapon his stats were boosted like a Berserker._

_Of the four familiars of Brimir, the Gandalfr was the strongest of his summons. The Gandlfr was the shield of Brimir, meant to serve as the force that protected Brimir while he chanted his long arias. Of course, there was more to the story between Brimir and his four summons than that, but I'll get to that later. Suffice to say, Kiritsugu and I were not like Brimir and his Gandalfr at all._

_We were better…when we finally settled down and worked together. _

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>It was just before lunchtime when Kiritsugu halted his lectures with Louise. A lot of information had been thrown at the pink haired Master. She wasn't a failure, in fact, she was too good. Her magic was too strong, she was pumping out too much magic with every cast. Rather than try to learn new spells, it was a matter of control…and determining if she was an Incarnation or not. Frankly, the fact that she was incredibly powerful was more than enough for Louise. She wasn't a failure, no, it was the failure of others not noticing the problem. Louise found herself smiling in content even though she knew she was going to get mocked as soon as she exited the door.<p>

Kiritsugu promised that he would help her learn control the best he could, but he was no expert with magic himself.

"I mostly learned the basics. Most advanced magical spells were pointless to me. By the time I finished chanting a stronger spell, I could have defeated a dozen enemies. However, I do know some spells that might work…but they're not what you're used to probably."

"What spells?" Louise asked eager to show off her magic and prove them all wrong.

"Runes," Kiritsugu said pointing to the door. "I learned more about runes for a reason." He pointed to his armor which began glowing, revealing countless runes encrusted on his armor. "These strengthen the armor, make it lighter, boost my speed, give me resistance to magic, and even boost my senses." Kiritsugu pulled out his swords and pulled off his shield. "Same thing with my swords and shield, faster swings, harder hits, conduct lighting, catching on fire, shaper edges that don't need to be sharpened. Each of these runes has a purpose." He put away his weapons. "True, I didn't initially ingrain the runes on my armor. That was done by my sister Ivone and her mother Bazett, but…over time, the runes would become damaged as I fought. So, I observed, I experimented, I practiced, and I learned as my armor was repaired over and over again."

"So you can teach me runes?" Louise asked.

"Yes, but be warned, it is exactly like learning a new language, one that no one speaks anymore." Kiritsugu warned her. "Before we do any runic arts, I have to teach you the alphabet, the rules of the language, the correct spellings, the rhythm of the runes, and so on. It will be difficult, but…I think you will enjoy it." Louise smiled at that. Though she was the weakest in her class with practical application of magic, there was no one in class that knew the theory of magic better. Runic arts sounded like a great deal of book learning, which played to her strengths very well.

"Of course, I'll work on the basics of the magic of my land with you as well." Kiritsugu said like it was obvious.

"Of course." Louise said with a look of greed in her eyes. Finally, someone that could help her, someone that could make her a woman her mother would be proud of.

Having finished tidying up, Louise and Kiritsugu headed to the dining hall for lunch. Though the cleanup had taken mere minutes thanks to Kiritsugu's 'basic' magic, which Louise thought belonged to a square mage, they had spent a great deal of time talking and planning. After hours of talking, even Louise had to admit her throat was parched and her stomach was empty.

When they arrived at the dining hall, Kiritsugu pulled out a chair for Louise so elegant and properly Louise would have mistaken him for an experienced butler, were he not bearing arms and armor. Louise took the seat automatically, lessons beaten into her head moved her on reflex before higher thought kicked in. Louise watched as Kiritsugu walked over to the cart that was bearing the various foods. He grabbed a towel and expertly draped it on his arm and lightly lifted a covered plate of food and brought it before her and set it down expertly. With a simple flick of the wrist, and a smooth swirl of his arm, the Black Knight had properly draped a tablecloth on Louise.

"Wha-where did you learn all that?" Louise asked.

"Spent one year in a school learning the arts of a butler." Kiritsugu answered. "Mother thought it would be a good idea, but I got out of there as fast as possible. So, I learned everything I needed, forfeiting sleep whenever possible and spent every waking moment perfecting the lessons so that I could graduate two years early."

"So you have been a servant?" Louise asked.

"A few times, nobody looks at the butler serving the food. Made use of that training as needed." Kiritsugu said thinking of all the assassinations and spying he had done. "Plus, it was the only way anyone would let me help out for celebrations. No one likes my fashion sense." He said deadpanned.

Louise rolled her eyes, at the fashion joke…then narrowed them. "If I find out you've tried cooking..."

"As you command Master." Kiri said bowing at the waist. He made no mention that he would just be discrete in his cooking attempts. For a while, they were silent as Louise ate her food and Kiri watched over her. There were various stares directed at them, but they turned away when Kiri made obvious movements to look back at them. Louise soon finished her food and thanked him for his efforts as he removed the food from her.

"It is no issue Master," Kiritsugu replied.

"But you still won't eat anything," Louise said with a hint of worry.

"Food means little to me," he said as his stomach suddenly gurgled.

Louise arched an eyebrow at him, she was sure that his face was red behind that helmet. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Kiri said as his stomach argued with him. "Stupid needs of the flesh." He muttered then said, "It is no concern Master, all that is but an illusion my body gives after being reborn. My body is merely echoing what I was like when I was alive."

"Go get some food," Louise said trying to hide a giggle as Kiri's stomach rumbled like a bear in spring. Dispite his protests…and possible truth to his statements, it was clear that his stomach would not be denied.

"As you command Master." Kiri said bowing. "Your humble Servant obeys." He then turned serious. "Where will you be?"

"I'm off to see what the next class is." Louise responded.

"Very well, I will come find you when I'm finished." Kiri said taking the tray away. "However, I don't think you realize how much of an appetite I have."

"The kitchens have more than enough to satisfy your hunger." Louise said.

"We shall see." Kiri said ominously. "Any one of my mother's line can eat enough to put a regiment to shame."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_His appetite is famous, there's no need to remind anyone of how much he could eat when he was hungry…which was most of the time in fact. He really didn't need to eat; I was providing him everything he needed with my Prana. However, his body was still that of flesh when he wasn't in Astral form, which is most of the time. He could afford to, I was providing him more than enough Prana to remain in physical form. Still, because he was famous in life for his appetite, it transferred over into his legend. Now until the end of time, Kiritsugu will always have his appetite. He can ignore it forever as it is merely an illusion…but there are consequences…_

_Nasty consequences_

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>In the end, Kiritsugu left the dining hall to hunt for something to eat. His stomach made so much noise several people swore that he was growling at them<p>

'_Quiet,_' Kiritsugu told his stomach, '_We get plenty of Prana from Louise, we don't need to eat_.'

"▄▅▄▅" his stomach argued. It was a compelling argument, one Kiri didn't have a counter for. Clutching his stomach, he leaned one hand on a wall. "Haa, fine, I'm starving okay? Happy?"

"Is something the matter Mr. Spirit" a familiar cheerful voice asked.

He turned around to see a Siesta in her usual maid's outfit carrying a big silver tray, looking concernedly at him. Her black hair was neatly adorned with a headband, her eyes beautifully reflected the light, she had a decent sized chest, and her freckles made her entire face scream 'cute' to Kiritsugu.

'_Now if only she was a few years older._' Kiri thought, '_Or maybe a decade. Root, I'm too old for these old desires._'

"It's nothing..." Kiritsugu waved his left hand. "I'm not that hungry, but someone else believes otherwise."

"▄▅▄▅" his stomach added its point

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Siesta covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a giggle. She shouldn't but it was just too hilarious. The big strong stranger that had helped her yesterday was just too funny with that loud stomach.

"You must be hungry." She finally said when she controlled herself

"Not really-"

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" Clearly it was not going to shut up and be ignored. Siesta began shaking rather hard as she tried to suppress her mirth

"Oh, just let it out." Kiri moaned holding his hand on his head

"Bwahahahahahah heheheh ahahahah ohohoho ahahahah hehehehe." Siesta belted out laughing so hard she went down to her knees laughing and laughing. She knew it was rude, but it was just too funny. For a few minutes, she held her side as new waves of laughter hit her again and again. So, after she collected herself, she wiped a tear from her eye and said with a smile "P-p-please f-f-follow m-me this w-way."

Siesta then began to walk off, her body still shaking with mirth.

Kiri was led to the kitchen located at the rear of the dining hall. Numerous large pots and ovens were lined the place while hundreds of cooking utensils hung on the walls. Cooks and other maids like Siesta were busily preparing food under the watchful gaze of the head chef.

"Please wait one moment, okay?"

Siesta had Kiri sit on a chair placed in the corner of the kitchen and disappeared hastily into the back. No one saw Kiri Reinforce the chair to support his weight. Whether the realized it or not, there was over four hundred pounds of Servant there with the armor, blades, and shield on his body.

She soon returned with a bowl full of warm stew in her hands. Kiri inhaled and found himself smiling, it smelled good. Maybe not 'custom apron' worthy, but it was clear that whoever made this knew what they were doing.

"This is some stew made from the leftovers of the nobles' meals. If you don't mind, please eat this." She offered. Her body still shivered in mirth as his stomach rumbled. Many of the staff were looking on in amusement as they heard the noise his stomach made.

"May I?" He asked as he reached out his hands. If he didn't move soon, she was going to spill the food and break out laughing again. A mortal sin that is, spilling good food, many of his family would be infuriated if that ever happened. There was that one time with his mother when-

"Yes. It's only the staff meal though..." Siesta said cutting off his train of thought. Kiri moved his hands quickly, but gently to take control of the food before a single drop was wasted. He scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his mouth. '_Just as expected'_ Kiri thought. It was good, but anyone of the clan that had earned the right to wear a custom apron would have felt insulted to serve such foods. Still, Kri had never earned the right, and he was used to scavenged rations on extended missions, so this was better than the average fare he had eaten. '_Better than roasted swamp rat_.'Kiri thought, but what he said was. "Delicious."

"That's great. There's plenty if you want seconds, so take your time." Siesta said

"Make sure that everyone else has eaten." Kiri warned. "I have the largest appetite you have ever seen."

"No worries," the head chef said, "I'll not let any man leave my kitchen hungry."

"You have been warned." Kiri said, then he began to dig in. With the force of an avalanche, as unstoppable as a hurricane, as ferocious as a firestorm, Kiri began to eat. Everyone soon lost count the number of servings he ate. More and more food entered the bottomless pit that was his stomach. This wasn't the matter of a starving man eating; this was a man that could eat everyone out of house and home. The cauldron that had been half full of food was soon empty. Kiri then took a loaf of bread and broke it, wiping the sides getting every drop of food possible. Kiri took a napkin and wiped his face. "That'll do…for now." He said with a smile. He looked up to see the faces of horror and fascination on it.

"Where did it all go?"

"How the heck did he eat all that food?"

"Bottomless I tell you, bottomless."

"Founder, he eats more than ten people."

"Think that armor is there to keep his stomach in?"

"By Brimir, he must win every eating competition."

"Probably wears the armor to stay in shape"

On and on the staff whispered as they looked at him like they had seen a monster. Honestly, if he was bad now, wait till he actually began working out. Siesta stood there looking at him with wide eyes. "Weren't you given anything to eat?" She asked worried.

"I chose not to, it's not like I have to eat." He said patting his chest…then paused. "Well, not that often away ways." He said evasively. "I've gone without food for a week many times before." '_Course, that was when I was either running for my life or in a place that everything was poisonous_.'

"Oh no! That's terrible!" Seista said "No food for a week?"

A minor cook whispered to his neighbor, "Considering how much he eats, probably doesn't need to eat that often."

"Reminds me of those snakes, eats a big meal then goes days without anything." His partner replied. Everyone froze as a sudden glint of gold reflected in the light. Two golden coins were placed on the table.

"For the food," Kiri explained. "I know I eat a lot."

"But this…" The head chef said looking at the coins. There were unbelievably pure…and thick. The mintage was unfamiliar, but extremely high quality. "This is enough to feed a family for a year or two."

"Good," Kiri said standing, "Because I intend to come back for more." At this, the chef understood the intent. The staff had to feed everyone, including the familiars. However, their budget did get stretched when the larger ones appeared, like that dragon. The black clad man ate enormous amounts of food, so he was paying for them to gather more so he could eat his fill. This would ease up the budget a great deal

"Understood." The chef said. "I'll make sure to whip up something special next time."

"Good," Kiri said

"Are you rich?" Siesta asked. The gold, the way he handed it out made it seem like he held no value over such a large sum of money. Her own family would have been well off with what was just spent.

Kiri evaded her question with his own question. No need to tell her that he access to a special chest that held enough gold to buy a country. "What is rich? It is a word, a hollow word. Gold does not buy many things in this world. I would trade every coin I ever touched to hold my family once more. I would gather all the gold in the world if I could see my parents again." Kiri gave Siesta back the empty bowl. "Make no mistake, coin is nothing compared to family. No 'wealth' can compare to holding your loved ones in your arms again." He looked at her, "That was really tasty. Thanks."

"I'm glad you liked it." Siesta said looking disappointed. He wasn't going to answer her question, and so she was doomed. "Feel free to visit whenever you're hungry."

Kiri nodded, "Thanks, now I need to figure out where my Master is."

"Ah, Mrs Valliere?" Siesta asked. "She will probably be in the courtyard. All their classes are cancelled today. It's a nice break for the house keeping. I'm about to bring them some desserts and tea to them"

"In that case, would you like me to help serve the desserts?" Kiri asked good naturedly

"Yes please." Siesta said with a smile.

"Lead on," Kiri said gathering the trays. As they swished out, the staff's good nature fell.

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"Poor girl." One whispered.

"Of all the men, Count Mott."

"You think she was hoping he would hire her instead?"

"I'd bet the gold he gave us that's what she was hoping for."

"Did you see those swords?"

"Wouldn't help against a noble."

The staff all grimaced at that and went back to work. It was sad, but this wasn't the first time a staff member had caught the eye of a noble. Count Mott was dangerous because he was so well connected to the castle. No, that poor girl was doomed, and she knew it. There was nothing any of them could do, only a noble could fight a noble, and none of them were willing to fight to preserve a little country girl's honor.

Xxxx

_Unlike what they are writing down now, Guiche was not the paragon of morals. In fact, it wasn't until he was fifty that he really ditched his tendencies. It didn't help that Kiri wasn't condemning his escapades. As long as Guiche was honest…and willing to let his wives join in if they wished, Kiri had no problems with Guiche's behavior. Of course, he was worse back when the two first met. At the time, Guiche was the worst skirt chaser in school. He knew every girl by name and had flirted with them all…except for Tabithat and myself (smart man, he knew not to dig his grave that deep) and surprisingly Kirche. Probably because she gave twice as much has she got in the flirting department._

_Getting off track, unlike what the stories tell of the legendary captain. Guiche did not know how to inspire people from the get go. Instead, he had a few sycophants that enjoyed his theatrics and his tales of his exploits, but not one of them would have taken a blow for him, not one would have gladly died for him._

_Shows what a good beating can do for a man._

_I close my eyes and I still recall the fight as clearly as any day. I can still see their looks as the first golem was destroyed with ease. The speed of his 'normal' attacks. Heh, and that was without using either his magic or the runes in his armor. We had no idea what kind of monster we had in our midst at the time._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
>Lots of dessert cakes were arranged on a big silver tray. Kiritsugu carried the tray, while Siesta picked up the cakes with tongs and served them one by one to the nobles. Kiritsugu easily spotted his Master who was patiently waiting for her Servant. He had caught her raising an eyebrow at him, to which he shrugged. He could see her sigh, but made no comment to announce to the students that something was strange. Instead, she sipped a cup of tea and waited while he helped Siesta pass out cakes to the young mages.<p>

One mage in particular stood out. He had curly blonde hair, wore a frill-trimmed shirt that showed off a portion of his chest, and looked rather self-important….or at least he tried to. Kiri was reminded of a puffin from his actions. Kiri noticed that the rose on the boy's chest was giving off a large amount of magic for some reason. Was it the boy's mystic code or something? In his peripheral vision and hearing, Kiri could hear the boy's friends around him poke fun at him.

"So, Guiche! Who're you going out with now?"

"Who's your lover, Guiche?"

So… it seemed the boy was called Guiche. Kiri had to keep form snickering as he thought of quiche after hearing the pronunciation. Honestly, the boy seem a little…cheesy with his performance.

Guirche gently raised a finger to his lips. "'Go out?' I hold no one woman in such special regard. After all, a rose blooms for the pleasure of many."

Kiri flinched at that, he knew the type. Wafting about believing he was Root's gift to women, playing with their hearts and ruining lives. _'How many girls will you knock up in your life boy? How many broken hearts will you leave?' _Kiri however would not scold him, he had no right to talk. Three children…that he knew of, not one of those mothers married him, though the Echidna was not a marrying type of creature. However, unlike the boy, Kiri hadn't looked for girls like that…normally. There had been some days where he just needed comfort and found it in various places. It wasn't the proudest part of his life, but Kiri had done what he could and owned up to his mistakes. All his children had acknowledged him…in a way. '_Aurora, of all my children, you are my greatest regret, and my greatest pride._'

At that moment, something fell out of Guiche's pocket. It was a small glass bottle with a purple liquid swirling inside it.

'_I know I'm going regret it, but I should still tell him he dropped something. If all else fails, in case it might be a reagent of some kind.'_ Kiri could feel a small hint of power come from the bottle as he picked it up. Kiri called out to Guiche. "You dropped this bottle from your pocket."

Guiche, however, didn't turn around. '_Fool__! Never ignore anyone, they might be an assassin or have an important message like "there's a snake by your leg".'_

Kiri walked forward and grabbed the boy by the shoulder as he placed the bottle on the table. "I said, you dropped something boy."

Guiche shot Kiri a dirty look, and pushed the bottle away pointing his nose up in the air like a stork. "What are you talking about? This isn't mine."

Guiche's friends then realized where the bottle came from and raised a loud commotion.

"Ooh? That perfume, isn't that Montmorency's?"

"Yeah! That vivid purple color is the perfume that Montmorency only mixes for herself!"

"So to have something like that fall out of your pocket, Guiche, means that you're going out with Montmorency now, right?"

Guiche looked to the side in alarm as he looked at a certain girl "No wait, listen to me! I'm saying this for the sake of her reputation, but..."

As Guiche was about to say more, a girl, who wore a brown cloak and had been sitting at the table behind them, stood up and walked over to Guiche's seat. She was a cute girl sporting chestnut-colored hair. According to the color of the cloak she wore, she was a first year student.

"Guiche-sama..." And with that, she started crying uncontrollably. "I knew it, you and Miss Montmorency are..."

Guiche tried to stop the inevitable avalanche. "They're misunderstanding. Katie, listen. The only person I hold in my heart is you..."

But the girl called Katie slapped Guiche's face as hard as she could. "That perfume you dropped from your pocket is more than enough proof! Goodbye!"

Guiche rubbed his red cheek. At this point, a girl with tightly rolled hair stood up from a seat further down the table. Kiri recognized her as a girl who'd had the argument with Louise when he was first summoned to this world and mocked her during her attempt at magic.

'_I know you girl, I will have my reckoning soon enough, though…this might be enough if it is as I-'_

Wearing a thunderous expression, the girl approached Guiche with quick clipped steps.

"Montmorency. This is a misunderstanding. All I did was accompany her on a long trip to the forests of La Rochelle..." Guiche said, shaking his head. While he was pretending to remain composed, a flood of cold sweat ran down his forehead.

"Just as I thought! You've been making moves on that first year, haven't you?" Montmorency screeched like a banshee. Kiri flinched as the painful voice entered his ears.

"Please, Montmorency the Fragrance." Guiche begged

'_Montmorency the Fragrance? What the ** kind of name is that?' _Kiri thought

Guiche bent his head and begged"Don't twist your rose-like face in anger like that. It saddens me to see it!"

Montmorency grabbed a bottle of wine that was on the table and poured its contents out audibly on Guiche's head and screamed at the top of her lungs "You liar!" before she stormed off towards the castle. Though no one else noticed, Kiri could hear the sound of her crying. Clearly this had hurt her deeply.

Silence fell upon the hall.

Guiche pulled out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his face. Shaking his head, he spoke dramatically. "It would seem those ladies do not understand the meaning of a rose's existence."

"You want to be a plant that's poisonous, hurts when you try to pluck it, and strangles the other plants around it? A plant whose only redeeming features are its ability to endure a poor gardener and smells nice?" Kiri asked out loud. "That's just sad; I'd rather be a man."

Guiche whirled on Kiri, "What did you say?"

"You deaf as well as dumb boy?" Kiri asked

"Why you-" The boy spat before he spun his body about on the chair and crossed his legs with a flourish. Kiri raised an eyebrow behind his helmet as he watched the theatrics the boy threw out with every motion. The sheer arrogance exuded from every action reminded him of many magi in the Tower. "Thanks to you thoughtlessly picking up some bottle of perfume, the reputation of two ladies has been damaged. How will you take responsibility?"

Kiri looked at him for a moment then began to laugh and laugh while Guiche turned red. "Responsibility? I just did that you twit. Next time you want to have a threesome, try telling them first. You might be surprised at how willing they are. You made your choice, now you deal with the sins as fallout moron."

Guiche's friends burst out laughing.

"Exactly, Guiche! It's your fault!"

Guiche's face flushed crimson. "Listen, wastrel. When you put the bottle of perfume on the table, I pretended not to know anything, didn't I? Would it have hurt to be a little bit tactful and just go along with it?"

"That was tactful." Kiri pointed, "You could have picked it up and pocketed it without anyone noticing. Instead you made a production of it." He took the bottle from the boy and removed the stopper. "You want to see tactless, here's tactless." He poured the contents over the blond mage. "You want to be a rose, smell like one. Root knows you need a bath."

Many of the students laughed and laughed at that. In the corner of his eye, he could see Louise moving quickly towards him.

"You dare commoner!" Guiche roared

"I dare do all that may become a man, who dares more is none." Kiri quoted Macbeth

"What?" Guiche asked.

"Barbarian, can't even appreciate the arts." Kiri muttered.

"You are the barbarian commoner. Don't you dare get high and mighty on me."

"But I do speak Greek." Kiri said with a smile. "Therefore I am not a barbarian."

.com/watch?v=9OmR8dh2VKc

"I don't care what language you barbarians speak, you are an uncouth lout that has no respect for the and your proper place in the world ladies and I demand a duel."

Kiri froze at that and looked the boy over "A duel? You? I'd have to cover up my eye and tie both hands behind my back to give you a sliver of hope winning. Maybe I should tie up my legs as well"

Guiche turned in the other direction his face red as a tomato.

"Running away?" Kiri mocked

"Don't be stupid. I can't taint the dining table of nobles with the blood of a commoner, can I? I'll be waiting at the Vestri Court. Come once you're finished delivering those cakes."

Looking excited, Guiche's friends stood up and followed him off. A duel, for these primitive children, this was top quality entertainment. For them, there was no Saturday morning cartoons, no fight night, no monster truck rallys. This was probably the most exciting thing they would see in months.

One person remained with Kiri, as if to make sure he didn't run away himself. Siesta gazed at Kiri, her entire body quivering in fear.

Kiri snorted, "Got any cloth for a blindfold?" He asked Siesta to her surprise. "I'm not kidding, he can't win. Not in a billion years with his mindset."

"You... You're going to get killed."

"I have fought over countless battlefields Siesta. I have faced death so often that he always has a seat set for me and a spare set of dice for me to roll. I know when I have a chance at dying Siesta, its not going to happen."

"If you truly anger a noble..." She said biting her lip

"I have faced men and women with more power and ability in their pinkies in them. Their bodies lie in ditches." He said. Though, to her eyes it sounded like bragging. Still, a sliver of hope filled her heart. But still, she did not want to see him die, she turned and ran, crying.

Louise ran up to him from behind and screeched, "What do you think you're doing? I saw all that!"

"Louise, you know how powerful I am, do you think I can lose?" He asked

Louise looked down for a minute then whispered "…No"

"Master, if you wish it, I will call off the duel. However, it will be a blow to my pride and yours. I can win Master, I can win so handedly that he will cringe in fear whenever I pass. Yet, I am your sword, your shield. I fight where you will. If you will it not, I will call it all off."

Louise sighed and said, "Please don't kill him."

"As you command," Kiri said with a chuckle, "But do you mind if I kick his ass?"

"Not at all, he's a skirt chasing prat." Louise said thinking of all the girls he had chased. The only ones he had never gone for were...to her knowledge, Tabitha and herself.

"Ah, so you see it too." Kiri approved. "No discipline, no semblance of true honor or dignity. To him, all that exists is the conquest. Fool, he who chases too hard rarely gets any." Kiri said nodding, "He who chases at all also rarely gets any. Only he who chases lightly and with care will find the one." With at, he thought for a moment and said,

"_For want of his nail and a horse,_

_The boy walked his path and course._

_Though he boasts of all that he has claimed,_

_All he will get is a body battered and maimed._

_I walk my path I as I have always done,_

_Perhaps one day I shall find my one."_

Louise looked at him, "I didn't know you composed poetry."

"It's not very good, but I do get inspired every now and then." Kiri said modestly "So where's this Vestri Court?"

"This way, Servant." Louise said with an eager voice

"Forward Forward Forward, to the depths of Hell and the peaks of Heaven Forward Forward Forward always Forward." Kiri uttered ominously.

Xxx

_He says his poetry wasn't that good. I think he was pretty good for someone that spent most of his life in one battlefield or another. Some of them were…bad to say the least, but others were rather beautiful. Some of them could have complex rhythms in them, while others had a basic rhyming scheme. Still, at least he believed at all poetry should rhyme, unlike some of the more 'modern poets' who forgo anything like that at all. I still have a few bits of poetry that I hold dear._

…

…_What? You think I am going to spoil them? No way, he made them for me and me alone…well there was the one he composed for Henrietta's aborted wedding, but that one is rather well known for his encouragement in her independence. The Germanian's hate the poem as a matter of course…as Kiri says 'Philistines, Barbarians'._

_Actually, I think his death poems are probably his best work. Sad in a way, but that's what I truly think._

xxx

Vestri Court was the central garden situated between the Wind and Fire elemental towers. Being located to the west, the Court didn't receive much sunshine, even in the middle of the day, but it was the perfect place for a duel….at least in the minds of the children.

Right now, rather than being nearly absent of people, the place was packed with people who had heard the rumors.

"Gentlemen! It's a duel!" Guiche lifted his artificial rose high, eliciting a loud cheer from the crowd.

"Guiche is going to duel! His opponent is Louise's commoner!"

'_Oh, if you only knew the truth you would all be panicking'_ Louise thought seeing the irony of the statement.

Waving his arms about, Guiche acknowledged the cheering. And then, as if finally noticing Kiri's presence there, he turned to face him…and stared. Kiri was standing in the at ease position, legs spread, arms behind his back…with a blindfold over his helmet.

"What is this?" Guiche demanded

"I told you, the only way you had a chance at victory was if I tied up my arms and covered my eyes." Kiri then dismissed him and turned to the crowd. "As the challenged, I have the right of both choosing a champion if I wish and what weapon will be used." The crowd froze at that. "Oh yes, I know the etiquette of a duel fools. If I chose, I could force the challenger, who has the right to choose the location and time, to fight me using only fists, no magic."

There was a pregnant pause as they all realized at Guiche had made a fatal flaw. There they were, a five foot six man clad in armor versus a five foot one reed of a teen. All of them could see exactly where this was going.

"Nonsense, you don't get to choose" Guiche declared.

"Then it's not a duel," Kiri replied. "Which is what you demanded. Unless you ask my pardon, the duel will continue by the rules of etiquette or you will lose by default, and wouldn't that be humiliating. Losing without doing anything, shameful, pathetic."

Guiche had to try a new tactic immediately, "This duel is disqualified, you're not even a noble."

"Ah, you said it was fine since he isn't a noble and nobles cannot duel against each other." A student called out not wanting the action cancelled. Guiche paled as his words came back to haunt him.

"An interesting point," Kiri said. Guiche felt a wave of relief before Kiri killed it. "If it is a nobility issue, that problem is easily taken care of. I am, as you call it, a familiar." He said sneering at the word, "Of Mrs. Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. If my sponsor is offended as well, then I must continue in her name."

"I Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière give my full support for this duel." Louise decalred knowing her part and raised her wand up in declaration. "Guiche de Gramont has challenged my familiar and I declare that he must accept or be disgraced."

"Familiar? You hired him." A boy laughed…only to freeze up as the killing intent from Kiri focused on him.

"Know this boy, she summoned. No matter what lies you tell yourself and your peers, she summoned me. I am hers, bound to serve her until she or I die. Hold your tongue or wait until I deal with this upstart." Kiri said pointing over at the pale Guiche. The second boy nodded and held his tongue.

He then turned back to Guiche, "I could choose to put you in a disadvantage. Every bone in my body, every second of my training, says do it, show you the error of challenging me by throwing every disadvantage possible at you. But…another part says humiliate you. Humiliate you in your own game, give you advantages despite my training and crush you in your hubris. I choose to follow that advice. For this duel, everything goes, magic, steel, and fist. Use everything you have, for I will too."

Everyone stared at that. The black sell sword had the chance to easily defeat Guiche, instead, he let Guiche use his magic and declared it would be humiliating. What was he? The blond mage found a new set of confidence and stood up and strutted.

"Fool, you had your chance and threw it away. Then, let us begin," said Guiche.

'_Normally I would have already shot you. No hesitation, no preparation. The enemy never waits to say start, they try kill you first and when you are dead, then they say start.'_ Kiri thought as he waited. '_Never fight fair, that is how I always have fought, and that is how I always will._' Though there was a piece of cloth over his helmet, it did nothing to block out the infrared, ultraviolet scanners, the motion sensors or the heat sensors. He looked blind, however he was anything but. _'It's roughly seven paces to where Guiche is. One burst in my feet, and he would already be dead. But…why reveal my strengths. Hide the magic, hide my true skills and wait. Keep everything I can hidden.'_

Guiche watched Kiritsugu with a leisurely smile, knowing that the overconfident fool had thrown away victory, and flicked his rose.

A petal floated down, as it hit the ground, a burst of light lit the area revealing an armor-clad shape of a female warrior. Its height was about the same as a person's, but it appeared to be constructed from some hard metal. Kiri looked at it through his scanners and frowned. '_You have got to be kidding me._' He thought insulted by what he was facing, it wasn't the golem that was offending, it was what it was made of.

Bronze

"I am a mage, therefore I fight using magic, Since you so kindly let me perform it, you have no say in the matter."

…

Kiri seethed in his armor, this was what he had to face? This toy?

"I guess I forgot to mention earlier. My Runic name is "the Bronze." Guiche the Bronze. Accordingly, my bronze golem "Valkyrie" shall be your real opponent." The boy said thinking it was a major accomplishment.

"Bronze, you dare to fight me with that antiquated armor?" Kiri said in a dangerous low voice

The warrior-shaped golem charged towards Kiri, only to get kicked in the side. Said golem was sent flying into the nearby wall with a giant dent and collapsed before disintegrating.

"Eeeeh?" the students said staring at the sight. A commoner had just kicked away a golem.

"I am in armor boy. Armor made of a metal stronger than steel! You dare to fight me with bronze!" Kiri raged. He took a step forward.

"What's this?" Quiche asked nervously, "Maybe I went too easy on you?" He waved his wand and a second golem appeared, this one holding a spear.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_The Headmaster's Office. _

Mister Colbert was fervently explaining everything to Sir Osmond about the commoner boy that was summoned by Louise at the Springtime Familiar Summoning. He explained about how he was concerned about the runes that had appeared on the boy's hand as proof of the contract between him and Louise. And that when he had gone to research out more, Colbert had found a match with the runes

"You reached the Founder Brimir's familiar Gandálfr?" Osmond intently examined Colbert's sketch of the runes on Kiritsugu's left hand. Pieces of a puzzle over the last day were coming into place, that strange feeling of power last night, the sense of danger tingling in the back of his mind, and that other worldly feeling in the air saturating his every breath. Yes, it all made sense, and it made the old man both tired and sad. '_So, it begins again. Just as foretold_'

"Yes! The runes that appeared on that boy's left hand are exactly the same as the runes that were inscribed on the legendary familiar Gandálfr!" Colbert said excitedly.

"So, that is your conclusion?" the headmaster said with a tired voice. '_I should have gone to my eternal rest a long time ago. I never wished to witness this event in my life.'_

"That boy is Gandálfr! If this isn't big news, then what is, Sir Osmond?" Colbert stood up as he wiped his balding head with a handkerchief.

"Hrm... Certainly, the runes are the same." Osmond said trying to find any way to deny reality.

"What shall we do?" Colbert asked

"…It is too early to be making definite claims." Osmond said. Perhaps he would not have to witness the promised time, perhaps it was a fluke, a mistake. He prayed for that fervently.

"That's true." Colbert agreed. To jump to conclusions lead to disaster, he had learned of that too late in life.

*Knock, Knock, Knock*

"Who is it?" Osmond asked

From behind the door came Miss Longueville's voice. "It's me, Sir Osmond."

"What is it?" Osmond asked

"It seems there are some students dueling at Vestri Courts. It's causing quite a commotion. A few teachers have gone there to try and stop it, but their attempts are being impeded by the sheer number of students."

"For heaven's sake, there's nothing worse than nobles with too much free time in their hands." Osmond declared. Did none of them not see how dangerous and pointless duels were? Soldiers fought to kill enemies and protect their allies. Duelists killed their allies and protected their egos. "So, who's involved?"

"One of them is Guiche de Gramont." Miss Longueville informed him from behind the door.

"Ah, that idiot son of Gramont." That explained much. "Skirt-chasing must run in the family, considering his father's even more of a womanizer. I wouldn't be surprised if the boy knows every girl in school. And his opponent is?"

"...Well, it's not a mage. I've been told it's Miss Vallière's familiar." If one listened carefully, there was a hint of worry in her voice. After all, he was the only man in recent memory that had shown her a modicum of chivalry.

Osmond and Colbert exchanged a look.

"The teachers are requesting to use the "Bell of Sleep" to stop the duel." She told them. Well actually, that was false, they had asked for authority to intervene a bit more sternly. However, she decided to up their request to an artifact that would end the fighting immediately.

Osmond's eyes glinted like a hawk's as he made a calculation over a risk. If this was a fluke, someone could die, though the Gramont would probably end the duel before that. However, if it truly was the legendary familiar…things could get bloody. He made a choice… "Ridiculous. There's no need to use such an important artifact just to stop a children's fight. Leave them be."

"…Understood." Miss Longueville's footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Rather quickly actually.

Colbert swallowed audibly and verbally pressed Osmond. "Sir Osmond."

"Hrm." He grunted in agreement. Sir Osmond waved his staff and a big mirror set in the wall began scrying the situation at Vestri Court.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Everyone watched in surprise and awe. Not one, but now two golems had been destroy with a kick. Yet, calling it a kick would be like calling a mountain an ant hill. None of them could see the leg swing until it connected with the golem with a resounding crash. The golems had both been hit so hard they slammed into the wall and disintegrated.

"Is that all?" the black clad man said dangerously. "I have fought demons boy Demons. I have fought things that make Demons cower in fear. I have gazed into the eyes of an Ultimate One in a land that exuded madness from every crystal and beheld its power and how weak I truly am. I have fought armies of men and undead. Is this all you can challenge me with, toys?"

…

Everyone stared at him, looking at the madman. Then, one by one they begin to snicker. Him? A commoner? Yeah right, he had to be boasting. Sure, he was beating Guiche, but the playboy was a weak dot mage. No true mage would ever have a problem with him.

Only three people believed him. The first was his Master, of course. She had felt the inhuman power he had displayed. The second was the light blue haired girl. Tabitha had seen instantly that he was a warrior, and one who would not boast his trials. She could see how offended he truly was, and she shuddered. The things he spoke of had a hint of horror behind his rage. He clearly feared that which he remembered…especially the Ultimate One, whatever that was. The third person was Osmond who gazed on from his mirror.

"Well, he's certainly boastful." Colbert said. He knew the man was a warrior, but that kind of talk was most likely a psychological tactic.

Osmond knew differently. He knew what an Ultimate One was, he had in his youth gone to see the Monster in that Red Crater. To willingly gaze upon such a creature, that was madness…pure insanity. It had taken all his will for Osmond to glimpse upon that…thing in the Crater for a second. The only reason he hadn't gone mad was because he was what he was. It spoke of the strength of the man to look upon an Ultimate One.

Xxxx

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"Your boasts notwithstanding," Guiche said looking nervously over at the dents in the wall where his golems had collided. "Let me congratulate you. I'm honestly quite impressed that a commoner would come this far against a mage."

"I said, Is that all?" Kiri demanded taking a step forward causing the boy to back up three steps.

Panicking, Guiche waved his rose wand wildly. Petals danced, and six new golems appeared. Unlike the first two, these ones looked…cheaper, less refined. Altogether, the six golems were Guiche's full arsenal. Never had he thought that a mere commoner could be a match for even one.

The golems surrounded Kiri and sprang at him all at once.

And just when it looked like they had him, six of them were destroyed in an instant by a spin kick that hit those six in a row and sent them flying. Several students had to duck or evade from being hit. It had been so fast that nobody even saw the kick until Kiri lowered his leg. Everyone wondered just what kind of superhuman ability he possessed. They all looked to see the last golem was in the black clad man's left hand. The golem whacked its sword on the black helm repeatedly, but all that did was chip the cheap blade against the superior metal.

They heard a scoffing noise from Kiri followed by an earsplitting creak. They watched in mild horror and fascination as the head of the golem was crushed in the left hand with ease before it was tossed aside.

"No tactics, no strategy." Kiri said advancing on the boy who had fallen to his knees. "You insult my skills and arms by fielding inferior puppets to do your work. You boast your pride as a mage and noble and fail to understand the most basic of concepts related to both."

"H-Hiii!" A light kick to the chest sent Guiche sprawling to the ground. Nothing was broken, but there would be some bruising. Kiri drew his blades and raised them up over the boy's head. Guiche summoned a blade and slashed at Kiri only for it to shatter as soon as the boy hit the shin guard armor.

'_I'm gonna die!'_ Guiche thought, as he shielded his head with his hands.

…

?

…

?

Guiche timidly opened his eyes again only to see two blades aimed at him, one at his throat, one at his heart.

"Do you wish to continue?" Kiri asked dangerously

Guiche shook his head furiously. He'd totally lost any will to fight. And in a failing voice he said, "I... I yield." Only to be kicked in the gut again and sent flying.

"The enemy will not grant mercy, the enemy will not let you yield." Kiri said kicking Guiche again sending him back "Your puppets and swords are lost, use your arms till they are cut off, when they are cut off, use your legs to kick at them till they are cut off. When your legs are cut off, use your teeth to bite their throats out. Never give up, never surrender for the enemy will never let you." Kiri said advancing on him again. He delivered yet another kick at the boy. "Mages walk with death by their side, any miscast can be their last. Nobles must bear the burden of their subordinates. You are neither a mage nor a noble. You are a fool, and I will not suffer to be in the presence of fools."

"Please, stop." Guiche begged as he was kicked again.

"Why should I stop? You tried to kill me, should I not try to kill you? You used violence, should I not use violence?" Another kick to the chest, "You reap what you sow, you eat what you grew, you bear the sins of your choices, that is the way of the world. That is how it will always be."

"Servant." Louise's voice broke out. "That is enough."

Kiri backed up from the boy. Tentatively, Guiche stood up feeling the pain in his bruised ribs…only to be kicked again.

"Remember this boy," Kiri hissed. "You bragged about being a rose. A rose is tough, it endures harsh climates and disasters in the hopes that it will be pollinated, in the hopes that despite the odds, a new life will come from its efforts. You are no rose, you are a weed. Crawl on the earth weed, and dream of becoming a rose. Or better yet, dream of being a man."

Kiri turned on his heels and strode away leaving the students looking on in various states of emotion.

Behind him, he could hear rowdy cheering from the audience such as "Whoa, that familiar is awesome!" or "Oh man, Guiche lost!"

At the same time, Kiri could hear the undercurrent whispers of , "He's dangerous," and "I thought he was going to kill Guiche."

'_Fear and awe, as always, I am the Black Knight. This is what I lay behind me, fear and awe_.'

He could see Louise walking over to him. He could see the pride mixed with nervousness in her eyes. She was proud that her Servant had won, but she was nervous too. He had been ruthless as he beat the life lesson into the boy.

"I won." he said simply.

"I saw." She returned. She sighed, "I'm sure that I'm going to get a letter of complaint from Lord Gramont"

"Is he actually important?" Kiri asked curiously as they walked away

"He's a general of the country." Louise explained. "The Gramonts are all militant nobles. That's how they won their nobility five centuries ago at the famous battle of ChurcHill. Ever since then, every one of their sons and nephews has entered the military."

Kiri snorted, "If that was supposed to be a militant display, clearly Guiche slept through his lectures."

"He's a third son." Louise explained. "He has nothing to look forward to except a minor posting at best after school. Unlike his two brothers who have made a name for himself, Guiche is busy trying to smooch off another house and marry into luxury."

"Hmpf, medieval politics." Kiri snorted, "That the Root we're done with that where I come from. Still…hmm…young boy…has promise if I can break him in…hmm yes, I can use him."

"What?" Louise asked nervously.

"Just something I need to consider. I need to iron out the details then I'll explain." Kiri said, his mind twirling with plots and plans while weighing the variables. The Black Knight and the White King bounced their ideas back and forth as they hammered out their ambitious idea.

Xxxxx

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_He was always planning something. He couldn't help it, he spent a lifetime planning. How could anyone expect him to not plan. It didn't help with his messed up mind. Everyoen else has only one true voice in their head and a few whispers of instinct. He had two fully developed minds in his head, the Black Knight and the White King. Those two argued, debated, challenged each other, played countless games of chess, plotted schemes. They did all that every hour nonstop. _

_Can you imagine, beign stuck in a room with the same person from day one. Others can feel loneliness. Him? He has no idea what the concept it, he is never alone, there are two in one. I've seen people with multiple personalities…or dissociative disorder as Kiri called them at times. Those people are merely pushing their problems off onto another aspect of themselves. Those fragments are nowhere near a whole person. _

_Kiri on the other hand was two in one. There is an old saying, two heads are better than one. It's true. When one sleeps, the other can stay awake. While one reads a book, the other is watching the area. I can only imagine how it helped to be studying a subject with another person in my head. It wasn't that he was smart, it was that everyone was asking two people that evenly split the load._

xxxxx

Guiche slowly stood up and shook his head in amazement and fear. "Louise, just what is this guy? All of my Valkyries were so easily defeated...He made it look so easy." Inside the boy's head, he found an attraction to the man that beat him. The man was strong, he was…inspiring in a way. No one had bothered to teach him, to scold him other than his wet nurse. This was a new thing to him, to actually be lectured.

"He's just a commoner." One student dismissed,

"There's no way my golems could have lost to 'just a commoner.'" Guiche declared. "No, he's different."

"Hmph. Wasn't it just because you were weaker?"

"More like he was stronger." Another student said. "Did you see how fast he was? I couldn't even see the kick."

"So he has training? It's not like it will do him any good once we improve."

"Improve…." Guiche said, "Yes, I need to improve…"

xxxxxxxxx

Sir Osmond and Colbert finished watching the entire event via the Mirror of Far-Seeing. They exchanged another look.

"Sir Osmond."

"Hrm."

"That commoner actually ended up winning..."

"More like trounced the boy." The Headmaster said. In his heart, he knew he could not deny the truth, but he still prayed fervently to his ancestors that it was a fluke, merely a strong, experienced warrior beating an untrained boy. But…an Ultimate One…

"Guiche is only a first level Dot mage, but even so, he shouldn't have been beaten by an average commoner. What amazing speed! I've never seen a commoner like him before! There's no doubt that he's Gandalfr!"

"Hrmm..." Osmond grunted. Yes, no matter how he denied it, this was the Gandalfr. Ancestors, he was too old to deal with world shaking events. Honestly, one of the conclave should be overseeing this, not him, but the others had gone to sleep while he had volunteered to watch the world.

Mister Colbert urged Osmond unseeing the proverbial black cloud hovering over the Headmaster.

"Sir Osmond. We should report this to the palace immediately and ask for instructions..."

"There will be no need for that." Sir Osmond nodded sternly, ruffling his white beard.

"But sir! This is the biggest discovery of the century! A Gandalfr reborn in the modern world!"

"Mister Colbert. The Gandalfr was no ordinary familiar." '_It was a weapon, a horrendous weapon unleashed upon the world_.'

"Exactly! The familiar used by the Founder Brimir, the Gandalfr! There was never any description of its appearance, but it's said to have been created specifically for the purpose of protecting the Founder Brimir during his spell incantations."

"Correct. Founder Brimir's incantations were especially long to recite. However, that made his spells very powerful. As you know, mages are most vulnerable while spell casting. The Gandálfr was the familiar that he used to protect himself in those times of vulnerability. Its strength-"

Colbert eagerly cut in at this point, looking extremely excited. "It could annihilate an army of one thousand all by itself! Ordinary mages were said to be no match for it!"

'_And you don't see a problem with that? Killing thousands all alone? It was a weapon, though it was always meant to be a shield, Brimir used the Gandalfr as a weapon. The Shield of God was turned into a Sword of the devil, and the world burned for it._' Osmond thought sadly, but what he said was, "So, Mister Colbert."

"Yes?"

"That boy, he really is just an average commoner, right?" He prayed, he prayed with all his might that it was just a little bit off. A small discrepancy was what he needed. Too large and it was a clear indication, no discrepancy at all and-

"Yes." Colbert said "No matter how I looked, he was just an average commoner. I even confirmed it with a Detect Magic spell when Miss Valliere initially summoned him, but he was still a genuine average commoner."

'_Dammit, he knows how to hide his power! That's even worse.' _"And who was it that turned him into a modern Gandalfr?" Osmond asked not showing his apprehension

"That would be Miss Vallière, but..."

"She must be a very talented mage I take it?" he asked. If things followed the same course, then she would actually be-

"Not at all. Rather, one might say she's _un_-talented..."

'_Ancestors bones! It is exactly as foretold, and she summoned one skilled enough to hide_." Osmond looked up at Colbert and said in a calm voice "A puzzling duo to be sure."

"Yes."

" What an utter paradox. I just can't see where the ends meet." Osmond said. '_The only bright spot is that all the others are gone, we might miss the fallout of this disaster.'_

"Indeed..."

"In any case, there is no need for us to hand over Gandalfr and its master to those fools at the palace. Give them a toy like this and they'll just cause another unnecessary war. Court advisors have too much free time on their hands and like fighting far too much." Osmond warned. '_The last thing we need is for a pretentious little girl to believe she is a god in the flesh of a mortal and become another Brimir_.'

"O-oh, I see. I apologize for overlooking such important matters." The bald teacher apologized. He hadn't thought if it that way, but…he could see where the Headmaster was coming from.

"I will take responsibility of this case myself. You will not speak of this to anyone else, Mister Colbert." Osmond assured the teacher.

"Y-yes! I understand!" With that, Colbert took his leave.

Sir Osmond took hold of his staff and turned to look at his mirror he flicked his wand at the door casting a powerful enchantment for privacy. He waved it over at the mirror which fluctuated and warped until it glowed purple.

"Old Friend, what a surprise." A voice from the mirror spoke. "What is the occasion?"

"The legendary familiar Gandalfr has appeared once more." Osmond spoke. He could tell that started his old comrade. "The time is almost upon us once more."

"Are you sure?" The voice asked nervously.

"The signs are all there and the runes were burned onto a man that is no man who was summoned by a mage that cannot cast a basic spell."

"…Explain everything to me Osmodeus."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

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	66. Black Zero 19

**Black Zero 19**

_I think it is ironic. I have hunted down countless magi that sought immortality. Yet, I too have hunted for immortality since I was a child, but…I chose to become immortal through death. Everything is ready, I can die at any time and I will gain my immortality. So, until I meet my end, I will continue to push forward and make the world a better place, even as I stain my hands with blood. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_My swordsmanship has been called unique by many people. That is because the way I have fought has evolved after my many injuries. I first fought with a single two-handed sword like my mother and twin… until I lost my hand. Until I was used to my artificial hand, I was forced to use a smaller sword with one hand until I eventually became strong enough to use my larger blade with one hand. Once I was used to my new hand, I swung my smaller sword with my fake hand and fought with two swords…until I lost my eye and my sword Honor was shattered. After that, I could never cover my blind side as well with two swords, so, I used a shield. I wonder what I will do once I lose something else…–Emiya Kiritsugu II._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dead to the world, Emiya Kiritsugu was led away from the ruined Manor to a cheap hotel that Maiya had booked under an assumed name. Maiya half led, half carried Kiritsugu away from where he stood and brought him to the safe house. Since he had seen Iri taken away, the man hadn't shown any sign he cared what happened to him. It had been too much, the knowledge that he had and probably was going to fail, Illya left all alone and forced to fight and die in the Fifth Grail War, and now his wife was taken away to die…probably, if what Saber said was true. He'd ask Saber if she knew anything, but that was impossible, Servants don't retain memories from their various summons.

Meanwhile, Saber moved silently. Though none would notice, her mind was a storm or thoughts as she clearly recalled the parallels between this Berserker and Lancelot. Both were master level swordsmen, though they fought completely different, both were clad in black and distorted their identities, both were incredibly strong, and both had kidnapped Iri. Saber bit her lips. Had she done something to alter the timeline? Had redeeming Lancelot brought forth this nightmare? Instead of the Matou summoning Berserker, somehow Shirou was the Master.

Saber closed her eyes and thought back on the battle.

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Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As soon as the Noble Phantasm went off after Lancer, Saber had used that moment to escape and chase after Berserker and Shirou. It wasn't hard to track the beast, not only was he exuding massive amounts of killing intent, the amount of magic in his wake was staggering. Had Saber been able to calmly observe the magic, she might have noticed how familiar it felt. However, she did not have that luxury. She chased after Berserker following the trail of ruin and debris left in the wake of the mad Servant. He was moving quickly. Berserker was heading for something, Saber knew it. Yes, Berserker was weaving through the walls in a zig zag pattern, but it was clear that he was heading for something in particular. Saber just couldn't figure out what, Kiritsugu was above and Iri was below. Was Berserker targeting a different Master?

She was closing in, Saber could feel it, she was probably less than twenty feet away from him, separated only by a wall or two…when she heard the roof cave in. Honestly, it wasn't surprising, Berserker hadn't taken precautions against structural integrity. But, what it did was cut her off. With the roof caving in bringing down the second floor to the first, a great deal of debris got in the way.

"▅▄▅▄▅▄" a mad voice roared through the debris. Saber could feel that Berserker had burst through another wall roaring. This had worked out for the better as she was now closer. Saber dashed around the debris and burst through a wall herself. Though she only had a split second, she could see her Master Kiritsugu and Kirei were in the same room with some strange creature made of blades. Reacting far faster than any human, she rammed Berserker, sending him flying, Yet Berserker had grabbed her in the same instant Saber contacted him and dragged her with him. Saber ha cursed she could not protect Kiritsugu, but she was now fully committed against Berserker.

*Crash*

*Clang*

*Crack*

*Twang*

*Sweee*

*Crash*

Again and again they clashed as the two fought tooth and nail against each other. They ripped through various floors, falling down and blasting back up uncaring of the damage they did to the building. Saber wielded her blade with the legendary skills she was known for while Berserker fought in a varied fashion. He fought with one sword with one or two hands; he fought with sword and shield, and even fought with two swords while using his legs and arms as weapons as well. Saber would have been impressed by the varied style of this mysterious Servant were he not trying to kill her and drag Shirou into a war he should have never gotten involved in.

*Crash*

*Clang*

"Haaaaa"

"▅▄▅▄▅▄"

The two Servants crashed again and again faster than the human eye could see, faster than any human could react as they tried to kill each other. Sword met sword, attack met attack. Berserker kicked at her feet only for her to leap back and dash forward and attack again. Their swords collided sending a shower of sparks that threatened to set the building ablaze. Though it felt like they had been fighting for hours, rather, it had been less than five minutes. Their sense of time was distorted as they moved at high speed trying to exterminate each other.

*Twang*

*Sweee*

*Crash*

*Boom*

The two burst through another wall when a scream was heard. Unlike Berserker's raging scream, this was a scream of pain. Berserker suddenly spun, exposing his back to Saber and crouched. Saber leapt forward to attack the opening, but Berserker charged through a wall, heading in the direction of the scream. Saber kicked off the ground, causing the floor to explode beneath her. With the force, she kept on Berserker's tail slashing as best she could, yet the mad Servant somehow blocked them with his shoulder plating or his elbows. Saber didn't notice it until it was almost too late, Berserker was almost upon Kiritsugu, Saber dashed as fast as she could and swung with all her might. It was then that Berserker did the unexpected…

Rather than block the blow, Berserker twisted, he took the blade in the chest, his armor absorbing some of the damage, but Saber's blade still went through. Yet, as she dealt damage to Berserker, Berserker used the speed of his turn to punch Saber through the wall. Saber had a flash of seeing Kiritsugu as she flew in the air. She flipped and landed on the ground feet first. AS soon as she had her feet on the ground, the very ground exploded as she charged back at Berserker. Her sword swung hard and fast, yet Berserker was able to keep up with her despite his injuries. It would be impressive, were it not he was her worst enemy. Were he not dragging Shirou into this war, Saber might have respected this man's skills even while under the influence of insanity.

*Clang*

*Crack*

*Crash*

*Smash*

Round and round they spun throwing everything they had in their attacks, neither one retreated, neither one backed away. Around and around they spun in their dance of death. Sword crashed upon sword, sparks illuminated the darkness between the two as the blades met. Saber slashed low, only to be blocked with the shield, Berserker swung high, only for Saber to duck with millimeters to spare. Though her blade was covered in wind, hiding her blade, the mad Servant easily saw where the attack was going and how much movement was needed to evade or block an attack. Saber roared as she swung her blade parallel to the ground, and Berserker kicked off the ground flipped over the blade and kicked Saber in the face before landing and dropping to the ground evading another strike.

Arms, legs, blades, shield, Berserker used everything he had to attack, ignoring the cuts inflicted on his body, ignoring the spear still stuck in his shoulder from Lancer. How anyone could fight at this level with these injuries was unknown to Saber. Even she would have had a difficulty fighting is she had the injuries that were done to Berserker. Battle Continuation? Possible, but possibly not, Saber couldn't see Servant stats, and with whatever trickery Berserker possessed no Master would be able to determine what Berserker possessed either.

Saber heard another scream coming from below, and saw that once again, Berserker broke off, exposed his back to Saber and dashed away, this time, he broke through the floor heading for the scream. Saber would have gone after him, but the structure collapsed behind Berserker. Saber had to dash to a different area to follow. She ripped through the floor ignoring the sounds of the building aching from the damage done to it. Saber landed on the first floor, ready to attack Berserker, when she felt it. Saber leapt to the side just as the mad Servant astride his Noble Phantasm burst from the floor. Saber moved to deflect, but the horse still broadsided her sending Saber blasting through a wall and out the castle. Yet, even as she was sent flying, she saw something that filled her with horror. Iri, the bastard had taken Iri and was fleeing from the manor. As Saber landed, she calculated if she could catch up before Berserker escaped, but she came to a grim conclusion. She could not hope to match the speed of that Noble Phantasm, and Saber's own Noble Phantasms were ill suited to taking down a single enemy without killing others around the target.

Saber watched Berserker flee even as she felt the presence of the other enemy Masters retreat as the building collapsed. Too much damage had been done to the place, the great castle of the Einzbern fell within itself and collapsed. For a time, there was silence, even as Saber's heart sunk. She flicked her gaze over to the rubble and was both surprised and relieved that Maiya crawled out. Though injured, she hadn't died like the last time Saber had been through this war.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Returning to the present, Saber gazed upon her Master. It was painful to see him this broken…again. Once again, Saber had broken her vow to protect Iri, only this time, she broke it even sooner. This was not supposed to happen. Saber was supposed to defeat Lancer and his Master as well as Kirei. Berserker and Caster should have kept each other occupied, but once again, Berserker had defied the odds and done what seemed the impossible. Looking back on Berserker's behavior, Saber came to a conclusion. Those screams, the ones that Berserker suddenly turned his back on Saber for…those had to belong to Shirou. Why else would the Servant leave an opening and flee?

'_Shirou…what have you brought into this world?_' Saber thought. She tried to think of what Shirou could have summoned to match Berserker's profile and drew a blank. None of the other Fifth Grail Servants were here…not unless it was Touma's mother, but Saber doubted the creature she had fought was the illusive and unknown Assassin turned insane. Saber racked her brain trying to think of everyone in the clan that might have fit the bill and drew a blank. She could not think of anyone that matched the strange phenomenon of the mad Servant.

Two different pairs of eyes, fights with various skills with sword, shield, and limbs, fires magic from the left had without uttering a sound, a horse of some kind, the more she added the strange phenomenon, the more she was sure that she knew who it was, but there were several things wrong. Saber could not think of anyone that casted magic so easily with the left hand. Even Caster and Aoko had to utter a word or musical note to cast magic. The mismatched eyes made Saber think of Altrouge's brood, but neither Haru nor his children possessed such strange eyes. Saber walked on into the night feeling like she was on the verge of a breakthrough, she felt that she was just missing one or two things that would clear everything up.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kazehana lay on the bank of the river breathing heavily. Her breaths were short and ragged and her face was heavily flushed. Her neck was coated in fluid. Her hair was damp and matted and her clothes clung to her tightly from being covered in sweat. A dark spot was clearly seen on her lap. One hand was place over her chest trying to massage her beating heart. Never before had the Seikirei ever felt this way before. She had felt many emotions in her life, ranging from happiness to sadness, grief to love, but this was a first.

This was the first time she had felt fear. Oh, she had been nervous before, even subtle hints of fear, but tonight, she had felt true fear unlike anything she had known she could feel, a primal, animalistic fear that rooted itself inside her and paralyzed her body. She had tangled with a beast, and she had barely gotten out of there alive.

She heard footsteps approach her, and she could not help but flinch even if they were different than the ones that would haunt her nightmares for a long time. Instead of the clank of metallic boots hitting the ground, these were leather shoes and sandals that moved much quieter on the ground. Kazehana turned to see Akitsu and Yume look down at her from the top of the bank.

"Kazehana." Yume said, "We're sorry for being late, but…what happened here?" She said pointing to the river and its bank. Great icebergs were broken and scattered in the river bobbing along towards the ocean. The bank of the river was torn up so much that it resembled a warzone with hundreds of craters and newly made fissures. The grass was burnt to a crisp while a line of fire kept moving towards the city. The firefighters would soon be there to deal with the brush fire, but the area where Kazehana lay was devoid of life. Yume noticed that Kazehana had a dark spot on her clothes and her neck. She looked closer and paled.

Blood.

There was a large collection of blood on her lap and a ring of blood around her neck that looked like a handprint. From the looks of it, something bloody had been strangling the wind Sekirei.

"Heh," Kazehana said as she shakily reached for a small canteen full of alcohol. "I underestimated him." She took the canister to her mouth and chugged deeply. In a moment, not a single drop was left. Yet, even with the liquid courage, she had a hard time talking. It had been too close, far too close for her liking. She had nearly died, and it had only been an act of god that kept her alive.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

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One hour ago

Kazehana saw him coming towards the river, a black figure on a black horse racing for the river. Kazehana figured he would come back; Akitsu and Yume were busy looking throughout the city while she opted to stay here. She had heard them talk about the man and had come to a conclusion. Though he was deadly in close range and powerful in mid-range, this elusive kidnapper was weak to long-range attacks, something that Kazehana excelled at. She saw him from her spot by the river and decided. None of them could track anything going that fast, it was a matter of taking him down when they saw him. Kazehana watched in fascination as the first iceberg appeared in the river. She had heard of this from Yume, but this was the first tiem she had witnessed the power of the kidnapper. Kazehana raised her hand and collected the streams of air around her before she fired them at the target. How could she know, how could she imagine, that this would be a mistake. By sending the air at him, she gave away something that she should have guarded.

Her scent.

The scent of her body was carried with the wind as it flew towards the man.A storm of air rushed towards her target as he drove his horse across the ice. With this, she had just given herself away.

"▅▄▅▄▅▄" the black clad figure roared in pain and rage

Xxxxxxxx

PAIN

Much Pain. Hurts Hurts Hurts, wind, wind cut, wind hurts. Smells, smells wrong, not wind, not wind, attack. Kill KILL KIILLLLLL Protect the Light Protect the Light at all costs Protect offering, Light must have offering.

_Wind Based Air attack. Damage is minimum. _

**What's happening, why is someone attacking? **

Enemy wants the Light, Dark Ones want the Light, Shadows want the light. No, Light not for them. Light is for Faithful. Only Faithful worthy for Light. Only Faithful willing to give all to the Light as is proper.

_The enemy lies on the Right. Send away the steed, we are enough._

**Send what?**

Yes Yes Yesyesyes. Light Stays safe, Faithful kill Enemy

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On a building overlooking, a king, no The King, watched the battle.

"Fool." The golden king said, his arms crossed and his expression disdainful. "An attack of that puny level?"

The woman had wasted a perfect chance to destroy the mad dog with a pathetic attack. Even the King had to acknowledge the resilience of the dog. Like an insect, it would not die so easily, especially from trashy attacks like that. The King considered leaving already, yet, he wanted to see how the dog would entertain him. Such a mad mongrel would be unpredictable, perhaps it would actually provide some entertainment worthy of the King. The woman certainly wasn't, the only thing that piqued his interest was the unusual feel she gave off. She wasn't human, no matter how she hid it, the King was not fooled. The wind woman was not human, she was something different. Yet, she was boring. She was trying to be strong, but the king could see she was broken somehow, and he had no interest in broken things.

Well…not unless he was the one that broke them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The black Clad man leaped. Had Kazehana been closer, she would have seen a boy with red hair and a woman in white clothes were left on the horse. The Black Clad Man created new ice to form as he rushed towards her while the horse leaped from iceberg to iceberg towards land. In a flash, the steed was gone, lost to sight taking the precious cargo with it. How could she have known? How could Kazehana know that she had just let the main objective slip away? She couldn't, she wouldn't ever know, and now a pointless battle was joined.

Berserker's left hand aimed at the water in front and below. Several explosions were heard, and large slabs of ice appeared allowing the mad Servant to dash towards his target. A blade of wind hit him on the chest, but his armor took it without anything more than a scratch.

"▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄" Berserker screamed as he kept on coming, unfazed by the attack.

Another blade of wind hit, this time, a small part of the wind blade hit unprotected flesh, and Berserker bled, but it was ultimately futile, the juggernaut would not stop, would not deviate, he would not go down. Again and again she launched blasts of wind at him, but he kept on charging, ignoring the damage done to him. She could see the blood flying from her attacks, she was damaging him, and he didn't care. As he approached her, she gathered the wind and raised herself in the air. She would not fight on his terms, only on hers.

BaBang

Shots were fired, impossible shots. How had he nicked her shoulder from that distance, with his hand? The pain threw her off, she couldn't fly as well, but…she wasn't down yet. She gathered the winds and launched them in a different way, rather than a blade of wind, she fired a drill of wind. She saw him raise his shield in response. The attack didn't hurt him, but it did push him back. More importantly, she knocked him off course from any of the ice. The kidnapper fell into the River. It would be no issue for her to cut the water and give him air to breath, but right now she needed him to panic, to tire out.

It didn't work.

She almost couldn't believe it, even with that armor, he was swimming towards her, rapidly. One sword was raised in the air like a shark fin while he blazed towards her in the water like a torpedo. Behind him, a constant explosion of water rocked out from his feet. He wasn't swimming; he was somehow pushing the water away with his feet. With the sword sticking out the water, Kazehana was reminded of an American film about a large shark attacking. Yet, not even that film could inspire so much fear as this monster did. She fired bullets of wind, trying to do damage, sometimes it did, other times she missed. At times the monster, for this could never be a man that she was fighting, would leap out of the water and unleash fire, lightning, and explosions at her. Kazehana dodged as well as she could, but she could feel it, she was being herded. The damn monster was herding her towards land.

Attack after attack was launched at the woman as she returned her own attacks, yet, the damage done to Berserker was superficial, Kazehana's were not. The time the lightning hit her hurt greatly, caused her vision to waver. The fire would have killed her had she not blasted a wind attack at the same time causing her to only get first degree burns on her hands. Kazehana had to duck under an explosive attack, which brought her too close to the water. Her legs were suddenly incased in ice.

"Shiimata." Kazehana said realizing her mistake. She cut at the ice, trying to free herself, but she saw it, the monster flew out of the water and wound it's arm back. The collision freed her from the ice and slammed her into the bank.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The King sighed; the whole fight had been boring. There was no entertainment in watching this any longer, the woman had been too weak. The dog didn't need to deviate in the slightest. Boring, boring, boring, the King doubted he had seen a more boring fight in his life. He was half tempted to end the woman himself, but there was just one fact that stayed his hand. She was an unknown. Gilgamesh had possessed every treasure in the ancient world, had sipped the finest wines, seen everything there was to see as King, but this woman was something new. She wasn't so special herself, he had seen many a woman just like her, but she was a new entity. The King prided himself on his knowledge, to find something he didn't know, this called for some extra observation.

True, there were the other two women that were extremely similar to this wind woman, but those two were different. They were more interesting, still, because she was a new entity, the King would magnanimously give her one chance to impress him. She had underestimated the dog, she would not next time. Next time, she would have to come up with something interesting to watch, or she would die.

Behind the king, the air shimmered and countless weapons appeared

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Kazehana knew she was going to die. As soon as she slammed into the bank, the black clad monster had leaped out of the water and grabbed her by her neck.

"▅▄▅▄▅▄" It had roared in her face, Kazehana could not move, her very body was paralyzed as she gazed into the red and gold eyes of this creature. There was no mercy, no pity in its eyes, only hate and rage. A small corner of her mind noticed that she had done a number on her enemy as had at least one other if that yellow spear in the shoulder indicated anything. Blood dripped from every exposed piece of flesh from the creature. Its hands were dripping blood onto her lap, its breath came in fast pants, yet from the strength of the grip, it was clear that the damage was doing little to the creature. She refused to close her eyes, afraid that the instant they closed, she would never open them again.

She suddenly heard the sound of something rushing at high speed. The black clad creature noticed this as well and leaped back. All around Kazehana, countless weapons crashed into the ground reminding her of her dream in the land of blades and gears. In fact, she recognized a few of the weapons from the dream. All around her, the landscape altered as the weapons pierced the ground chasing away the beast. Kazehana watched as it leaped over the water and caused new icebergs to form. It leaped from berg to berg as fast as it could, hounded by the blades destroying the ice in the river. She watched until the figure was lost in the darkness. Slowly, she turned her head to the weapons and gazed upon their beauty. Never before had she shown an interest in blades, but right now, they were the most welcoming sight she had ever seen.

'Did…did Shirou save me?' She thought, it couldn't be a coincidence, the same swords planted in the ground like grave markers. Had the boy somehow saved her, she had thought it was a mere dream, but perhaps…

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The King snapped his fingers and his treasures returned to the treasury. "Woman, you had best find some way of entertaining me." The King said. With that, the Golden King turned and left. He had wasted enough time watching the poor entertainment and needed something else right now. Perhaps a few more of those wines Kirei possessed….

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"And that's what happened." Kazehana said shakily. Yume looked critically at her elder while Akitsu looked on in her usual dull gaze.

"That was foolish Kazehana-san." Yume said. "He is too much for any one person, even one such as you."

"So I felt." Kazehana said rubbing her neck. "That wasn't a man, that was a monster. Even Karatsuba-chan would have died against him, I'm sure of it."

"Why did you go out alone even after I warned you how dangerous he was?" Yume asked.

"I…don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Kazehana said. "I just looked at him and felt…excited. Karasuba-chan must be rubbing off on me."

Yume sighed and lowered her head, "And I had hoped we could have you be a surprise." She said.

"I don't think you need to worry about that." Kazehana said quietly, "I looked him right in the eyes. There was no reason in them, only a beast." She shivered at the memory, those hadn't been the eyes of a man, those were the eyes of a rabid animal. They burned with rage, hate, and with urge to destroy everything in the way. Even Karasuba hadn't looked that insane when the blood rushed to her head. This was a whole new kind of creature she faced. Karasuba loved to kill, loved to revel in the pain, misery, and death, but that thing, it killed because it could, it killed because that was all it was. "Next time," Kazehana said, "Next time, we'll fight together."

"Yeah," Yume said with a smile. True, Kazehana had been reckless, but at least she was alive. "Let's head back and report. At least we know he headquarters in the old section of the city." That was something at least, it cut down their search area.

As the three girls moved on, a shadow watched them.

"Your orders Master?" a small Assassin, about three and a half feet tall asked

"Follow them," Kirei ordered, "But don't interefere. Find out what their motivation is."

"Understood." Assassin spoke. These…things would never know he was there. He was the shadow, and these paltry creatures would never be a challenge to that which they could not see. He had watched the battle himself and had not been impressed. Yes, they wind had gathered faster and blew more powerfully than these modern Magi, but it had still been a weak attack as far as Assassin was concerned.

Still, if the Master wanted to merely observe them, then this humble Servant would comply. With a small chuckle, Assassin began to tail his new quarry.

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**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**

Honestly, looking at this mural, it is beautiful. I knew it would be impressive, but to see just this small fraction of it restored, words cannot describe my awe. The pictures are so lifelike that I expect them to move at any time, the sheer number of stories they tell is incredible. There is a constant in this mural, it's all about this black clad man, wearing that scattered armor behind me. Well…formerly scattered. The legs seem to stand up now on their own. I've worked on this mural and the pillars for who knows how long and I know my work still has a long way to go, but still. Just looking at the mural is enough to inspire people…if there was anyone besides me here anyways.

Still, that vile urge to vomit always comes whenever I place a piece back into the mural. I always see the memory, for I cannot call anything that vivid anything but a memory, and that black goop flies off the tiles I place changing the picture. Yet, I cannot keep adding new tiles as the sickening feeling gets worse and worse the more pieces I place back. I've worked on so many of the pillars, yet, like the mural I have a staggering amount to go. AS it is, I need another break from the mural, I head back to one of the first pillars I worked on then abandoned. I pick up some pieces and look them over before I find one that I can figure out where it will fit. I place it in the correct spot and look it over

_Is this what I am? A Hypocrite of Ideals living a sham._

_I say 'March in a line,' And my men fall in time,_

_I say keep the step and they raise my rep._

_I believe in a dream but it's never been seen._

_They call me and mine heroes while increasing their zeroes._

_My children's blood was spilled for a falsehood_

_I go off to murder and kill while being praised for my skill_

_Beaten Black and Blue till nothing seems true_

_If I love my family and children, _ _then why do I kill a million?_

Okaaaaay….rather morbid and dark there. Right, now I remember why I left this pillar alone. Why would anyone want to engrave this onto a pillar? It's not very good, heck its terrible. So why is it so deeply ingrained in the stone? Speaking of deeply, this fragment goes here…and…done.

_Love hard, Laugh Hard, Play Hard, Fight Hard, Live Hard, Die Hard_

_These are the tenants of living a good life, as told by any bard_

_I have done all these things and I can say for sure, they were right_

_Despite the pain, despite the horror and misery, it was quite the sight_

_I have loved many a woman, drunk many a wine late into the night_

_I made friends with monsters and men, and told tales over and over again_

_Exploits of my conquests, my apprentices, and my kids, and all good men_

_I have laughed until my sides hurt, one time evnr ripped off my shirt_

_I have done many a crazy thing in life, from skydiving to wearing a skirt_

_Who cares for the waves of depression, sadness and echoes of pain_

_I have endured it all with gritted teeth and came out…mostly sane_

_I lived as best I could until I could die without regrets or shame_

_If I had to do it all over again, I am sure I would do all the same_

Hmpf, better, much better. Frankly, the dark and ominous poetry can get annoying, but it is clear that whoever wrote these thought both were just as important. Happiness, sadness, regret and pride, it's like whoever wrote these was bipolar…that or he was a big believer in expressing each emotion to the fullest. Can't say I understand that, all I can remember is living normally. I don't have memories, but I think I would remember if I felt anything as extraordinary as whoever made this place. I don't know, why but I keep placing more and more pieces into the pillar. It's fascinating the range these poems go through, I read poems about death, about flowers and trees. I read poems on drugs like meth, and birds and bees. I can't say that I follow this man's taste, frankly I think some of his work is a waste. And above all-

…wait, was I just rhyming? Geh, okay, I need to back off here, this pillar is clearly doing a number on me. How about I go back to that one dealing with battle advice…

**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**

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Slowly, Iri opened her eyes, feeling the pain in her chest. It took a moment to remember, and then she opened her eyes widely as she remembered. A demon made of swords had fallen through the roof into their hidey hole. Maiya had opened fire on the demon which cried out in pain. Iri had crafted an owl out of wires made from her alchemy to attack, yet, as soon as the owl neared the creature, the wall burst open to reveal Berserker. The blast sent a large chunk of wood at Maiya hitting her in the side and sending her flying. Iri had paled, but sent the owl against the Servant as she prepared to run. It was futile; the Servant had destroyed the owl with a flick of its blade and stomped towards Iri. She was sure that she was going to die when she heard the blade demon bark something intelligible. Iri saw the Servant hesitate, then draw back its arm and aim for her chest, Iri fell into darkness.

Looking around her room, Iri found herself in what looked like an abandoned house. The walls, while stable were covered in dirt and mildew. There were a few holes in the sliding door leading to the outside, and the floor was filthy. Yet, Iri couldn't care less about that as she saw a boy laying on a couch. He had red hair, and pale skin. His cheeks were flushed and he was breathing heavily. His clothes were ragged and he had been covered in scraps of cloth. Iri could tell in an instant that he was a magus, or at least someone with a high potential to be one from the magic exuded from the boy. Iri looked him over and froze at what she saw, on his left hand were command seals that resembled a sword crossed over a shield. Iri reached forward to examine them when a sound caused her to halt.

"▅▄▅▄" a deep growl echoed from the room. Iri turned around to see the door slide open to reveal Berserker. The creature gazed upon her with its hate filled mismatched eyes. Iri shivered from the sheer hate and madness in those orbs. Slowly, she backed away from the boy knowing any hostile movement or anything that resembled hostile intent would lead to her death. Any Servant with A rank Independent Action was to be feared, but a Berserker was the worst one of them all. There was no way to determine what it would do, yet it hadn't killed her, so there had to be a reason why she was spared. Iri glanced over at the boy and wondered if he was the reason for this? From the looks of it, she doubted it, it looked like he had overused his Prana and was suffering for it. She flicked her gazed back to Berserker who quietly placed down a few bags of…food? Yes, now that Iri looked at it, it was food. Looking around the room, Iri saw scraps tossed everywhere like a pigsty. She turned her head back to Berserker who was leaning down to her. Sweat poured down her neck and back and breathing became difficult so close to the Servant.

"**Save Him**." It said in a deep voice that hid all intents and hints of identity. It could have been a man begging, or a woman ordering. Still, Iri stared at the creature. "**Save him Save Him SAVE HIM!**" It roared in her face. There was no doubt, that was an order. Iri turned to look at the body and shivered, it wanted her to save him, and it was clearly going to kill her if she did not. Carefully, trying to keep herself collected enough not to mess up, Iri analyzed the boy…only to free. How? How was the boy still alive? He had major internal bleeding, every organ was injured, his muscles were flayed, bones were broken in countless places. The fact that he was still breathing should be considered a medical miracle. Iri looked deeper and saw that the boy was suffering from an untreated sickness and still had a fever. Deeper and deeper she looked amazed and afraid at the damage until…

'_How? How does he have Avalon?_' Iri felt it, the familiar feeling of the legendary scabbard hidden inside the boy's body. Iri gazed upon the boy in wonder until a familiar growl brought her back to reality. Not daring to glance back, Iri went to work. Questions came later, survival came first.

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Read and Review


	67. Black Zero 20

**Black Zero 20**

_They say that no plan survives contact with the enemy. Not true, make the plan simple enough, and it has a fifty-fifty chance of surviving contact with the enemy. Usually such plans end up being, go to point B from Point A, kill everyone and everything in the way. Either the plan works, or you die. –Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_Mankind has stood on the brink of destruction countless times and would have fallen were it not for the heroes of old. Heroes, forged in blood, tempered in battled, tested by time, they are the greatest mankind has to offer. Someday, I too intend to join the ranks of the heroes in my own way, even if mankind hates me for making them look down at what they ignored. –Emiya Kiritsugu II_

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Meat and wine adorned the table illuminates by rows of brilliant and shining candlesticks. In the banquet hall, the nobles have gathered, and celebration is now in its the climax. However, the normal boasts of strengths and drinking contest are strictly forbidden on this glorious day, rather, these men are content to just sit and enjoy the sight of a beautiful woman this evening. For this is a celebration of a marriage. Gráinne, the daughter of the High King of Ireland, Cormac mac Airt, is finally going to be betrothed to Cumhaill's son, Fionn mac Cumhaill who received wisdom from the salmon of knowledge, the great warrior who controls the healing water. Unparalleled under the heavens, he is the head of a Fianna, a group of knights. The warrior's strength and fame could even rival those of the High King.

In the midst of this feast, several famous knights celebrate their lord's betrothal to the beautiful Gráinne. One such knight, who possesses more honor and glory than the rest is Diarmuid Ua Dubhine of the love spot. Every knight there, including Diarmuid Ua Dubhine adores and swears unwavering loyalty to Fionn, revering the great hero as their leader, entrusting their swords, weapons and lives to that one life. This is a knight's honor, the true worth of a warrior. Diarmuid yearned for this path, walking down it proudly knowing that it will one day lead him to a death on a battlefield somewhere. For him, there is no better path to tread, a path he intends to tread to his end…until the banquet on that fated night, when he happens to encounter that jewel of a woman.

"In exchange for my love, accept the geis. My dear, no matter how, annul this abominable marriage. Please take me away...to the ends of the earth!" Gráinne cried appealing to him with tears rolling down her eyes. He body trembles in fear of going through that loveless marriage. Before she met him, before she saw him, she had been…content to go through her role as a princess, to strengthen the bonds of the High King with a hero of such renown. But now, she is in love with this knight, and the thought of being with anyone else drives her to the brink of hysteria.

It would be the knight's downfall, his doom, and yet, he did not refuse. The weight of the geis would test his honor, his choices in life, and the path of a loyal knight which he followed up to this point. He asked himself, which one was more precious? No matter how many times he asked or struggled with himself, he did not arrive at an answer. Yet still, the knight and the princess grasped hands, and together, turned away from the splendor of their futures. Thus, before long, he became someone in the Celtic legends which was passed down, the protagonist of a story of a tragic love, doomed to die betrayed by those he once swore an oath to.

All this because of a certain cursed love spot on his face.

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Kayneth opened his eyes and returned to the waking world once more. He lay there for a minute pondering what he had seen. '_The dream cycle…huh._' The Master of Lancer thought. Any Masters who signed a contract with a Servant, is said to be able to occasionally catch a glimpse of the memory of a heroic spirit in the form of dreams. It is a way to gain a closer understanding of the Servant's strengths, weaknesses, and character. Of course, Kayneth familiarized himself with the legends associated with the Servant he summoned, however, he never thought that he would experience the spectacle to such an extent, the dream just now was unmistakably one of the scenes of "The Legend of Diarmuid and Gráinne".

"Mmmh" Kayneth groaned. It was a well hidden secret that Kayneth was **not **a morning person. Once awake, his mind was sharper than any blade, but in the first bit of the morning, Kayneth's mind was a muddled mess that needed something like a decent brew of coffee or tea to wake up. Kayneth staggered out of bed and followed his nose to the scent of what was obviously a hot pot of coffee. The Lord Archibald groped around and found a cup and poured himself a decent amount. He then added exactly one tablespoon of cream from the ice chest and two cubes of sugar, stirred it exactly four times clockwise then twice counterclockwise. All this preparation, repeated countless times over the years, was to make the perfect cup of coffee. With a large sip of coffee, Kayneth's mind began shifting into motion.

Kayneth looked around the room and felt distaste at his current surrounding. After the collapse of Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel, this place had been Kayneth's temporary hiding place, an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. Kayneth was standing in what was once an office attached to the warehouse. Here, a few small ice chests kept the food cool, on old fashioned coffee distiller stood on a table, plates, cups, and silverware (made with actual silver) were stored in the open. By and large, Kayneth, Sola, and Lancer had made do with what they had after the disastrous destruction of their expensive safe house. Not foolish enough to make the same mistake twice, Kayneth had decided to hide out in this trashy place to hide themselves. Sola had agreed…after criticizing him that he had been an idiot signing their name on the registry in the Hotel. Lancer had protested her criticism, but that had ended up with him facing the dreaded glare of Kayneth's wife. No one, not even Heroic Spirits could stand long against **that** glare. Lancer, under the full effects of the stare that made every man feel like a distasteful worm, shut up.

Kayneth shifted his mind and began recalling the previous night. He had stalked Caster to the Einzbern forest, where he saw Caster enter. Kanyeth planned on following him, only to see Berserker charge right after the Servant of Magic. And then, with the battle of the two enemy Servants behind him, he tried to confront Saber's master for a duel while Lancer held off Saber...Only for Berserker to appear and throw everything out the window, Berserker and that damned priest. He recollected the details as humiliation and anger flooded his mind.

Perfect, everything had been perfect, yet Berserker and that priest spat on his plans and nearly brought his downfall. Had Saber not leaped into tackle Berserker, Kayneth was sure that both the priest and that disgraceful bodyguard of the Einzbern would have perished. Their deaths would have given Kayneth time to fall back and hunt the Einzbern Master. Lancer should have aided Kayneth in this endeavor; instead, Berserker had sent his Noble Phantasm to face Lancer. It was unheard of, a Noble phantasm that acted independently of the Servant. Kayneth ground his teeth as he recalled that strange sword demon charging after the Einzbern retainer leaving Kayneth to fight the priest. Keyneth's fury reached new bounds thinking of how the priest had easily blocked, evaded, and countered every attack Kayneth's mystic code with ease. To make it worse, just when Lancer had finally escaped the persistent Noble Phantasm and jumped in to face the priest, the entire building shook and began to collapse. The three of them had to flee as the castle Kayneth had his eye on caved in, nearly crushing Kayneth.

To put the proverbial cherry on this disastrous assault, Berserker had successfully kidnapped Saber's Master and fled. Kayneth knew that capturing a Master was infinitely more valuable than killing. With Saber's Master held hostage, there could be no doubt that Saber would soon be forced to fight for Berserker's Master. A bold, devious plan, one that Kayneth grudgingly approved of. It was the kind of plan that needed massive amounts of planning, courage, timing, and will to carry out as capturing any Master is difficult to say the least as a Command Seal can be used to instantly transport a Servant to the Master's side in an instant. That is why it is so much easier to kill a Master rather than capture one.

Still, now that Saber's Master is captured, Kayneth knew he had only one way of winning. Fighting with Lancer alone was doomed to fail. Saber alone was capable of beating Lancer, add in Berserker's power, and the odds of victory alone were non-existent. Instead, he needed to do something that Kayneth found distasteful, but necessary, an alliance. The problem was, there were few Masters that Kayneth could actually ally with. Berserker and Saber were obviously out, Assassin was dead, Caster was a marked enemy…and a slightly possible ally of Berserker. The relationship between those two Servants was unclear to say the least, but if they were allying, that would make a great deal of sense why Berserker risked capturing Saber's Master. That left Kayneth two options for him to ally with:

Archer, true name Gilgamesh, Servant of the Tohsaka, possibly the greatest Servant in this war as he was the First Hero of man and the First King of man, it is said that Gilgamesh collected every treasure in the world during his reign. If Archer had access to that treasury, in theory, there was nothing anyone could do against him…except Lancer who assured Kayneth that his Red Lance was the perfect tool to face the infinite horde of Nobel Phantasms.

The only other option was Rider, true name Iskander the Great, King of Macedon and the King of Conquerors, the Servant Kayneth Should have summoned in this war had Waver Velvet not stolen it from Kayneth forcing him to rely on his wife's connections to secure an inferior Servant.

Kayneth scoffed at the idea of allying with Waver at the mere thought. Waver was a thief, a radical believer in equality between Magi, a dissonant voice in the perfected traditions of the Tower. No, Kayneth would rather lose this war to Berserker and eat his own tongue rather than let Waver have any chance at victory. Kayneth pride would not allow himself to consider the thought of that thief allying with such a prestigious man such as himself. Therefore, he only had one option for an alliance, Kayneth must work with the Tohsakas. Truthfully, if he was hearing correctly from his sources, Tokiomi had the same wish as himself, to use the Grail to reach Root of Creation.

"Looks like you have regained your consciousness." From behind Kayneth, interrupting his plotting, Kayneth's beloved fiancée's voice could be heard.

"Sola, how are you?" Kayneth asked as she joined him for coffee.

Sola sighed, "This place is disgusting, the people don't understand tradition, rather they rush everywhere trying to be something greater than they are. The bright lights, the foul smelling vehicles, the…" Sola wrinkled her nose, "Fast food." She pulled out a bag containing fresh ingredients and placed them on the table and began preparing them. "Still, some of the familiars have gathered some interesting data. After Berserker captured Saber's Master, another unknown creature appeared and fought him using wind based attacks."

"Another one?" Kayneth asked rasing an eyebrow. "And the result?"

"Probably the worst encounter between these mysterious creatures and Berserker." Sola said as she prepared some food. "Berserker sent away his Noble Phantasm towards the old section of town with Saber's Master in tow while the Servant personally dealt with the woman." Sola stopped cooking for a moment to look over at Kayneth. "Berserker displayed an unseen ability before. The wind user knocked Berserker off his standard iceberg platforms into the river. Instead of swimming, Berserker somehow pumped his prana into his feet causing an explosive force allowing him to blast through the river at a speed far greater than leaping from icebergs."

"So, the creature is dead then?" Kayneth asked.

"Almost," Sola responded. "Berserker literally had the creature by the neck when it was interrupted. The same attack that killed Assassin was launched at Berserker, driving him away. Shortly thereafter, the other two creatures, the ice user and the close-range light user arrived at took the wind user away.

Kayneth thought for a moment, "So Tokiomi saved her. Hmm, is it possible that they are a trump card of the Tohsaka?"

"That doesn't make sense." Sola countered as she placed the food on the burner to cook. "The Tohsaka have always concentrated on mineralology. Their use of jewels to store prana has always been a cause of financial issues for them."

"…There is a rumor." Kayneth said quietly, "It is said that the Tohsaka have the blood of vampires in them."

"Vampires?" Sola asked. "…So what do you think? You have a theory?"

"It is possible that the rumor is true. Possibly these are hybrids the Tohsakas have kept stored away for use. Though they are famous for their work on storage of Prana in jewels, perhaps they have been…breeding in secret. They are one of the magi families without branches. Perhaps there are a hidden branch." Then Kayneth shook his head, "Or it could be something else. The Tohsaka head is an arrogant man, I doubt that he would stoop to using hybrids in his war. Still…"

"I will continue to keep an eye out." Sola agreed to the unspoken request. She handed him a plate and the two of them ate in silence lost in thought of what their next move was.

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In the darkness at the rear entrance of the abandoned factory, one man that was not a man stood vigil. He noticed neither the cold, nor the ambivalent atmosphere. He stood ready, watching in case someone dared to attack his Master. His face was till a ruin, covered in bandages, his armor had scorch marks from his fight with that strange Noble Phantasm. The blasted creature had been toying with him, and Lancer knew it. It had only fought to keep him away from Berserker, and it had done a superb job delaying Lancer. The Servant of the Spear had seen the irony in the situation. Lancer had been meant to delay Saber instead, Berserker delayed Lancer. It was a black mark upon Lancer's honor to not be there when his Master faced Berserker. It is only through the actions of Saber that Lancer still had a Master to serve. Silently, the man thanked the King of Knights for doing so, even if it wasn't an altruistic move. Lancer heard a soft step come from the warehouse and half turned towards the figure, keeping an eye on the horizon.

Exposing herself to the cold night air, Sola called out to the silent sentry.

"Lancer, come here. I have something to say." The woman's cold voice came out. Complying to her call, the heroic spirit, Diarmuid immediately moved to stand in front of her.

He gazed down humbly at the fiancée of his Master, doing his best not to flinch under her cold gaze. This was not the woman under the curse of his love spot, this was a cold calculating creature, one that viewed him as expendable. Never before had he been under such a cold gaze from a woman, and it was daunting to say the least.

"Is there anything abnormal outside?" she demanded

"Right now, this place is safe. Occasionally, there is this presence which felt like the foul demons that came from Caster, however, they do not seem to have sniffed this place out as of yet, nor have they attacked us. The boundary field Lord Kayneth set has not fallen apart yet."

Nodding stiffly, Sola glared accusingly at him. "You failed to protect him."

Lancer flinched under that tone, but nodded once. "My deepest apologies my Lady, I endeavor not to do so again"

"Fail again and death will be the least of your concerns." Sola threatened. That was probably the closest she had come to expressing her concern for Kayneth…ever.

"Right my lady." Lancer said trying not to shrink under that gaze "How is Lord Kayneth's condition?"

"His prana was near exhausted from fighting where **you** should have been." Sola said, emphasizing the 'you' with so much venom Lancer was surprised he wasn't dead from it. "He is still hiding that injury to his side and shoulder. I have applied the usual treatment but it will take time to heal."

"If I had discerned the situation more carefully." Lancer said trying to apologize without stammering. "My master would not have faced the risk death right under my nose"

"Yes." Sola said with that same venom. "You are correct."

"Look into my eyes Lancer" Sola snapped.

At her reprimand, reluctantly, Lancer and faced her directly. Those eyes which were brimming with fire was way beyond what Lancer had expected...and feared.

"Lancer, if anything happens to Kayneth, these eyes will be the last thing you ever see. Protect him, support him, obtain the Holy Grail for him, or I will inflict upon you a miserable and painful existance that will be whispered of for generations."

"Yes My Lady." Kayneth said feeling the cold sweat gather on his neck. He was afraid, never before had he been so afraid, but this woman had a steel in her unlike anything he had ever seen.

Barely restraining herself, she continued in a stiff voice. "If you are still persisting on being Kayneth's knight, Lancer, then you must strive harder all the more. Failure is not an option."

"..."

"Do you understand me?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Yes My Lady!" Lancer said responding as if she was his weapons instructor.

Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri's heart was a cold thing, but it did have a small spark of warmth in it, however, no man would ever see beneath that fortress of ice. This was probably the only way she would ever show she cared…unless a miracle occurred. With that, she turned and walked back inside leaving the fearful Servant behind to watch for danger coming from that direction. He dared not look inside again, he dared not attempt to gaze into those cold eyes that prepared to murder him at the slightest sign of faltering.

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He was dead inside, the kind man that Iri knew and loved was dead. All that remained was the haunted the nightmares of all rouge magi. The Magus Killer was born anew in a sea of grief and conviction. They had taken his wife, they had dared to go into his house, and steal his wife away from him. Saber's warning of disaster in this war was correct. History was probably repeating itself, to a degree. But Kiritsugu would not be a pawn of Fate; he would not stand idle and let the events play out once more. Iri would not die, Illya would not be alone, this Kiritsugu swore. He shut off his emotions, barricaded his grief behind doors and focused on the mission. The Mission: Rescue Iri, no matter the cost.

Kiritsugu spent his time cleaning his weapons, loading his weapons, packing his weapons. He didn't know where Berserker was, but Kiritsugu did know where he would be. Like clockwork, Berserker went across the river every night. Where exactly Berserker would cross was never the same, but Kiritsugu could narrow the corridor Berserker ran through to less than one mile. That was enough for Kiritsugu to work with. Maiya was seeding the area with cameras and Saber would stand in the middle of that corridor to intercept Berserker. Kiritsugu would be atop a tower with his sniper rifle, watching, waiting.

Their goal tonight would not be to defeat Berserker, no; the goal was for any of the three of them to plant a tracker on Berserker's body. Once the tracker was planted, all three of them were to pull back. If Saber could not fall back, then Kiritsugu would use a Command Seal to bring her to his side. Berserker had to live today, they had to follow it to whatever lair it resided in, and then they would attack. No mercy, no pity.

Kiritsugu lite another cigarette as he looked at sun, it would be hours before the sun set. The man gave no indication if he was anxious. His dead eyes turned away from the sun and went back to work, silently preparing. They wanted a war, then they would get one. They wanted to hurt him, they would fail. They wanted to win, they would die. Thus the Magus Killer honed his mind into a machine, discarding emotions for cold analyses and preparation.

Once night fell, the Killer would hunt once more.

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The roar of waves was heard as the clear blue water lapped against the sandy shore. A slight breeze wafted the scent of the ocean towards land. At the beach, the break of dawn was not far away, the ashen ray of light which lit the sand bank was illuminating the mist with a soft whiteness. The beach continued endlessly towards both left and right without a limit, the sea surface was enveloped in white foam, and the edge of the water could not be seen. Besides the restless roar of the waves, there was absolute silence. Even if there were any kind of human activities, they would be far away from this shore. Going forward continuously, going forward continuously only towards the east, leaving every single thing in this world behind at the west; and with that, they reached this desolate, empty coast.

That is why surely, at the other side of the mist_,_there was absolutely nothing.

Above that, the world did not exist earlier, and moreover, an expedition beyond was impossible. This place was the sea, the edge of the world itself. It was here that the army had traveled towards, to find this place, this desolate beach. Hundreds of battles had been fought, countless obstacles overcome, near infinite enemies had been beaten and trampled upon, to find this most solemn place. By just closing one's eyes, he could hear the roar of the waves that was permitted to no one but the one who went to the extreme end of the world. It echoed and roared through the soul even as the melody of the roaring sea became distant…

"Mmm, ahh" Waver's eyes flickered as he awoke, it seems that he had dozed off, laying his head on the desk like a college student preparing for finals. His shoulders had stiffened due to his unreasonable and unnatural posture. Slowly, despite aching with pain, Waver lifted his face from the desk.

He had a feeling that he had seen a strange dream, yet it felt too real to be a dream. If that was a dream, it was one so clearly seen and felt that Waver had lost his sense of self inside it. It didn't feel like a dream, it felt like a memory, a memory that was not his to possess. Waver shook his head and looked outside. The day had already darkened, granted, it was winter, but still… It looks like he had wasted time sleeping. Waver clicked his tongue at his own carelessness, right now, there was probably nothing more valuable than time in this war. Last night, a major battle had occurred at the Einzbern residence, and Waver had missed it. A familiar of his had found the ruins of a castle but no sign if any Servant had been slain. Though, considering the damage done to the place, there should have been a casualty or two. Still, Waver was going to stick to the old adage that no one was to be considered dead until the body was found…which made it difficult since Servants didn't leave bodies behind.

Right now, every Master should be scrambling to get Caster's head on the platter. The supplement of a Command Seal as payment to whoever managed to accomplish this task was a tempting thing. Waver had not expected any Masters to let off the hunt, yet it appears that at least one Master had. Waver figured he had good odds betting that it was Berserker's work. A rank Independent action on a Berserker…what kind of monster had that boy summoned? More importantly, how did he control it to any extent? Still, Waver would deal with any other enemy later, right now he would focus on Caster and win the prize. Waver needed that Command Seal; he was a runaway, a rouge magus who had stolen the catalyst for Alexander as his Servant. The injunction authority of the Command Seals could also be called as the 'last resort'. He would not hand it over, whatever the circumstances.

No matter who the heroic spirit is, if the opponent is of the class Caster, it is not wrong to assume that he is a Servant who is full of tricks up his sleeves. The only Servant who can challenge him head on without any plans is someone like Saber's class which boasts of strong magic resistance skill. Of course, someone like Berserker would probably just charge in anyways uncaring of the innate weaknesses Berserkers have against Casters. As for Rider, a class separate from the three knights (Saber, Lancer, Archer); generally, Rider would have no choice but to face him with some strange strategy in hand. In reality, Waver judged that Alexander's magic resistance is about D rank. Not the best news Waver could receive, but he would figure something out.

Because of Rider's abilities, the best way to fight Caster is to skillfully tempt Saber or steer Berserker towards Caster and to wait for the right moment to swoop in with Rider's insane speed and steal the kill. Proposing an alliance with Saber to collaborate with them to hunt Caster down would be a poor plan however, the supplementary Command Seal Waver was striving for at great lengths would elude him or worse, be awarded to Saber's Master as well for the assistance.

A since the announcement at Fuyuki church had passed Waver had spent his time planning and plotting. For the time being, he had directed Rider to investigate about it, an idea which had struck him. Intending to work out a strategy, Waver had stayed back at his house, but… he had fallen asleep, much to Waver's distress. Now, because he had fallen asleep, that arrogant Servant would say something sarcastic to him. No, it would be great if he finished off with just ordinary sarcasm. Recalling the pain due to the innumerable times of pokes at his forehead, Waver grasped his forehead reflexively. He hated that already, eventually, those devastating slams into his head would crack at his skull.

Whilst thinking about that, Waver heard soft brisk footsteps coming up the staircase from downstairs and froze. Come to think of it, it was about time the old woman finished the dinner preparations and came up to call Waver, who she still believed was her grandson. Waver looked around hurriedly to make sure that all suspicious looking objects were hidden and was relieved that they were. All that was laid out right now was a couple of maps, various circles, and an empty chemistry set. Easy enough to explain, all Waver would have to say if asked is that he was working on a project on pollution in the river. A half-truth, but one that hid the true intent…

After a humble knock, the voice of the old woman could be heard, but the delivered message was completely different from what Waver expected.

"Waver-chan, Alex-san has arrived."

"Whaa?" Waver asked. Who? As he was about to ask her to clarify, an extremely disturbing hunch struck Waver's mind. 'Alex…Alex…Alex…ander? How could this be?' Just as he connected the dots…

"Gahaha!" A hearty and familiar laughter in a loud voice arose from the living room downstairs that threatened to shake the entire building with its volume.

"Wait a MINUTEEEEE!" His face locked into an expression of horror, Waver bolted out of his room, and without so much as a glance at the dumbstruck old woman, he ran down the stairs and leaped into the dining kitchen at which dinner preparation was starting. The television was on displaying some show that Waver would never bother watching. Glenn, the old man who enjoys having beer to go along with the show sat in his usual spot, however, in the usual dinner view, there was about one extra foreign object within it. One with burning red hair and a massive frame that threatened to crush the guest chair he sat in.

"Yo!" Rider said as he lifted his hand and waved in a relaxed manner, after which he drained the large into which beer had been poured.

"Wow, what a pleasant man!" Holding a bottle in his hand and advancing onto the next one, Glen-shi who had acquired this drinking partner was completely delighted. "Our Waver as well. After coming back from England, I had hoped that he would feel alcohol at least once, but he is still can't do it. I have been so bored until now!"

"Hahaha, that's because he doesn't know how to enjoy himself. 'People who enjoyed life will win,' I had always been trying to tell him that." Rider said with a massive grin enjoying the drink and company. It was a strange sight, to see a friendly chat between an old man and the King of Conquerors. At this spectacle which appeared to not just be a bad joke to him, Waver could not utter single a sound as he stared.

Returning to the kitchen with a troubled look on her face, the woman tapped Waver's shoulder. "You can't be like that. If a guest is coming, you have to tell me earlier. If I had known about that, I would have prepared a better feast. Geez."

"eh?" Waver gaped still gazing at the sight.

Smiling at Waver who was somewhere else, Rider shook his head. "No no madam, please don't trouble yourself. That's because a simple home-like style is the best hospitality."

"Hmm. You are quite good at compliments. Ohoho" the laughing wife was completely caught up in Rider's cheerful pace. Looks like Waver alone retained his sanity in this atmosphere. He wondered if anyone else had felt like this before, to be caught in a madhouse, and he was the only one that knew what sanity and commonsense were. Then Waver remembered that he had brainwashed the old couple and sighed realizing he had brought this on himself.

"As you have known, our Waver is that sort of temperamental person, right? I can't help but to worry if he is getting along fine in the school in England. If he has such a dependable person like you, sir, as a good friend, looks like I have worried too much for nothing!" The mistress of the house said chuckling

"No no. He is the one who has been of help to me. These trousers, even he had chosen and bought it for me. Looks great on me, doesn't it!" At the time when he was entrusted with external businesses, Waver got stuck with buying clothes for him, and ended up buying extra-large sized washed-jeans for Rider, which he proudly showed off. It was still a mystery as to how on earth the conversation between the two worked out, but at any rate, Waver was at last, beginning to understand what type of person 'Alex-san' was to the Mackenzie couple.

To the old couple, who were cast suggestion upon using magecraft, Waver is their grandson furthering his studies abroad in England. But for Rider, however, the large man is passed off as a friend Waver met during his voyage and has boldly paid the Mackenzie residence a visit. Thus, this series of events has led to this moment now.

"Alex-san, how long you plan to be in Japan?" the old man asked

"Er, well, until I settle some minor business, that's about, close to a week." Rider guessed

"If it's okay, how about staying at our house?" The old man suggested in good humor "Unfortunately, we don't have another room to house a guest, but if a futon is spread out in Waver's room, one more person should be able to sleep there. Right?" The old man looked over at his 'grandson' "Hey, Waver?"

"..."

"Futon? Oohho, this country's bedding! I really want to enjoy it to the fullest!" Rider said in good cheer smiling broadly

"Hahaha." The old man laughed "Sleeping on the floor instead of a bed; it would feel strange during the times when you are still not used to it. Although we have been here for a long time, we were really surprised by it at the beginning!"

"That thing is the appeal of this foreign country huh. I like the surprises of unknown things. No matter what age it is,Iwould always enjoy Asia!" Rider declared

"Come now, it's about time the meal was ready. Waver-chan, please take your seat as well." Being urged by the old wife, Waver sat down on his chair, dispirited. The seat on which he was already supposed to get used to sitting, no matter what he did tonight, was still uncomfortable.

Although dinner had suddenly changed from the everyday one, displaying a grandeur similar to a semi-feast, eventually, Waver was silent from the start to finish. Sitting beside Rider who was laughing heartily and unreservedly, he did not even feel the taste of the food he put into his mouth. A shame really, it was good food.

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"What the heck are you doing?" Waver demanded. After finishing dinner, Rider went back to the room again, holding a futon set borrowed from the landlord under his armpit. And then, Waver started off by questioning the Servant.

"What? Do I need an explanation whenever I enter the main door normally?"

"When you come in and out, TURN INTO SPIRITUAL FORM! I have told you many times already!" Waver said nearly crying in rage

"But I can't bring this in if I turn into spiritual form" Rider protested. Saying that, the object the giant showed was a small sports bag brought into the room under the pretext of being a travelling hand luggage. "I dunno what it is, but bringing this thing back is my duty for the day isn't it? For this sake, you openly gave me these trousers. In the first place, the one who ordered me was you, wasn't it?"

"That's why I said...forget it." Waver said seeing a losing battle. With a rather unsatisfied expression, Waver took the bag Rider held out, and inspected the contents. There were altogether twenty-four test tubes being plugged by stoppers. As for those containers which were differentiated from their handwritten alphabetical labels, all of them were filled with a clear fluid.

"Finally, I can wear trousers. I had wanted to take a stroll down some lightened up areas. But for me, the King of Conquerors, why did you want me to go to a country-like riverside to draw water?" Rider asked

"That's much more meaningful than munching rice crackers and watching the television, that's why." Waver said as he moved to his desk. Waver swiftly cleared the table, and removed the whole set of experiment tools, one of the few valuable items he brought from his school dormitory in London. He then prepared the operation.

Vials into which ores and reagents were filled, spirit lamp mortar, droppers...At those apparatus which were lined up on the desk one by one, the King of Conquerors frowned. "What is this? So you plan to start off with some make-believe alchemy?"

"It's the real thing, not make-believe. Idiot." While replying disappointedly, Waver set up the test tubes Rider brought back in the tube rack according to the labels. And then he selected the complementary reagents, and mixed them together. This was just something which was repeated many times in the Clock Tower as the basic subject. As for the amount, even with his eyes closed, he would not go wrong. "Just to be sure, but you're sure that you did not make any mistake with the places drawn on the map?"

"Are you looking down on me, boy? What could possibly go wrong with something of such standard?" Grumbling, Rider tossed the folded up map to Waver. Fuyuki city's complete map. Besides that, with a roughly fixed interval, alphabets filled the map alongside the Mion River from the river mouth upstream.

The inscriptions on the map were marked with labels from the test tubes Rider brought back. The liquid content was the water of the Mion River retrieved from designated spots along the river. As for Rider who wanted to go out in the materialized form no matter what, with his buying clothes for Rider as a condition, Waver ordered him to collect the river water. As expected, leaving whether Rider would be of use or not aside, it seems that it was a more useful task than ordering him out for something like a useless walk.

Silently, Waver made progress on the preparation of the reagents, he plugged the reagents which were fully mixed with a stopper. With that done, first of all, he unplugged the stopper of the test tube labeled 'A', and dropped a drop of reagent into the center.

"Uwahh." Waver exclaimed. Exceeding his expectation, the reaction was instantaneous. The water which was supposed to be colorless and transparent, suddenly turned into rust red color.

"What on earth is this?"

Waver thought that Rider would surely be watching another of his videos; instead, Rider was watching the experiment over Waver's shoulder with an engrossed expression. Although explaining was troublesome, because a barrage of questions would intrude upon his work even more, Waver replied "Traces of the remains of the procedure. The remains of the magecraft in the water."

Label 'A', namely the position where the river mouth is the closest to the sea. At that location, such a reaction was extremely abnormal

"The upstream of the river but still at a position considerably close to the river mouth." Waver muttered "Who performed magecraft there? If we go upstream from here, we could probably grasp the location." Waver was confident he had located Caster's work. Unlike Berserker's magic, which might have only slightly changed the water, the water had turned violently red.

"...Boy, since the start, did you realize that the water of that river is mixed with such a thing?" Rider asked

"No way! But it is a land with water flowing through the heart of the city. It is natural to start investigating from the water."

To find out the whereabouts of the magi, the easiest way is the 'Water' element due to its nature of flowing form higher places and concentrations to lower ones. Compared to the effort needed to calculate the wind's direction and read the earth's pulse, finding the lowest flow of the water pulse is the least laborious, one just has to follow the flow of the water, in this case, the river. Before working on harder forms of investigation, Waver had opted to use the easiest way, which was apparently the right way if he was correct. Still, Waver had a chance of chasing a wild goose, Berserker was throwing things out the window with its magic and its fight with the strange women. Still, there was a chance…

Bottles B, C, and D were all tested in the same way as Waver followed the path of the water. As it heads toward upstream, the reaction becomes increasingly stronger, which was amazing considering how strong the first reaction was. At this joke-like conspicuousness, Waver's emotions surpassed wonder, into hope. This should be the result of someone setting up a workshop right in the middle of the river and discarding the waste directly without any precaution whatsoever. Such a magus who is worse than third-rate magi, a mere fool, that should not, but apparently does exist.

"But still, if this confirms it…I don't feel proud at all." Waver complained

Exhausting his ingenuity to outsmart the enemy, competing their wonders with each other…That is the 'Magecraft Contest' which Waver imagined, a battle of wits as much as skill. What he was doing now- making progress by carrying out underground investigations like a police forensic- was something people withnotalent whatsoever do. Though he had already grasped the positive results in his hands, what was left in Waver's heart was the bad aftertaste seeing the death of his expectations.

The reaction of tube 'P', was now in the state of a black ink. If it becomes any murkier than this, such a simple method like this could no longer be used for the analysis. With the expectation of what would happen, he dropped the reagent into test tube 'Q'.

"..."

The water was only slightly pink, far lighter than that of tube 'A'. No matter how vigorously he shook it, the response was only a small subtle amount, exactly what Waver figured what he would originally find. Quickly, Waver went through tubes 'R', 'S', 'T', and 'U' and found the water became as clear as regular water as he progressed. Waver opened up the map again, and pointed at the P and Q scribblings. "Rider, here, and here, what's in between them? Drain pipes trench? A mouth of an irrigation channel?"

"Oh? There was something remarkably big there..." Rider said thinking back, a really large pipe pouring water into the river if he recalled.

"That's it! If we track back this thing, Caster's workshop is probably there." Waver declared. The other tubes must be an after effect from Berserker's battles. He gazed over the map one last time and confirmed that Berserker had battled in that general area a few days ago.

For some reason, with a solemn face, Rider gazed at Waver closely. "Oi, boy. Could it be that you are some great excellent magus?"

At those utterly unexpected words, Waver could not help but to take it as something cynical. Snorting, he turned away. "This is not something great magi would do. The method is the worst among the worst. You!, You're making fun of me huh." Waver declared suspiciously

"What are you talking about? If you achieve good results using a poor method, isn't that a much greater achievement than starting from better methods? You should be proud of yourself! As a Servant, I am proud as well." Laughing boldly, Rider clapped the master of a small build. Increasingly upset, Waver tried to retort, but realizing that it was completely useless to preach the mysteries of magecraft to this Servant, he held his silence and shrugged off the matter. "All right! After grasping the location, it is now my turn! Hey boy, do you plan to strike at once?"

"Hey wait! The enemy is Caster. Attacking immediately may be a little stupid."

For a magus, the layout of his workshop can be said to be the compilation of the sorcery he mastered within him. Consequently, capturing the workshop means possessing the equivalent power, skills, and everything of the resources, and to challenge head-on.

Especially the one who is called the hero of sorcery, Servant Caster. The ability of the class' attribute, "Territory Creation", is amplified. As long as he possesses that skill Caster is able to create within the shortest possible time, the workshop that best demonstrates and amplifies Caster's abilities. Such territories are equivalent of fortresses and should never be taken lightly. Going against that workshop with reckless, unplanned actions would be suicide for anyone, including Saber. Even Rider should understand the foolishness of that statement…but apparently, this Servant did not even have the slightest consideration for that. Before one noticed, Rider had already materialized the **Sword of Cypriot**, sheathed it, and in that manner, tapped Waver's shoulder whilst grinning broadly.

"Look. In a war, the camp's position changes every now and then. If you have grasped the position and don't strike with immediately; if you let them slip, it would be too late then to even regret."

"You, why are you so fired up again today?"

"Of course! My Master has finally shown some achievement which is likely to get us some results. If that's the case, bringing back the head of the enemy and repay my master, that is my spirit as a Servant." At such a ticklish manner of saying things, Waver was also at a loss of the best words to answer back. As if taking that silence as consent, whilst laughing wholeheartedly, Rider hit his Master's slender shoulder and nodded. "Don't give up at such a beginning. For the time being, we just try to strike them, isn't it? Maybe we can unexpectedly pull this off?"

…

The former soldiers under the King of Conquerors, were they dragged about in this way until the extreme east end of Asia as well? Thinking that, Waver could not suppress his sympathy towards the ancient warriors. Poor Bastards

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Eventually, they somehow did it. The interior of the sewer Waver discovered, was indeed the haunts of non-humans. Possessing countless tentacles, the innumerable aquatic monsters stayed there as if crowding together in the narrow tunnel, lying in wait to strangle any pitiful trespasser to death.

Naturally, although he was shown such a disgusting scene, for Alexander, the King of Conquerors, there was no other option but the one he preferred…

"AAAALaLaLaLaie!"

The trampling rampage of **Gordian Wheel** in the sewer was just like a lightning-clad excavator. The body fluids and pieces of flesh of the monsters that were in the way were ran down, trampled and scorched, thickly filling the inside of the tunnel like a bloody fog so dense it was almost impossible to see. Riding alongside Rider at the coachman's box, if the protection field were not covering them, Waver was that he would not able to breathe. Probably suffocate due to the splashing of blood from overflowing demons. In spite of that, the more he protected his breathing organs with magecraft shields, the more he had to block his sense of smell. If not, he would probably faint from the excessively heavy stench of intestines.

He thought they would be welcomed with some intricate and mysterious defense, some great magic from a bygone time. But the nest Caster established had nothing but an enormous number of familiars positioned there. Besides that, any magecraft disguises or traps were completely absent. Compared with the standard of magi, this was neither a workshop nor anything else. It was just an ordinary forward base used to position an army before an assault.

Defenses like this relied on the number of the small fries, they were not a suitable prey for Servants furnished with Anti-Army Noble Phantasms. Therefore, for Rider, this was but a resistance-less turn of events, an anticlimax. "Hey boy, you said we'd be 'attacking the magus' workshop', but it's just this childish thing?"Even the King of Conquerors could tell that this was no proper workshop.

"No, this is weird." Vaer said looking around as best he could while the fog remained thick in the air. "This time, the Caster is probably not a proper magus."

"Aah? What do you mean by that?" Rider said not understanding.

"For example, in the legends during his lifetime, be it summoning demons, or possessing grimoires or that sort, with just that anecdote being passed down, and that person himself is not really a magus, contrary to what he is famous for, even if he were to be appear as Caster, won't that ability be something limited?"

"In all probability, summoning, demons, grimoires, and the like was just a side note to the history of Caster. It's not what he was really famous for, rather, it was a small thing that was barely remembered." Waver considered the story of Caster and nodded, "Yeah, he wasn't known for being a magus, rather, Gilles de Rais was famous for his fighting beside Jeanne D'Arc and the gruesome murder of men and children. Because of that, he is a weak Caster in this war. He won't be using any great sorceries lost to mankind."

"Huuuh, so that's it? ...Hmm? Are we about to reach the end?" Rider asked. The wall of flesh of the pulverized creatures which were trying in vain to block their path, had thinned down before they realized. Before long, there was no more tentacle left; and the chariot was released from the blood spray, springing into a wide space. Just like before, the surrounding was in pitch darkness, without even a ray of light. There was no flow of air as well, but they could no longer feel the oppressive feeling like when they were in that narrow, confined space. "Hmmm, unfortunately, Caster's not around..." Probably, there was no problem for a Servant's eyesight even within this complete darkness. Rider coughed absent-mindedly. He had said that in a strangely low tone uncharacteristic of what he normally spoke like.

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Waver moved to jump off of the chariot intending to look at what was around. Perhaps there was a clue of Caster's whereabouts.

"...Aah, boy. I think it's better for you not to look." It was rare for Rider to be this frank.

"What are you talking about! If Caster is not here, we have to at least find out some clue as to where he is!" Waver cried. He had been so close, all that work for this…Waver needed to try to find something.

"That's probably true but, oh well. Boy, that guy is too much for you."

"Shut up!"

Waver jumped down from the driver's seat of the chariot and stood on the floor, and activated his night vision skill. Instantly, his field of vision opened up like a fog clearing up, and the spectacle ahead of him which was masked by the darkness earlier, opened up as well. Until that moment Waver failed to understand the situation around him. Waver had associated the smell for the demons. He had thought that the splashing sound of the water when he jumped onto the floor, was merely because of the sewage water.

_On the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling. Not a foot of space not covered with it. No where safe to look, they're everywhere_

"Ah…uhhh…aaaaah" Waver Velvet is a magus. He prepared his heart for the every type of mystery whose reasoning were outside his ethics. He knew that the ritual he was participating in now was one with unparalleled brutal murders, and thus, did not spare any sweet feeling towards them. If he had not visualize himself seeing dead bodies piling up, he would not have any hope of surviving in this war. Because of that, Waver resolved to never be shaken, whatever the horror that might spring out surprisingly into his sight. Because this Fuyuki is the battleground, it is natural to see dead bodies.

_Impossible to count, cut into countless pieces. Eyes, eyes everywhere, forever staring, begging to stop seeing. Mouths plastered, always silently screaming. _

Even if their numbers were enormous, Waver figured, even if they were to be mutilated till losing their entire human appearance, in the end, corpses are merely corpses. Waver swore that he would simply frown at such goriness and atrocity, but there was nothing he could not tolerate.

_That shoe, far too small for anything except a child. A stuffed doll, ripped apart at the limbs and the stuffing pulled out. It's just a bunny, why would anyone do that to a stuffed rabbit in front of her? It was telling her, it was telling her exactly what she was about to go through._

He had been thinking about this. Until this very instant.…The limits of Waver's imagination were that corpses were but remains of human bodies in the end; nothing but the result of their destruction. However, the scene before his very eyes now, surpassed his previous thought completely.

_Canvases of skin, oil paintings of blood, carpets of hair, a parody of any king or lord. _

The best description Waver could associate with this monstrosity was a variety or pawn shop.

There was furniture. _Bones arranged in chairs, still dripping fluid. A throne of skulls forever grinning in madness._

Clothes. _Skin sewed by hair and gut into shirts and robes._

Musical instruments. _Drums, harps, chimes, all flesh and bone. _

_Make it stop Make it stop _

Cutlery. _Didn't spare their bodies, all desecrated, all mutilated for perverse pleasure then used on others to mutilate them._

Various items uses of which were not understood at all; they probably were just pictures or sculptures. _Cadavers didn't look this mad, who stands the dead and makes them dance? Who enjoys a child eating his liver? A statue that spewed blood and wept forever without eyes? Arms atop the head like ears?_

_I don't want to see, I don't want to see _

The enthusiasm of the creator devoting himself completely into designing them diligently, and his profligate sense of fun could be perceived. _Wrong, so wrong, who could enjoy this? Who could enjoy doing this on children?_

Unmistakably, the craftsman who made these ceaselessly loved his raw materials, and the manufacturing process itself. _Hundreds, hundreds of them had to have been used. Each of them screaming for their parents as they suffered_

_Stop Stop Stop No more, No more _

Waver understood that there was someone who violently discovered pleasures. That might be the person who committed those murders. But the things in this blood-stained space were not corpses. _None match, none match at all. That arm…too large, that leg, too short. Those eyes, too big._

There wasn't a single "destroyed remains" here. Everything was a new creation; an art. Their lives as human beings, their carcasses as human beings were completely discarded meaninglessly during the creation of the art, everything in this place was devoted to that. _Is nothing sacred? Is nothing free from the taint? How long? How long did they suffer before they found death?_

_Shut Eyes Shut, I don't want to see, no more, no more, I don't want to see any more _

Murders which were done creatively to amuse himself; this behavior which created art by means of death, had far exceeded the maximum level Waver's mind could possibly take. _This place must have been an orchestra of screams, dozens suffering at the same time. How many of these places exist in this city? How many more of these places will I find?_

Filled with emotions that could only be called horror and disgust from lack of a deeper term, Waver could not even stand straight. His mind, his body, his very soul were shaken by what he saw, all three parts were in what could only called horrified shock. Before he realized, he was already on the bloodstained floor on both his hands and knees, vomiting all the contents of his stomach. Rider descended from his chariot. Standing beside Waver, he sighed deeply. "That's why I asked you to stop, but..."

"Shut up!"

At the gigantic Servant's coughing murmur, the last bit of dignity was scattered as Waver screamed, not just for Rider, but for the voices he knew that echoed through the halls from the dead and dying. His intense outburst of fury had no reason or logic whatsoever, he just wanted it all to stop. Kneeling here, felt his weakness was detestable, of all times, for this weakness to be revealed in front of his Servant was an utterly mortifying was supposed to be prepared for this, a magus walks with death by his side at all times, but look at him. He couldn't even control himself after seeing this. He kept rejecting what he saw, trying to deny reality like a common man.

"Son of a **! Treating me as an idiot! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

"Now's not the time to get into temper. Idiot." Rider said with a sigh, and yet, for some reason, he was not amazed, nor did he reproach Waver. Instead, his voice could be heard in a quiet, admonishing tone. "It's okay. If there is someone who would not even twitch an eyebrow after being shown such a thing, I'll go and bash him myself. Rather, I praise your decision, boy. The plan of bringing Caster and his Master down first is a truly worthy cause indeed. As I see it, every second such people exists is disgusting."

"..." Although he was commended by Rider, Waver was not honestly glad at all. The reason he set Caster as his target was to get the supplementary Command Spell shown by the supervisor as a reward. Obviously, he did not tell Rider that because there would be no reason for a Servant to rejoice in the unnecessary increase of the Command Spells which bind them. Among those words Rider said to Waver, none of them bore malice. And yet, Waver strongly loathed that towering Servant. Rider did not show the respectful attitude Servants normally have towards their Masters. On the contrary, he kept having this behavior of treating Waver as an idiot. If that was all it was, then it would still all right. But, the thing which is most unforgivable was, despite his rare attempts to praise Waver, at such moments, he had such irrelevant misunderstanding towards him.

"What are you hitting me for! Idiot! Aren't you standing there unconcerned! Am I not the only one who's ashamed!" Even though he was vomiting heavily until tears came out, with a furious voice, he snapped at Rider with all his might. At that, in an extremely troubled manner, Rider's mouth formed an upside down 'U'shape.

"For me, now's not the time to brace your emotions. That's because my Master's about to be killed."

"...Eh?"

Not even having the free time to doubt what he heard, Rider's next move was executed with lightning speed. He swung the **Sword of Cypriot** he removed from the sheath at his waist overhead, which gave off bright sparks in the empty space and slashed. First was the sound of metal colliding with metal, then, the sound of meat cleaved apart and a scream of agony and splatter of crimson red blood was heard. With utter disbelief, Waver was staring at the black-clothed corpse which had fallen over.

When on earth did that attacker sneak up behind Waver? Also, since when did Rider sense that presence? As for the thing Rider's sword knocked off just now, it was something like a shadow clothed in black which aimed and threw a black dagger at him. With the throw of that dagger, Rider must have able to finally ascertain the exact position of the enemy and deal with the enemy in and instant. Within the moment Waver was in his lowest state, this bloodstained water tank had already become a battlefield. However, the most important thing above everything else in this battle was on the ground beside Waver. A white skull mask of the dark shadow which fell due to Rider's decapitation.

"Assassin…It can't be..." Waver said hollowly. It was an impossible mystery because Waver had seen the defeat and annihilation of Assassin himself through the eyes of his familiar.

"Now's not the time to be shocked, boy." With his sword in readied, Rider quietly warned him. As if confronting the guy who was shielding Waver, in the darkness, two more white skull masks appeared.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Why? Why are there four Assassins!"

"No matter what it is, it's not the issue now." Facing such an obviously abnormal situation, Rider's attitude was still very composed. No matter how fishy the course of events was, to him, the situation right now was his only concern. "There is one thing which can definitely be said of this. Those who thought that these guys died have been deceived..." Rider who was protecting Waver now, was not shaken at all.

Perceiving that situation, the two Assassins clicked their tongues within their hearts regretfully. In reality, to them, this turn of events was a completely inexcusable fiasco. If possible, Assassin had wanted to take the opportunity of Caster's absence to steal into the workshop to investigate the place. But since they did not know what was inside Caster's base, they had no choice but to be cautious. However, witnessing how Rider and his master who had appeared, foolishly attacking it head on from the front, the three of them decided that it was a great chance. Secretly pursuing them from the opening Rider made, they planned to find out the status of the defense of the workshop, if the situation permitted it.

Even so, Rider managed to reach the interior of the workshop without any trouble. So unexpectedly, the Assassins managed to penetrate Caster's base too. One of the Assassins who was satisfied with this unexpected turn of events became greedily obsessed. With the extremely defenseless Rider's Master ahead of them, he could not resist straying from their duty. Obviously, it was a clear deviation from their Master, Kirei's instructions. Despite that, if they could successfully eliminate Rider here, they would probably not be reprimanded. To the rouge Assassin, the situation was that attractive. The Assassin had gambled, and failed miserably.

Although the remaining two Assassins prudently discerned Rider's next move, they cast an asking glance at each other. Should they continue their two-on-one battle against Rider here? Without much contemplation, both of them had only one answer. Ever since the moment they lost the element of surprise their chance of victory was already lost. Visually measuring the difference in strength between them and Rider, they had absolutely no chance of winning. They resented it, but retreating here and facing Kirei's wrath would be many times better than being slain here. As soon as they mutually understood each other, both Assassins turned into spiritual form swiftly, and their figures disappeared from Rider's sight.

"They...escaped?"

"No," Rider admonished Waver who had started to feel relieved. "Although two had died, there are still two left. If this trend continues, we don't know how many more Assassins would come forth. This is a bad place. A terrain those guys like. We have to retreat immediately." Still not sheathing the sword, Rider hit Waver's chin lightly, and pointed towards the chariot. "Boy, get back to my chariot. Once we start off, the enemy won't have any chance to strike."

"This place, should we leave it as it is?" Pointing at the workshop which he was still timid to directly look at until now, Waver asked that in a gloomy voice. _'I don't think I can look at art the same ever again'_

"Although we might know something if we investigate further, give it up. For the time being, we'll just wreck this place whatever we can. Who knows, we might end up frustrating Caster's plans." With his attitude changing suddenly from just now when he trampled on the opposing demons outside the workshop, Rider was now more cautious. Although some part of him still wanted to advance on the grotesque-looking demonic beasts recklessly, the Assassins' shadows, which had drew near them without them noticing, had probably made him felt quite seriously threatened.

"Are there any survivors?" Waver asked that in a dim voice.

After surveying the surrounding deliberately with a glance which penetrated the darkness, Rider shook his head with a bitter face. "There are some of them who are still breathing, but...in that condition, it would be more merciful to kill them off." Waver did not feel himself brave enough to ask what Rider had seen within the dark. He had seen too much already, Waver's soul wasn't ready for any more scars. Both of them boarded the driver's seat of the chariot again. Rider took up the reins, and the raging bulls bellowed angrily, sending lightning in the darkness. "Sorry for the cramped space, but there's something I really count on you, Children of Zeus. Burn this place down to ashes!"

Together with Rider's yell, the heavenly oxen stomped their hoofs, savagely going around the workshop. Once being trampled on by the hooves which scorched even the air, the only thing left was utter destruction. The nightmarish handicrafts Caster treasured so much were swept cleanly without any trace in the blink of an eye. Moreover, the chariot went about like this for two or three times, and nothing was left in the interior of the spacious water tank apart from the heavy stench of burned fat. Surveying the aftermath of the sheer destruction, Waver's expression was still gloomy. Something like this would not bring about any solution at all, Caster was still free to roam and commit the same crimes a million times over.

With his big hand, Rider grimly gave Waver a gentle rub at his head. "Wrecking his base like this, even if Caster escapes, he can't hide anywhere at all. After this, he might come out staggering, confused. Singing a requiem for that guy doesn't sound too far-fetched, does it?"

"Wa- Got it! -Stop that!" At that humiliating treatment which intentionally emphasized on his short stature, Waver cast away his sad look and became exasperated, which was the point. While laughing boldly, Rider pulled at his bridle, and they sped back to the sewer. Dashing out of that narrow tunnel into the river surface of the Mion river under the night sky took only a little time. Savoring the clean, chilly air outside as if it had been a long time, the relieved feeling finally calmed Waver's nerves down.

"Oh my, what a foul place that was. Tonight, I want to have a good drink to get these feelings off my chest!"

"Let me get this straight first. I won't accompany you in drinking." Or rather, he couldn't drink. Every time, even by merely sitting beside Rider watching him drink sake, Waver would feel sick at the strong odor of alcohol.

"Hmph, I'm not even expecting this chick-like you to accompany me! Aaaahhh. Boring! Isn't there any river bank where I can get happily drunk? ...Oooh, that's it!" Rider clapped his hands together knowingly as a thought crossed his mind. The night was young, and there was plenty of time to accomplish his goal. Waver had absolutely no idea what that meant, but he had a reeeeeeeaaaaally bad feeling about it.

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Irisviel lay on the ground collapsed in exhaustion. The damage the boy sustained was healed, but it had been difficult for Iri. It wasn't so much that she healed him, rather, it was that she controlled the healing. The Avalon inside the boy had been constantly healing him, but it had been trying to heal him all at once. Shattered bones had shifted constantly trying to realign, often cutting blood and muscle in their movement and sometimes cutting off the blood flow entirely. At the same time, blood vessels were trying to reform and muscle attach to the moving fragments often strangling other tissues. It was a gigantic mess, one that Iri had to coach the healing so that it worked in stages so the boy could heal. Iri figured she could have let the boy heal naturally, but it would have taken him far longer to do so.

While healing, she had found a…wrongness about the boy, something innately wrong with him that defied description. Iri just knew it was wrong, and it was impossible to locate or heal. Whatever this wrongness was, it seemed to be tied to Berserker. Iri had never felt the connection between Saber and her husband, but she was sure that the two of them did not have the bond like Berserker and the boy had. It was a strong exchange of prana between the two, but rather than the boy sending prana to Berserker, Berserker was sending it to the boy, fueling Avalon. Iri shook her head slightly as she lay down, such a bond should drain Berserker dry, yet it seemed to have no adverse effect on the mad Servant. Truly, the reserves of this Servant were staggering.

"**Save Him**" Berserker ordered

Iri shook her head weakly, no more, she could do no more. The boy was fine for the most part, he was still sick, but his body would heal the rest with Avalon. Berserker growled again. "**Save him**."

"I can't," Iri said, "There's nothing else I can do." She didn't expect him to understand, she knew he had B rank Mad Enhancement, at such a level, he might as well have Mental Pollution.

"Save him Kiritsugu Save him." A new voice muttered. Iri had no strength to turn her head, but she knew from that high pitched voice that it was the boy.

"**Save Him Save Him Save Him**." Berserker said working himself into a frenzy.

Iri didn't understand. Was Kiritsugu the name of the Servant? Was the boy ordering the Servant to save Kiritsugu? Or was the boy saying Kiritsugu needed to save the boy and mistook her for Kiritsugu? Questions, she had questions she wanted to ask, but she was so tired.

"**Save Him Save him Save him Kiritsugu**" Berserker said his voice distorted so much to tell if that was an order, a wish, or a fanatic's chant. Three words, it was like that was the entire vocabulary of Berserker. Then, to her amazement, Berserker turned and ran out of the room, and from the feel of it, from the building. This was a chance, Berserker was gone, but she was just too tired. She lay there, watching the darkness creep into the room. Night had fallen, and the moon was covered up. Yet her body was too tired to move, even a homunculus needed to rest after such a feat. Behind her, she heard the sound of shuffling clothes and shifting weight. The boy must be dreaming, no surprise given the fever and all-

"Hello." The boy's weak voice was heard. "Who are you?"

Iri wanted to turn, she knew he had to referring to her. Yet, he was asking about her, shouldn't the boy know? Or had this all been the work of Berserker?

"Ney, who are you?" The boy asked again. The sound of shuffling was heard, and the easing of the boy from the couch. He placed a hand on her shoulder and asked for a third time. "Who are you?"

Iri weakly reached her hand around and gripped the boy's hand. She knew what she had to do, grasping the hand; she used her reserves to drag the boy in front of her. He wasn't resisting. She lowered his head down so her other hand could reach. In a moment, she would do what she had to; this chance could be her only one. Her other hand moved up as the boy lowered herself, she would do it, she would snap his neck with the last of her strength. Yes, that as the plan, until she looked into the boy's yellow eyes. So pure, so removed of any negative emotions like hate and fear. Illya had eyes like that, and with one look into those eyes, Iri couldn't do it, she couldn't kill this child.

"Neh, are you tired?"

"Very." Iri said.

The boy looked around, but didn't see anything, so he took off his tattered rags and draped them over her, Iri was confused as she gazed at his bare torso. "It's cold," The boy said shrugging. He grabbed the one pillow on the couch and pushed it under Iri's head. Iri knew she should be confused, the boy seemed not to notice or care that she could be an enemy, rather, the boy was doing what he could to make her comfortable, even sacrificing his clothes to help. It would be rather sweet, were her not the Master of Berserker. Iri could still see those marks on his hand.

"Neh, are you hungry?" The boy asked.

"A little," Iri admitted tiredly.

"I'll make you something," the boy announced. Iri was stunned once more by the blind kindness the boy was providing. Iri knew the boy was the enemy, the boy should also see her as an enemy, but he wasn't. He was trying to be a host, and from what Iri could see, this was not a manipulative attempt to lower Iri's inhibitions, rather, it was genuine kindness. Something Iri had seen little of in her life. She heard the pitter patter of feet…then the sound of crashing, banging, water gushing, cursing? A possible squeaking noise like a toy, more clattering, then the sound of something sizzling followed by a wonderful smell. Then, more pitter pattering was heard and low an behold, before her was a strange collection of food, two strips of bacon, a few pieces of fruit, and some toast.

"H-how?" Iri asked.

"There was an old frying pan left over. I had to scrap off some stuff, but then I made some toast followed by the left over bacon." The boy said modestly. "Ney, it's not a good idea to leave a filthy kitchen, it's almost a sin." The boy had the most serious gaze Iri had ever seen on a person save her husband.

"I'll remember that," Iri said as she carefully took the food and began to eat. It was plain fare, but the bacon was crispy and hot, the toast was warm, and the fruit was sweet. Considering all things, it wasn't bad, the food vanished in moments "It's good," Iri told the child who beamed at her. "So you cook often?"

She had expected a nod and a bright grin at that, not a sudden convulsion. One moment, the boy was smiling, the next, he was holding his head rolling on the ground screaming in pain as he ripped at his head. Somehow, that simple question had triggered something in the boy. She had seen the eyes dilate then constrict a dozen times in seconds before he closed his eyes. Behind his eyelids, his eyes twitched rapidly. Iri feared that Berserker was going to arrive at any moment and slay her, but she knew she had to do something. She reached forth and dragged the boy into her arms and held him still, keeping him from clawing out his face as he twitched in agony. Iri used her free hand to softly rub his head and whisper soft words as the boy slowly stopped convulsing. Eventually, the boy stopped altogether and calmly slept.

"What was that?" Iri finally whispered. She had felt the magical circuits in the boy flare up as she held him. Whatever that was, it was not a result of sickness, it was something about his magic. She felt his circuits and shuddered, he had pushed himself too hard somehow. His circuits were damaged, but were healing thanks to Avalon. Iri resolved not to ask about his cooking until she could get a clearer answer. For now, she held him in her arms and pretended she was holding Illya. It did her heart good to think of her daughter, and for a brief moment, she thought of the two playing together. Surely the two would get along, were it not for this foul war. He was the enemy, but one that could not control his Servant. Iri lay there holding that boy wondering what she should do. It would be a long night, but the surprises were not over yet.

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On a train heading for Fuyuki, two girls were about to change the nature of this war. One was a cute girl with dark hair and eyes who kept her hair long, but had two tail held with black ribbon. The girl was in her favorite red jacket, and she looked on gazing at the young girl who sat across from her. It was a blond girl in a black shirt and skirt. This blond girl seemed to have a perpetual blush in her cheeks and her blue eyes were the color of clear water.

One girl was heading towards the city to save a missing friend and help her father, the other was going to prove her strength to her elders and prove that old woman back home she was wrong, that the girl was strong, the strongest even. Neither were truly human, one was a magus, the other, an alien. Neither knew what as truly in store for them in Fuyuki, but they would change the course of the war no one could predict. Only Fate knows what awaits these two, only fate knows how it will end.

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Note: I had to make some adjustments to Sola. No one really describes her true nature well as she affected by the curse the entire scenario of Fate/Zero. So, I based her a bit off a tsundere, only...she possesses almost no dere and waaaay too much Tsun, or at least that is what I was trying for...let me know how well you think I hit it


	68. Black Zero 21

**Black Zero 21**

_I have seen many monstrous things in my life and I have come to a conclusion. The worst monsters in this world are Dead Apostles; mankind is a close second, very close. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_Chance can ruin any plan, any operation at any given time. It is the mark of a truly exceptional strategist and tactician to turn any coincidence into an advantage. This requires experience, foresight, cunning, and a good team, but it can be done. –Emiya Kiritsugu II_

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Caster looked at his preparations and smiled. Everything was going perfectly, sacrifices had been gathered, the circle had been drawn, and the words of power had been spoken. All that was needed was the catalyst. Soon, very soon the Black Prince would fall into this trap and meet his end granting Caster everything he needed to bring forth an old friend to assist in restoring Jeanne. Surely the sight of John II of Alençon would restore her mind. If not, Caster would do this again and again until all the old comrades of Jeanne had joined forces to restore the Maiden to her right mind.

All around him, he heard the moaning of the children, and smiled. "Hush, hush, fear not little ones, the Maiden of Light will surely save you all." He soothed. "Any minute now she will burst through the door on a white horse and bid me free you at once." His frog like eyes closed and a sickening smile crossed his features. The girl, Kotone in fact, was silently crying as she was bound by the dark creatures. He had whispered such things before, and as always, this deliverance never appeared. All around her, perhaps two hundred children were lined up against the walls, bound by the same dark creatures. They weren't hurt, merely bound.

Of course the ceremony Caster planned worked best with unharmed lives filled to the brim with despair. He had carefully cultivated the despair in these children by showing them what he had done to the other children back in the old lair. Hope had died in their eyes when they saw what he had done, and Caster had cackled with glee. Yes, the trap was ready, but there was one thing missing. Bait, bait was needed as that dumb prince wouldn't be able to find this place if he was handed a map. Still, Caster had been prepared for that, as soon as night fell, his bait would move out and draw him into the trap.

"Fuhuhuhu, Come foul Prince, feel the hate of my country, feel my hate four what yours did to my world. Come! COME! Your death will be the beginning of my new tale with Jeanne. Behold how she loves me, even when god rips her mind away, she still clings to the memory of me. I am her world, I am her truth, I am what she must have glanced at whilst she raised her head to God!"

In a corner, suffering in ways he had only felt in the worm pit, Kariya tried to scream anew as he gazed upon the horror his Servant had done and the demons continued their assault upon his body. He had witnessed the death of all those children, he had been forced to see it all and endure the screams of the children. In the back of his mind, where reason still existed behind the pain, Kariya swore he would make Caster pay. How could this happen? All Kariya wanted to do was save Sakura. Damn Grandfather, he had sent Kariya on a suicide mission because of a slight. Damn him forever. Kariya would make him pay as well, if it was the last thing he did.

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Tohsaka Rin was prepared. Or at least that was what she told herself, what she believed about herself. Since she is the heir of a family of magi, Rin knew she is bound to walk a path different from that of ordinary girls. Where the others would worry about fashion, boys, and popularity, Rin knew she would be focusing on learning as much as possible about her family's magic. Rin knew she had to be more than the ordinary girl; she had to be something great. Just like her father. Her father the greatest, most handsome, and most gentle adult Rin ever knew. In her young and innocent eyes, her father Tokiomi is near a perfect human. Although many girls her age also admire their fathers, Rin believed no other daughter would love her father as deeply as she does. While other girls her age dreamed of being idol, brides, and the like, Rin's dream is different.

Things like occupation are secondary to Rin; her biggest wish at this time is to become someone as great as her father. Rin wishes to walk the road her father was walking, choosing to accept the destiny that her father accepted. In other words, Rin wishes to inherit and continue the Tohsaka's magecraft. But that is only a wish, not something that would come true just by hoping so. Firstly, she needs to get the permission of her teacher, her father. She is rather anxious about the fact that her father hadn't yet expressed the wish of entrusting the family to Rin in the future. Maybe her father hadn't acknowledged that Rin has the aptitude to become a magus. But even so, her wish has never changed, so she felt proud of the preparedness she had made.

Tsukiumi was prepared. Or at least that was what she told herself, it is what she believed about herself. Since she is not human, but a creature from another world, one that trained herself since as long as she could remember, Tsukiumi did not think of herself as one of the countless monkeys on the planet. While the lowly creatures scurried about in the boring and pathetic lives, she was preparing for the game of superiority, the game of survival against the other one hundred and seven of her species. Tsukiumi would not wait, could not wait to prove her strength. While the others would fight with their monkeys, Tsukiumi was going to prove she was more than strong enough without relying on one of the insects touching her perfect body. The old bat had tried to hide the incident in this backwater place, but Tsukiumi had overheard it. She wanted to prove her strength to her elders, to prove the old bat that she was strong enough without any more tests, any more needles, and most of all, any more lectures.

She was strong, perfect, the best. Once she arrived at this backwater city, her elders would bow before her displays, all enemies would be laid low with a wave of her hand and all would acknowledge her power. The others might wish to find such paltry things like love, but Tsukiumi wanted something more, far more, freedom. Once they saw how powerful she was, they would all back off, they would all leave her to do what she wanted. Tsukiumi was prepared, after all, there wasn't a monkey in the world that could beat her.

…Right? Right!

Of course, Rin knew far more about what was currently happening in Fuyuki city than her classmates. Although she still couldn't comprehend it as profoundly as her parents, she knew more truths than most ordinary people on the street. Seven magi, her father included, were undertaking a war for an object that could grant any wish the winner desired. Fatal and unearthly threats lurked in the night streets were abound in this war. Because she knew some truths, Rin's heart felt a particular sense of responsibility.

Her friend Kotone didn't come to school yesterday or today. Her classmates Yuki, Aya, and Rei had been missing even longer. The homeroom teacher said that they were sick at home, but the rumor spreading in the class was different. Rin had noticed how several others at her school had gone missing since the start of the Grail War. Rin was no fool, rather, she was a prodigy, a genius. She could put two and two together and get four as easily as anyone else. Nowadays abductions of children were occurring repeatedly in Fuyuki and the neighboring cities and they can't be solved with simple investigations alone. Even if parents reported the missing children to the police, it is very unlikely the children would come back. The teachers at school and Kotone's family and friends certainly didn't realize this, except Rin. (Truth be told, Kotone's parents weren't that foolish, the police had warned them that the first forty eight hours were the most critical to find a missing child. The longer a child is missing, the less likely anyone will ever find the girl.)

Kotone had always trusted Rin for years. Rin would always stand up for Kotone, whether Kotone was being bullied by boys in their class or when the librarian forced work onto her, Rin was always there to scold and scare them off. Rin was proud of being so trusted and respected by her classmate. "Always maintain your elegance" Her father had told her time and time again. It was a good opportunity for Rin to put the family creed into action whenever she helped Kotone. Right now, Kotone must also be waiting for Rin to go and save her. Certainly, the normal couldn't help and her father wasn't going to drop everything to help a girl he barely registered existing.. Also, her mother strictly ordered her not to disturb her father in a tone that was remarkably similar to the time she had scolded Rin about going outside at night. Rin had always obeyed her parents' words before, but she couldn't leave a friend who was in a dangerous situation. Besides, it was only going to be one sleepless night. Rin had a plan, go to the city, locate her classmates including Kotone, get them out, go home. Quick and simple, easy enough to do in the span of a single night. What could possibly go wrong with that?

Everything.

Compared to the Tohsaka house, tightly surrounded with bounded fields, it was all too easily escaping from her room in the Zenjo house. All Rin had to do was climb out of the bedroom window, slide down the balcony pillar into the garden, then get outside the fence through the back door. Simple, quick, effective, the entire operation took less than five minutes to complete, but then, no one was expecting Rin to basically run away from home. Getting out of the house was easy, but Rin realized that she would be unable to use the same route to get back into her room. It's easy to slide down the balcony pillar but far too hard to climb back up.

When she thought it would be impossible to hide the fact that she sneaked out tonight and her parents are bound to scold her harshly, Rin told herself it wasn't for something shameful that she sneaked out but she had to do this because she is the heir of the Tohsaka family. She would definitely bring Kotone back with her when she returns. Then, no matter how bad her parents might scold her, she would feel proud about herself in her own heart.

Tsukiumi's escape route had been even simpler than Rin's, all she had to do was open her window and hop out. Unlike Rin, if Tsukiumi wished it, she could have easily hopped back into her room as it was on the ground floor. Still, Tsukiumi had no intention of trying to return home, she intended to prove her strength and display it to her elders and get them to back off. Once she finished off the paltry task of defeating whatever it was that her elders were having a problem with, they would have to acknowledge her. Unlike Rin, however, Tsukiumi had no idea what she was jumping into. The Sekirei had overhead the old woman talking on the phone to the director discussing the issue with this backwater city. Tsukiumi didn't know about the kidnapping, all she knew was that there was something in Fuyuki that was evading and repelling all attempts at capture. Tsukiumi assumed it was one of the humans giving the elder Sekirei the slip.

As far as she planned, she would arrive in the city, fight and defeat the monkey, then gain her recognition, simple, effective, and **horribly** flawed. Tsukiumi had been so confident she would be finished before the night was finished that she didn't bother packing any food or changes of clothes. All she did was hop over to the train station, glance at the map to determine which train to catch and then hop up and land on one of the cars on the correct. After a while, Tsukiumi found out why no one sat atop a moving train, it's cold. So, on the next stop, the blond alien hopped down when no one was looking and boarded the train normally. The train made only one more stop at a city near Fuyuki then it headed for her destination. The only oddity that occurred in her trip was a girl around her age with dark hair that had twin tails held by black ribbons boarded the car where she sat.

Stupid monkey, couldn't she tell that Tsukiumi wanted to be alone? It never occurred to the alien that it was highly unusual that a little girl would board a train alone at this time of evening.

Rin was armed with two crystals that Rin specially crafted while she practiced jewel magecraft. She picked the two best works from her collection of completed ones. If all the prana stored in them were to be released at once, although she swore that she would never try something so dangerous, it would probably cause a small explosion. In actual fact, if Rin did cause them to explode, Rin would only be able to fire off the equivalent of an attack somewhere between a D rank and a C rank attack, and that's if they didn't blow up in her hand first.

Gathering her courage and pride, Rin told herself she's not like those fearful normal children. She chased away the cowardice in her heart and entered cable car. Fuyuki Shinto is only one station away, and the change she had were just enough for the ticket. She had noticed that there was a blond girl already in the car, but dismissed her. Rin was busy with her own task, so she simply ignored the girl with only a few glances to see that the girl was doing the same to her. It should be noted that Rin was not the best person to detect magical energies. She was still a novice with only a smattering of knowledge, and had a weakness detecting magical energies. Point in fact; Rin was nearly eaten/possessed by a demonic book on the day of her birthday when she curiously opened it not realizing the trap.

That's where Rin's third piece of equipment she brought with her came in. The most useful and important item Rin brought with her was a magical compass he father had given to her on her birthday right after nearly being eaten by the book. It looked like an ordinary, but ancient compass from the shape and structure, but it wouldn't point towards the north. Rather it pointed in the direction where strong amounts of prana emanate out instead. Rin had experimented with it, and neither wind nor water could change the detection of small movements of prana. If something abnormal happens, this would undoubtedly be the most useful.

Had Rin bothered to look at her compass on the trip, she would have noticed that it was pointing as best it could at the blond girl. Shame how Rin wasn't that aware of the reaction of the compass, the discovery might have caused things turn out differently in Fuyuki. As it is, the two traveled in silence to Fuyuki.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

They say insanity is the act of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same result. Everyone was watching the river, waiting for Berserker to show. Kazehana, Yume, and Akitsu were spread out over the river bank waiting. Archer was on a building bored, hoping that there would be some actual decent entertainment involved in tonight's battle. Kiritsugu positioned himself on a building with his sniper rifle ready while Maya was on a building a little further south. Saber stood ready on the bridge waiting for Berserker to cross. Assassin had several of its aspects lined along the river watching for weaknesses while Caster had prepared the…bait for Berserker. The only Servant/Master pairs not waiting for the conflict were Rider and Waver who were busy heading towards Caster's workshop.

Shame really, everyone expected Berserker to cross the river. None of them expected him to run along the train tracks far down river.

The Light had commanded the faithful. Save Kiritsugu, what's a Kiritsugu? The faithful know not, but the faithful will find this one. The Faithful obey; the Faithful will fulfill the will of the Light. Offerings must be found. Simple ones are easy to find, the Shadows keep many with them, easy to pluck, easy to take to the Light…but the Light loved the newest offering. The Light loved the betraying offering. Perhaps a new offering like the latest would please the Light. The Faithful had scoured the other places for offerings, the Faithful must look elsewhere.

_Big things run along these lines of metal. Perhaps an offering resides in them. Look, but wait, the offering must not be harmed _

**What are they? Why are we going after the things?**

Yes, the Faithful agree. Look for the metal objects that follow these lines. Find offerings of exceptional quality. Find that which pleases the Light until Kiritsugu can be saved. The Faithful know the Faithful's task. Protect the Light, Serve the Light, Save the Light, such is the duty of the Faithful.

_Save Him Save Him Save Him_

**Who is Kiritsugu?**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**SAVE HIM KIRITSUGU SAVE HIM**

The voice is getting louder. I can't tell what is causing it to scream so loudly, but it is getting louder. I have to say, the mural is beautiful, I don't remember if I have thought of it before, but it gets better every time I put a piece in. I still have a long way to go. This wall isn't even close to completion, and the other wall isn't even touched.

I've noticed that the black armor now has the chest plate upright. Its strange, I couldn't put it together myself, but now it is rebuilding itself by itself.

In my rest periods, I've altered between working on pillars and clearing the rubble on the ground. Naturally, there's a mural on the ground as well, but it isn't as large or as complex. Rather, it is all focused in front of the throne. The strange part is, when I put those pieces into the floor, I don't get the flashes of memories or more blobs of darkness to join the growing cloud hovering above my head. Instead, I just put the pieces in place without any incident.

The ones before the throne are…disturbing. I see the black figure feasting on seven others. Seven figures that I have seen on the mural in the wall. One is a woman in a purple suit; she is being back stabbed by the figure. The second is a girl with a large gun and a giant golem behind her being attacked from above. The black figure is fighting someone in a black restraint suit as she glides on wheels. The fourth image is a figure in a kimono with a blade is being bitten on the neck by the black man. The fifth image is that of the man impaling a man with red eyes in a fighter's outfit with thorny vines that look like the ones on the throne of thorns. The Sixth image is a girl in a red outfit with twin blades being overrun by countless monsters. The seventh and final image is a man in gold being rammed by a large plane.

I don't know what it is about these images, but they are far more disturbing than anything I have ever seen. The details are…graphic to say the least. Unlike the one on the walls, the images on the floor make me shudder looking at them. I have spread dust over these images to try to cover them up, but I can't seem to get the sight of those images out of my head. Even as I work on other things, I keep thinking on those images.

**SAVE HIM**

Not even that voice raised to a screaming pitch can drown out the image in my head. I wish…I wish I hadn't put those images back together. I don't want to remember them; they keep coming back to the forefront of my mind. But I can't break the images on the floor. I've tried, I rammed bits of rock to scour the image, but the pictures on the floor are indestructible, unbreakable.

*Sigh*

Figures, I work so hard to put this place back into some semblance of order, and I just had to find the one thing that I wish I left in ruins. It just bloody figures. Well, nothing to do but keep on working on the mural. Now…where does this piece 

*Grab*

AAAAAAGHHHHHH! Oh My god that hurts! The damned chain suddenly yanked me again! I have just barely been able to grab the throne of thorns again. My hands! They hurt so bad grabbing the throne. *** why did it happen again? The chain had been getting heavier, but what is with the sudden increase in weight? What's worse, I've broken several pillars as I was yanked, the chain had been wrapped around them, in case this ever happened, but I never expected to rip them apart if I was pulled.

…Oh ***, my hands are slipping. Not good, not good at all. I don't want to go back into the pit. I don't I don't I don't! Dammit Dammit dammit. Why? Why ?

I'm falling into the pit, I'm falling back down. As I fall, I can feel the blood rushing over me again.

No, please. I don't want to go back in here, please stop

_The __**Time**__ has __**come**_

_**Let**__ our __**Will**__ be __**done**_

**SAVE HIM KIRITSUGU SAVE HIM**

In the ruined throne room, a black gauntlet twitched, a thorny vine trembled while the cloud shifted slightly

_**A**__r__**E**__ t__**H**__e__**Y**__ g__**O**__n__**E**__?_

Not **yet**, but **soon**

**nOw we aRe tHREe iNSTEAd of sIx**

_w__**E**__ a__**R**__e l__**E**__s__**S**__ w__**I**__t__**H**__o__**U**__t t__**H**__e__**M**__._

**tHEy wILl rETURn**

**Unfortunately**, they **will** return **and** break **us** anew

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Rin hadn't thought she would, but she ended up missing Fuyuki's night air. The cold scent of winter tinted with ocean breeze was just the thing to cool her down and ease her tension. Rin had naively thought it would be possible to find Kotone before the final cable car of the night. Unfortunately, that left her with only two hours. Looking at the city now, Rin realized the sheer scale of her task and realized that there wouldn't be enough time…unless she was really lucky.

Firstly, Rin planned on investigating Shinto, the newer, western based part of Fuyuki. If she went to Miyama, the older traditional based part of the city, the magecraft compass would probably point straight towards the Tohsaka house, and if she went into the old part of Fuyuki it was very possible her father would discover her, scold her, and send her home before Rin was finished with her task. Judging by adult standards, it was not yet midnight, but the amount of people on the street was pitifully small. Normally when she was going home from school office workers would be rushing about. Even now at this time, it would have been normal for groups of people still throbbed on the street. But, with the kidnappings and the serial murders, the crowd of people had reduced greatly as many feared for their lives and evacuated for their own safety. Several businesses had closed up and didn't plan on opening until the situation calmed down. Yet, no one looked twice when two girls came off the train near midnight. It was a testament to their fear that no one looked to carefully at the situation. They were afraid, and fear dulled their senses, dulled their suspicion and perception.

As Rin stepped off the train, the compass ceased pointing at the blond girl just before Rin pulled it out and looked at it. Rin was dumbfounded by the reaction of the compass needle after she opened the lid.

"What is this?" she exclaimed a little too loud. Again, the normal people didn't notice or care, the few that might have heard her, but one person that wasn't normal noticed and silently watched as she saw the strange device in the girl's hand. The needle, which normally wavered just a little, was rapidly spinning in circles. It was the first time Rin saw this kind of phenomenon. This reaction, made a shadow pass across Rin's heart.

But it wouldn't be the best idea to just stand here. The few adults who just walked by already would start giving Rin questioning looks Rin as she stood there looking at a compass. Rin began walking away from the station as normally as she could while holding the compass. She didn't notice that the blond girl was following her at a distance. -

Tsukiumi was intrigued by the monkey. The monkey was carefully looking at the device that was spinning, yet, the device suddenly pointed towards the city. Looking at the city herself, the little alien realized how large the place was. It wasn't Shin Tokyo, but it wasn't the tiny backwater village that she thought it would be. Only now did she realize the sheer task ahead of her, only now did Tsukiumi have second thoughts in her 'perfect' plan. That was when she looked over and saw that the other girl was following the device as it pointed towards the center of the city. With no other lead, the water Sekirei followed the girl from up high watching as the girl moved through the city.

Tsukiumi could tell that this strange monkey was trying to stay out of sight, using back alleys and avoiding the main roads as much as possible as she followed the direction from the device. Yet, every now and then, the girl would suddenly flip around as the device pointed behind her flaring up as it did so. But…strangely, the device would pointe back in the other direction just as quickly. Such a strange monkey, but perhaps it was a clue. Honestly, Tsukiumi didn't like this place, it felt wrong to her. Like something was twisted, crooked, and possibly broken. Tsukiumi was reminded of some of the sterile labs back home. This place felt artificial, the trees seemed to be trying to rip apart anything that came towards them. The animals were silent, their eyes glowing slightly in the night, watching her, yet uttering no sound. It was like they feared something, something they could only see. Tsukiumi shook her head, she would not get pulled into such dark thoughts.

The further Rin walked, the more sparse people became. Is this really the Fuyuki city she's so used to? Rin felt a faint chill creeping up her entire body. The air had a bite to it she had never felt before. The city, despite its size, felt like a ghost town. Few places were lit up, the streetlights seemed ominous and barely illuminated the road.

"Aaa, as I thought." The red police light lit up further down the street and Rin hid in the shadow of a building in fright. The patrolling police car was driving slowly, searching for any citizen who was walking alone at night. There was no way the police would leave her alone if they see her, and if that happens she wouldn't be able to go save Kotone. Rin breathed easier as she watched the police lights move away.

*Clack.*

Rin swallowed the scream she almost yelled out. That sound just then came from the depth of the alleyway by the house she was hiding next to. A stray cat sifting through the rubbish and knocked over some cans? No, there was a slithering sound there. For a moment, Rin thought she saw something black move in the shadows. Rin drew a sharp breath when she looked down on the magecraft compass in her hands. Unmoving, as if frozen in place, the needle pointed straight towards the direction of the sound. Something was there; something that emanated unnatural prana was there.

'_Isn't this the result I'm waiting for?'_ A voice in Rin's mind thought. '_I've already gotten a response. Isn't that a good start?'_ Rin planned to go through all suspicious spots in Shinto and check Kotone's presence one by one. Here, the first place she checked, she already had something.

'_Come now, step into the inside of the alley and check what's there.'_ The voice whispered

"No." Rin whispered

'_There might be some clues about Kotone, or maybe, Kotone herself is there._' The slithering voice whispered in her mind.

"No," Rin whispered as a part of her felt danger coming from that direction. The compass suddenly flipped behind her, reacting violently for a mere moment, then shifted back towards the direction it indicated earlier.

' _Come, there's no reason to hesitate. There would be no meaning coming this far if you quit.'_ The voice urged '_You are not a coward. You would not do things such as abandoning your friend as well.'_

"No no no absolutely not no no no no noooooo…!" She found herself backing up, not noticing she cut her hand as she tried to slowly get away without being noticed. Yet…a wet sound could be heard approaching her.

*Splash, splash*

Something lurking at the deep inside the alley was breathing, as if sniffing her. It was creeping towards her, its ragged breath stumbled towards her. Rin finally realized that this journey of exploration, aimed to recover her best friend, was definitely not as easy to complete as she thought. Kotone's figure wasn't in the depth of the darkness, no, Kotone wasn't a boy, and Kotone didn't have a face that was half melted. It stumbled towards her while several dark things followed in the wake of the deformed boy. Rin saw that the boy had a black hunch on his back, like some sort of evil storage box.

"No, no, NO!" Rin screamed she turned to run, but tripped. She turned to see the evil coming towards her holding out hands deformed into claws.

The compass needle suddenly flipped behind her again, reacting more violently than ever, before flipping back to this creature. Rin had never seen a demon, nor had she been touched by one, but from mere instinct she could tell she was in a very dangerous situation right now. To study magecraft, the first thing one need to do is to learn to accept and know that death is always by a magus' side. This is the first lesson of every apprentice magi. Death, the inescapable, incomprehensible, purely despairing feel of despair; that moment, Rin felt the essence of magecraft from that experience. She couldn't move, paralyzed with fear, she couldn't even yell. This was a terror unbearable to ordinary humans was more than enough to crush such a young girl.

"Water Celebration!" a young female voice yelled form above. Rin glanced up to see that blond girl leaping down, landing in front of Rin as blades of water ripped apart the deformed boy and the monstrous things that stood beside it. A bloodcurdling scream filled the air as more and more blades of water cut it apart. Rin watched as the terror died under the attack of the strange girl. Slowly, the blond girl turned to Rin, a slight breeze caused her hair wave. Rin noticed that the girl seemed to have a permanent blush in her cheeks. The girl tried to look serious as she pointed at Rin and said.

"F-forget what you saw." With that, she leaped up and landed on the rooftops. Rin sat there, looking up in confusion at what she saw…only to see the top of the blond girl's head suddenly pop out from the rooftops. "I mean it." The girl warned again before vanishing. Slowly Rin stood up and looked at the destroyed creature.

"What is this?" Rin asked. She felt nauseous looking at the creature. Rin looked at her compass which was pointing towards the center of the city. Rin stood there for a bit as a war raged in her mind. A part of her wanted to run, to flee while she could. This place was dangerous. But…the other part of her mind worried about Kotone. That boy, he had been changed. Was that what happened to Kotone, or was there still time to save her? Rin shook her head and slapped her face. She could do it, she could still save her friend. Yes, she had hesitated before, but Rin still had her trump cards. Rin felt her pocket to confirm the two crystals were still there and nodded. Rin looked at the compass once more to see it suddenly flip behind her reacting violently. Rin turned around, only for the needle to turn back towards where it had come from. Rin shook her head, perhaps it was reacting to that blond girl. If she showed up again, RIn would thank her, but Rin had to keep moving.

From the rooftops, Tsukiumi nodded to herself. She had done well saving that girl. That…thing had to die, every instinct in her body agreed that such an abomination needed to be destroyed. She watched as the other girl looked back at her device once more and saw her head deeper into the city. The water Sekirei shook her head; she could tell that something was there, a great evil. Well, if this monkey was planning on going, then she would go as well. Perhaps there would be a clue as to where her target was. Until then, Tsukiumi would keep an eye on this girl.

In the darkness behind the two girls, a pair of mismatched eyes watched and waited.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	69. Black Zero 22 Plus Stats

**Black Zero 22**

_Just because they say you are his/her friend doesn't mean you understand the term. I know people who the term 'friend' means someone that is texted every twenty minutes and blogged to every day, while others view the term 'friend' as a person the individual would willingly jump in front of a bullet for. I am one of the latter, and I have few friends; many good acquaintances, but few friends. –Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_For years, I didn't understand why I was so different from my twin. I wanted to be like her, to be something as great as her. But one day, I found out why I was different; I'm tainted with the seed of evil. Inside me burns the taint of an old, evil god, one that has haunted my family since the Fourth Grail War. –Emiya Kiritsugu II_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Iri inhaled sharply as she felt something in her chest ache painfully.

"Gah" the boy chocked out. Iri released him instantly realizing that she had clenched too hard. She placed on hand on her chest feeling the burning sensation in there. She had no idea why it was happening, but it was not a pleasant sensation. She looked down at the boy, but saw that he had somehow stayed asleep even with the near bone crushing hug. Gently Iri moved the boy out of the way and shifted so that she was sitting on the couch. She was still tired from using her magic. She figured it would take a night before she would be able to do much. Two days before she would wait for a chance to escape, that is, if Berserker didn't kill her first. Iri continued to rub her chest while it kept burning her fiercely. A small instinct in the back of her head warned that something significant was about to change….

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Rin moved quickly, following the trail the compass pointed. She knew she was in danger, she knew it was possible that she was running towards another one of those things, but she had to try to save Kotone. Mentally, she berated herself for showing such weakness to that blond girl. She was a Tohsaka, she was supposed to be elegant and refined at all times, not a sniveling girl. Rin pushed back the fear she felt and kept moving, intending to save Kotone. Every now and then, the compass would suddenly swivel back and point behind Rin whilst reacting violently. Rin kept turning around when that happened, but the reaction would stop immediately and point back towards the initial direction. Rin was getting annoyed by the reaction, to the best of her knowledge; it was probably the blond girl. Rin had seen her leap over Rin from the roof tops a few times. Privately, Rin was glad that the strange girl was keeping an eye out for her, Rin did not want to face another creature like that abomination alone.

Rin weaved through the back streets following the course of the compass until it pointed to a rundown several story building. Rin carefully entered the door and froze. She watched as another of those abominations walked down the stairs in front of Rin calmly. The creature made no sign that it noticed her at all. Rin looked over at the sign pointing towards the stairs nervously. The sign said Drunken Duchess, indicating that this was at one time a drinking establishment. All along the walls lining the stairs were countless posters that were marketing long gone concerts, missing animals and people, and offers for various goods and services. It was a veritable mural of forgotten postings. The place looked like it hadn't been visited, much less cleaned in a decade. Scattered trash was littered everywhere causing the place to look unhealthy and unwelcoming.

Rin stood there for a while, listening as the creature walked downstairs into the darkness below. For a time, she stood there frozen. She looked down the stairs and saw that all light was extinguished below save for a small red emergency light that gave the place an ominous glow. Rin looked at her compass which reacted violently, knocking itself out of her hand. Had she not been wearing it like a necklace, Rin would have surely lost the device her father gave her. Rin felt her breathing speed up as she gazed down those stairs.

She wanted to run; her instincts were telling her to run away now. Something was wrong with this place, something horribly wrong. But Rin couldn't, she wouldn't, she had a friend to save. Inhaling deeply, Rin planned on descending when she heard a sown above her. Rin looked up just in time to see a small tuft of blond hair on the stairs above vanish from sight. It was…reassuring that she was not alone. Surely, if this foreign girl was willing to go through the same thing Rin was, then Rin knew she could not waver. Slowly, Rin descended down down down into the depths of the darkness. In a few moments, Tsukiumi quietly came down the stairs as well unwilling to lose the only hint she had in her search.

And from, outside the building, a pair of mismatched eyes glared at the building while a low growl was carried on the wind.

Slowly, step by step, Rin walked down the stairs, on hand on the walls to keep her steady. The lone red light was not helping her see. The ominous red light flickered every now and then, like it was afraid of something or concealing something. Rin had a hand in her pocket ready to throw one of her two crystals at any threat that came at her. Slowly, Rin came up to a beaten door that was slightly open, not enough to see anything behind, but open enough to show that it was not locked. A more suspicious person would have seen it as an invitation to a trap, but Rin was still naïve. Carefully, she opened the door to see to her surprise, that there was nothing there save an empty and abandoned bar. Only two small red lights lite up the place, and it was in the light of one in a corner that Rin saw the creature go down another set of stairs. Rin carefully walked towards those stairs avoiding the broken glass and furniture scattered about. Rin soon stood at the edge of the staircase and stopped.

Unlike the previous staircase that was made from metal and plastic, this one was made of stone. This staircase looked…different than the rest of the building. Rin felt as if she was looking down the stairs of an old castle. There was something unnatural wrong with this place. It was here, without a doubt, that the compass had to be pointing towards. Of course, at this distance, the compass was simply spinning rapidly firing off sparks everywhere. Rin turned her head at a glance and saw a small shape duck back behind the door. Rin smiled and felt a bit better about what she was about to do. Honestly, if she were alone, she might have turned and run, she might had fled screaming. But with her backup there, even if the blond girl wanted to be separate, then Rin could find the courage to keep going.

So, she descended the stone steps, feeling her breath speed up more and more as she walked. Every step warned her to flee, every sound urged her to run, but Rin kept going. She had to, or Kotone would die, a part of Rin's mind knew she had to work quickly. Anything in this den of darkness and evil would not do well for anyone. Slowly, Rin walked down these stairs and crossed a threshold without a door. Rin heard sounds around her as she moved into the room but she couldn't see anything. All light was absent as she moved forward. Rin found herself pulling out her crystal prepared to toss it at a moment's notice.

"Welcome little girl." A depraved voice echoed in the darkness. "Welcome to my home. So glad you decided to join us." Rin turned around trying to locate the voice.

"Who are you?" Rin demanded. She suddenly eeped when she felt a long arm land on her shoulder. Slowly, dread filling her veins, she looked up to see large eyes that looked like they belonged on a fish or a frog.

"Who am I? Hmm, I believe the most common name for me these days is Bluebeard." The man said. "And you are most welcome."

Rin dashed forward, a scream at the tip of her lungs, only for something black with many tentacles jump her and pin her.

"Ah, an another one comes to join us." The madman said. He snapped his fingers and there was the sound of another thud. Rin found herself being dragged deeper into the dark. She wanted to scream but something slimy muzzled her. She tried to make a sound, but only groans came out of her mouth. It was then that Rin realize that the sound she made was the exact same as the noise she had heard earlier. Rin struggled as hard as she could, trying to break free, trying to activate her crystal, but she couldn't

Soon, she was dragged into a room that was actually lit. Candles lined the walls and illuminated what she saw. The first thing she noticed was the sheer number of bodies lining the walls and the floor. There had to be over a hundred kids there. The sheer scale of this made her stomach sink. In the center of the room was a complex circle unlike anything Rin had seen before. It had five circles of different sizes with various pentagrams drawn in and between the circles as well as words in a script Rin had never seen before lined all throughout the circle. The implications of all these children arranged around that circle were not lost on her. She redoubled her efforts to escape, but she had no strength. It was then that Rin saw what was restraining her, and it made her freeze. It was one of those monsters that accompanied the abomination. She shivered in fear, a fear so deep and dreaful that it began to encompass her world.

'_No_!' Rin screamed in her mind. '_No! NO! NONONONONONONONO, Otou-san save me_!' She hurt so bad, the thing was almost crushing her, it kept her from screaming, and it was hurting her injured left hand badly. Especially her hand, it felt like it was burning.

Rin was dragged towards the circle itself and laid right in the middle.

"Arigato little ones, truly your dedication to find me has reached my heart, I had intended for others to take the center stage, but since you were so dedicated I had to give you the best." Caster said with excitement in every syllable. Rin and Tsukiumi were laid in the center of the circle and positioned so that they formed a circle themselves, their heads nearly touching.

"With this," Caster cried with actual tears rolling down his disgusting face "everything is ready. The Prince will die and my Jeanne will be restored. Truly, Kami will look down and shake in fear at what I will do. Not even the legions of angels or the armies of hell can stop this. Everything is ready, everything-"

*Crack*

Caster stopped in mid rant and looked up.

*Crack Crack Crack Bang*

Pieces of the roof were breaking off as a massive onslaught came from the ceiling. "He comes." Caster said with glee. "HE COMES!" Caster held his arms up and smiled. The trap was ready, the Black Prince would die, he would suffer for what he and his people did to Jeanne. His country would be the first to burn once Jeanne was restored.

Boom Boom

The assault was getting fierce from above. Caster pulled out his book and prepared to chant.

He didn't notice that the circle was already glowing.

'_It hurts, it hurts a lot. What is it doing to my hand?_' Rin thought. It was on fire, molten lava was pouring on her hand. It hurt so bad.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Save Him Kiritsugu Save Him**

The **call** is **made**, the **summons** will **arrived**

Deeper and deeper I fall down the pit. Blood pours down on me as I fall. I want to grab the chains, but the ones on my arm are gone. Only the ones on my leg remain. I won't be able to get back up. I won't be able to climb. Oh god Oh god oh god. I see the pool of blood coming up fast. I'm going to hit it I'm going to hit iiiiiiiiiiiiit

w**E** **KN**o**W** **T**h**E** **TA**s**K**

*Splash*

No Air! Drowning! I'm Drowning! No! No! NONONONOOOOOO! ** no! All the work, all the pain, all for nothing. NOTHING! No!

Her Plan Unfolds Perfectly

Deeper and deeper. Falling falling falling Deeper and deeper. Dark, so dark. Oh God NO! Drowning, I'm drowning, I can't breathe! The chains on my leg are too heavy. I can't get them off. Can't remove them. I'm going to die. I'm going to DIE!

May it **be** **done**, and **may** we **have** a glorious **battle**

Light! Light? Why is there a light at the bottom of this pit?

Iri collapsed on the ground as the pain in her chest reached a crescendo. From her chest a great black blob began to form, pushing out from under her skin. It felt so painful, so disgusting, so **evil**.

"Kiritsugu," Iri whimpered as the pain grew and the blob twisted and pulled within her. It felt like it was trying to rip out her heart in the process. The black mass grew and grew from her chest shredding the cloth in the way as the dark mass protruded out. It hurt, it hurt so badly. Iri opened her mouth and screamed "Kiritsugu!" as a tearing sound was heard in the building.

Bam Bam Bam Crack Crack Crash

Caster had stopped chanting a while ago and was busy looking at the circle. It wasn't supposed to be activating now. It was supposed to go off after the sacrifice. What was going on? For that matter, what was taking the damned Prince so long to get down?

BAAAAAM

Ah, there's his hand. Caster nodded and opened his book to continue. He watched lazily as Berserker fell to the floor. Two more syllables and the spell would be completed. Once the Prince hit the ground, Caster would finish off Berserker

Simple, effective, perfect.

It BURNED! Her hand was hurting like no tomorrow and the creature was leaching her Prana, she knew it. Sucking out everything in her, Rin felt her forehead cover in sweat. 'Otousan help me.' She begged once more

Light

The pit was covered in a blinding light as Berserker's screams could be heard

"▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄"

Iri blacked out just as she saw the black mass break free from her and flew through the air, breaking through the roof and flew off into the horizon.

Caster covered his eyes confused by the turn of events. He hadn't completed the ritual, so why had the circle activated…unless…Yes, yes! God must be rewarding his releantless pursuit, never wavering in his love for Jeanne. Surely God must know he will not win against his love for Jeanne. Yes, with this the prince will die and Jeanne will be fre-

*Splat*

Caster looked down in shock as a white thorny vine pierced his body. It wasn't a fatal attack, the vine had hit too low, but the blinding pain came upon him. "AAAAAAAAAGH" Caster screamed. He blinked his eyes and saw something that truly made him hate. Before him were three figures in the circle. Two of them wore the exact same black armor though one had mismatched eyes of red and gold while the other's eyes were not visible. The third figure was wearing the same armor as the other two, but his was white, and he was sitting upon a throne of thorns.

At that moment, all hell broke loose. The two black armored figures charged at each other, the one with mismatched eyes sent the copy flying whilst the one in white armor send hundreds of vines from his throne to kill every demon in the area, including the ones that held down Kariya. The white figure was then sent flying as well by the man with mismatched eyes.

"▅▄▅▄▅▄" Berserker roared victoriously. He reached down and grabbed the two girls laying in the circle who had both passed out in fear and turned. Berserker roared once more in glee as he pointed his left hand at the unconscious Kariya. His hand burst from his wrist and grabbed Kariya and dragged him to Berserker. Holding his three offerings carefully. Berserker leaped up through the crack in the roof he made.

"Wait!" The other black armored figure yelled as he jumped after the mad Servant.

The white figure righted himself and glared at Caster.

"You….you bastards, how dare you ruin my ceremony. Jeanne would have been freed and I would have had my revenge." Caster screeched indignantly.

"**Be Gone**," The white figure raised his hands. "**The White King Commands you**." The thorny vines from his throne rose up and hovered ominously before striking forward. Caster vanished in a mist of blood before he was impaled. "**Now, time to clean up this mess**." The White King said in disgust. All around him, he gazed at the children who stared at him in fear. Muttering a couple of spells, each and every one of the children's gazes glazed over. Delicately, each child was picked up by a vine which did their best not to pierce the skin of the children. The White King then ascended up the whole taking the children with him. The King threw several explosives down the hole as soon as the children were cleared causing the building to shake and rumble. Soon the entire building collapsed and the police and firemen arrived to find the missing children all lined up on the sidewalk where a large message had been cut into the sidewalk saying YOU'RE WELCOME.

Much later, the children would remember being held by a madman and several goons until a couple of nice men burst into the room and killed or chased off the bad men. Each child would remember being patted on the head and told that everything would be all right. Public knowledge would become that this had been a smuggling/slaving ring that was taken out by vigilantes or mercenaries. The truth was lost into the shades of the past. The church and Tower would see no need to interfere with these children as it was obvious that a magus already cleaned up the mess.

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Everyone (Except for Rider and Waver) waited anxiously for Berserker to show, each of them had expected Berserker to cross from the old part of the city and thus lined up on the opposite side of the river. Each of them were wondering what was taking Berserker so long to cross, but none of them were willing to move.

The three adult Sekirei had no-where else to look, thus could only fight where they knew he would come. Each of them worried in their own way over poor Minato being held so long by the mysterious kidnapper. It felt like every day was getting worse than before. So far, no ransom demands had been sent, indicating that the kidnapper was probably not interested in anything MBI could provide. Every encounter the three of them had indicated that the kidnapper wasn't in the right state of mind. The only thing that gave them peace was that the boy was still unharmed after been held for several days. Perhaps the kidnapper may not want anything that MBI had, but perhaps the kidnapper had no intention of harming the boy either. The black figure had guarded the boy fiercely.

Saber gritted her teeth thinking about what could possibly happen to Iri while time wasted. Granted, Berserker's Master was Shirou so there wasn't any chance that Iri would come to harm from the Master, but Berserker had A rank Independent Action so who knows what that mad monster was doing to her. Honestly, the parallels between this war and the last time she was in the Fourth Grail War were astoundingly similar. Saber shook her head, at this rate Rider was going to appear and offer to drink with her and Gilgamesh. If so, fine, that would give her plenty of time to tell the two of them about the corruption of the Grail. Saber had no idea what effect it would have on the King of Heroes, but Iskander would probably lose interest in the Grail considering the price it demanded. In the meantime, all she could do was keep waiting by the water's edge. From their hiding positions, Kiritsugu and Maiya waited with their sniper rifles, ready to assist Saber as needed.

Archer was standing, waiting patiently for his entertainment. He personally wasn't worried, the creature would show, and considering the actors arrayed throughout the region, Gilgamesh was in for one high quality entertainment tonight. So, content that the wait would be worth it, Gilgamesh silently watched the river waiting with anticipation.

Assassin had silently seeded three of their aspects along the river. Each of them knew their purpose, and each of them was ready to watch for Berserker. Another ten of their aspects had been seeded through the old section of Fuyuki in hopes of locating the hideout of Berserker. They had already investigated the temple and found to their disgust that there was no sign Berserker had stayed in the temple. It had all been a ruse, a sunning ruse to delay and distract them. Blasted unpredictable, insane Servant, no other Servant gave them as much trouble as- The entire collective of Assassins flinched as they felt the feedback from their foolish aspect that died under Rider's blade hit them like an anvil. '_Fool'_ they all thought as one. The damned idiot had just revealed that they still existed to Rider and his Master. The entire plan of hiding in the shadows after sacrificing one of their number to Archer had just gone out the window. With that, they began a discussion with their Master on their next move.

Meanwhile, Rider was busy buying a barrel of expensive wine to drink in celebration of his victory tonight while he mentally planned on how to find the other Servants and invite them to a gathering. "If only there was a way to gain their attention…" His musings were cut short just as a familiar feeling hit him. Rider quickly grabbed the barrel and trotted outside just in time to see not one, but two men in black armor fighting on black horses with red eyes. They both ignored the large chariot that rested beside the building, so focused were they in their battle

"Die abomination!" one man without glowing eyes yelled at Berserker swinging his sword with all his might at Berserker's head. "▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄" Berserker replied as it countered the swing of the other knight's sword with his shield before aiming his left hand and firing a shot. The new Servant ducked under the black as suddenly held a revolver in hand and fired several shots at Berserker.

Rider watched as the two rode past him at breathtaking speed on their mounts. "Ah, that'll work." Rider said with a grin. There was no way anyone would miss this. Rider jumped back on his chariot and gave chase.

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"Monster, abomination, slave, serf, destroyer!" The new Servant cried. "Drop those charges and face your extinction." Sword collided with shield. Gun fired against arm cannon. A titanic battle raged as the two fought to knock the other off their horses.

"▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄" Berserker screamed smashing the new enemy with its monstrous strength. Had anyone compared Berserker's strength before this night to now, they would have seen Berserker's stats had all dropped by one level for some reason. Not that it did this newcomer much good. Every stat of this new Servant was E or D rank at best. A monumental difference in power that was only offset by the sheer skill and…familiarity this Servant had against Berserker's fighting style.

"I am the shield of the innocent; I am the sword of my Ideal!" The new Servant cried. "Come beast, I will put an end to your foul existence!" Again and again he fired his revolver which fired explosive shots, freezing shots, fiery shots, all that collided with the mad Servant's shield. Onward they charged towards the river heedless of the damage they did to the environment, heedless of the noise they made, heedless of that poor sap in black with a white mask that stood in the middle of the road and was run over by Berserker's horse.

Wait…what?

Every Assassin suddenly knew they were facing the wrong way. All along the river, each aspect suddenly turned invisible and dashed towards where Berserker would converge. All of them were confused how there were suddenly two Servants in black armor. Soon every other Servant turned in the direction of the noise the two clashing Servant created. Each of them stared at the strange sight of what looked like Berserker fighting himself.

The two black clad Servant burst from the city and leaped towards the water. With one hand each, the two of them fired in the direction of the river causing icebergs to form for their horses to run on. It was then that Berserker stood up on his horse while the other Servant saw what was about to happen and tried to get his horse to add distance. Didn't happen in time, Berserker leaped off of his horse and rammed the other Servant off of his knocking the two of them onto an iceberg.

"Damn you monster, you will not take them away." The new Servant cried. By a silent signal, the new Servant's horse charged after Berserker's horse, but the mad Horse was faster, stronger, and better than the unaffected horse. "No, NO!" The new Servant cried as he saw Berserker's horse take the precious cargo. "ABOMINATION!" He drew two swords and leaped at the mad Servant. Sword met shield, kick was countered with kick, and in each clash, this new Servant was losing ground. "▅▄▅▄▅▄▅▄" Berserker cried as he smashed his fist into the chest of the new enemy sending him flying back to land. The mad Servant didn't have time to relish his victory as Saber charged at him, running on water screaming her rage as she lunged at him. Not far behind, Yume and Akitsu dashed forward on a lane of ice while Kazehana floated in the air and fired off wind attacks while Kiritsugu and Maiya saw an opening and fired. The battle flew into full swing from there.

Up on the rooftops, Gilgamesh smiled. This would surely be an entertaining sight to behold, more so since the mad dog's annoying ability to fuzz out of focus was now gone. He could clearly see the mad Servant in all his lowly ways. Nice craftsmanship on the armor though, Gilgamesh had to admit, for a mongrel. In the meantime, he planned on staying up hear and watching the show.

Servant Stats

Class: E▅r▅r▅o▅r

Master: Tohsaka Rin

True Name: E▅r▅r▅o▅r Black Knight(), White King []

Sex: Males

Height: 190 cm

Weight: 84 kg

Alignment: True Neutral

**Strength**: (D) [E]

**Agility**: (E) [E]

**Endurance**: (E) [E]

**Prana** **capacity**: (D) [D]

**Luck**: (E) [D]

**Noble Phantasm**: EX

**Class Skills:**

**Riding**: (C+) [C] The expertise to ride vehicles. At C rank, is only able to ride a select few vehicles, but is able to ride those vehicles at greater than average skill. At C+ rank, has a larger selection of vehicles this applies to. **Note**: This Servant has specialized in riding non-living creatures. Riding skill decreases by one to two ranks when riding living creatures

**Vengeance**: E▅r▅r▅o▅r

**Independent Action**: A Rank. Can remain in this world for a week even after losing his Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms of great prana consumption, back up from the Master is necessary.

**Personal Skills**:

**Charisma** B: Natural talent to command an army. Increases the ability of allies during group battles. A rare talent. At this level, Servant is able to command a Country, but due to his personal wish to never rule, this Skill is nullified on one aspect unless he is Commanded to or finds he is in great need. The other aspect has no qualms using this skill to his advantage.

**Eye of the Mind** (True) A: Heightened insight that was refined through a lifetime of experience. Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament and seize victory. So long there is even a one in a million chance of a comeback, this ability exponentially improves the chances of winning.

**Military Tactics**: A. Tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. Bonus modifiers are provided during use of one's own Anti-Army Noble Phantasm or when dealing against an enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. Note: when combined with a high level of Eye of the Mind, stats were boosted from B rank to A rank. At this Rank, all Anti-Army Noble Phantasms are risen one to two ranks while enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm are reduced one to two ranks against him. In addition, when leading an army, he is able to find a way to win a battle/war with minimal casualties no matter how badly stacked the odds are.

**(Prana Burst)** C rank: Increase of performance by impregnating one's weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. At C rank, is able to enhance all physical stats by one rank for a short time. Note: Skill is also limited by Prana Capacity

**[Protection Against Arrows]:** B rank. Increased defense against ranged attacks by predicting the projectile trajectory through exceptional means such as hearing the sound of air being cut or sensing the killing intent of the enemy.

**Noble Phantasms:**

**Two in One**: Personal Enhancement C. This Servant has been broken into his two aspects he was in life. The White King and the Black Knight. E▅r▅r▅o▅r is a single entity, but he possesses a divided soul and two minds that allow him to divide his spiritual potential into his two aspects. Each one is its own separate entity and divides the whole strength between each other. Each Aspect has its own personal Noble Phantasm(s) and can operate independently from each other.

**(Unknown Identity)**: Personal Enhancement C. Due to Servant living as a mystery to most people and real identity shrouded in rumors, Servant became an Icon that represented everyone and no one. Servant is able to take on the physical appearance and voice of anyone he has met or is aware of. **Note**: Once his identity is revealed either through the use of his Noble Phantasms against opponents or someone figures out his identity and declares it to him, he loses this ability for the duration of the summons.

**(Podagros)**: Anti-Army B: An artificial horse forged by advanced science and high level magic. This fire breathing beast is able to grant the Servant an EX rank of endurance as it never needs to recharge or take a break. In addition, it enhances the Servant's strength by one rank. Note: due to Personal skills and design, Podagros is able to perform far beyond what a horse could ever hope to match. Adding plus thirty to armor Servant is able to repel Physical attacks below B+ rank and Noble Phantasms D rank and below and reduces C rank Noble Phantams by one rank when attacking but does not nullify attack.

**[Throne of Thorns**]: Anti Unit B. A Noble Phantasm that cannot be turned off, but does not require any Prana to sustain. A special throne that causes constant health damage to the one who sits upon the throne but can fire off hundreds of thorn laden vines to skewer, block, or trap opponents from a distance. Grants a C rank **Protection Against Arrows** and can enhance form to boost either strength or speed by one rank at the cost of increased damage to health.

**The Eternal March**: Anti- E▅r▅r▅o▅r EX E▅r▅r▅o▅r

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Read and Review


	70. Black Zero 23

**Black Zero 23**

_Power is not a throne to be fought over and won. Power is not a wet eel constantly trying to evade capture. Power is the very air we breathe. It is an invisible, untapped potential just waiting to be used. –Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_All that is born is doomed to die. One day the planet will burn in the fires of the sun. One day the sun will burst apart. One day this galaxy will be swallowed by the great darkness. Even the universe itself will fade away in time. Yet, all that is doomed to die will be born anew, never the same as before, but all will be born anew. Life, death, rebirth, it is an endless cycle that repeats forever. One day, I shall see you all again. I will not be the same, nor shall you, but we shall meet again. So, do not weep when I die, I have only moved on to the next adventure waiting until I see you again. – Emiya Kiritsugu II to his family and friends on his Sixtieth Birthday._

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From all sides, they charged at the mad Servant. Each of them had one agenda, take down Berserker. Saber was the first to clash, her sword swung so hard and fast no human could have hoped to see it or react to it, but Berserker barely evaded the attack and swung a fist at Saber who in response turned her head to evade the attack. Berserker kept on rotating and smashed his fist into Yume's causing an explosive force to break out sending Berserker flying onto another iceberg. The Mad Servant rolled immediately to the side and huddled behind his shield as ice as wind flew at him fiercer than any storm. Fast and hard, Yume came in kicking and punching only to have most of her attacks bounce off the shield and have to leap off the iceberg lest she be cleaved in half. As Yume jumped back Saber and the new Servant leaped forward.

"Haaaaaaaa" Saber and the Black Knight roared as they swung their swords only to be countered by sword and shield. Saber pushed forward while the black knight rolled to the side and pulled from the air a rifle. Spinning out of the way, Berserker placed Saber in the way of the gun fire whilst facing off the King of Knight's swordsmanship. Cursing in disgust, the Black Knight caused his rifle to vanish and grabbed his swords and charged back into the fray.

Back and Forth the three of them clashed across the bridge of icebergs. Akitsu and Kazehana both fired off countless attacks of ice and wind when they saw openings, but the mad Servant evaded the long range attacks and focused on the close range assaults. Yume had to stay back as the ice was not large enough for three. Saber's attacks were blindingly fast, each one unleashing a storm of wind, yet Berserker blocked every attack, if only just. The Black Knight, however, did not focus solely on attacking with his swords. He punching, he kicked high and low, he rammed his elbows at Berserker's face, he fired is gun when he had an opening, and even concentrated on destroying the ice below Berserker in an attempt to drown him. But it was all for naught, the Black Knight was weak, slow, a joke of a Servant compared to Berserker. There was just too much difference in strength and speed between the two.

Unleashing a barrage of fists, Berserker smashed his fist into the Black Knight's gut, a second into the neck, and ended with an elbow in the face knocking the weaker Servant down with an explosive force. Berserker grabbed the fallen knight in black by the leg. '_Oh Sh*t,'_ the winded knight thought as Berserker used his great strength to swing the other Servant like a club, smacking Yume aside. "▅▄▅▄▅▄" Berserker roared in fury as he swung the Servant around so hard it created a wind vacuum and smashed the Servant into Saber sending her reeling back. Berserker flung the Servant up and over his head and hammered the Servant into the ice with a resounding crack. Berserker swung the Servant around one last time before launching the Servant at Akitsu, sending the two of them flying. Berserker didn't stop there as he immediately aimed his left hand at Kazehana and fired several shots causing lighting to appear where the wind Sekirei had been moments ago before she dove under the attack. Berserker had no time to fire again as Yume threw a kick at Berserker who smashed it aside with his shield. This however gave Saber an opening to slash at Berserker's body leaving a sizable cut at his waist. "▅▄▅▄▅▄" Berserker screamed in pain and rage as he swept low with his sword trying to cut Saber who leapt over his attack. Berserker kept moving his blade around and nearly cleaved Yume in two. The Sekirei barely jumped back in time, but the pressure from the air did cut her clothes revealing skin and a small red line that bleed lightly. Saber tried to attack in that opening, but Berserker used the momentum he built to raise his leg and do a sweeping kick while he was attacking Yume.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fun, fun fun fun funfunfunfun. Kill the enemies, tear them limb from limb. Rend tear killlllll. Kill the enemies, claim the offerings, all for the Light, All for the LIGHT. Bash blue enemy, kick brown enemy, dodge ice, dodge wind. PAIN! Hate hate hate kill blue kill brown. Kill them all.

_The enemy is overwhelming_

**Why are we here?**

Kill them, kill them all. They defy the light! Smash fake Faithful, fire on blue, burn wind, burn ice PAIN Hate Hate Hate Kill brown enemy. Punch hurts lots. They want to kill the Faithful, take Light for themselves. Bad, wicked, evil Enemies Light not for them, Light is served only by the faithful

_We cannot win against these odds_

**Don't we have a purpose?**

Light! Yes, protect the Light, Serve the Light. Yes, the Faithful must pull back, The Faithful have gathered the offerings, offerings are safe, Light will be happy. Kill what can be killed and flee. The Faithful must attend the Light. Punch black enemy, kick back blue, leap away, fire at ice and wind see them hurt, hear them scream. Laugh, Laugh, death to the enemies.

_Look for the opening, then take the chance. Any opening will do_

**Why does this happen? Why do they attack?**

Enemies, all are enemies, all must die. Rend tear kill them all, flay their skin and break their bones. Suck the marrow and feast on flesh. They are enemies, foul creatures that want the Light. Ram knee into black, throw at blue, swing on brown. Shadows, Dark Ones, Enemies, they want the Light, they want to snuff the Light, steal the warmth. Kill Kill Kill them allllllllll.

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.com/watch?v=Yw4rMtzqR38&feature=related

Berserker punched the other black clad Servant under the chin, causing the Servant to fly up from the force, but Berserker grabbed him by his feet once more. Berserker swung the Servant round and round warding off the others as he leaped back towards land. Saber and the others were unable to keep up as Berserker fired magical shots at them keeping them at bay. It seemed as if the mad Servant would escape once more

"NO!" The new Servant cried in rage twisting his body so that he could smash Berserker's arm with his leg while he caused his rifle to appear in his hands and unleashed an onslaught of bullets at Berserker causing the mad Servant to lose his hold. The black Servant rolled on the ground and flip back on his feet before he rushed at the mad Servant with neither sword nor shield in hand. Berserker responded with one thing, ramming his sword into the other servant's gut.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" The Servant screamed in pain and rage. Yet, the servant grabbed the blade and pushed it deeper into his body. With the sword now firmly in his body, the impaled Servant grabbed Berseker's hand and drew it towards him causing the entire blade to go up to the hilt. "Go…" The Servant wheezed in pain. "To hell…abomination." With one hand firmly on Berserker's, the Servant grabbed the yellow spear still imbedded in Berserker's shoulder from the fight at the docks and pulled it out. "Die!" The Servant shoved the spear forward, only to have Berserker grab the spear just before it impaled Berserker's red eye. Berserker casually ripped the spear out of the other Servant's hand and threw it at Saber and the others as they ran towards the pair, it missed, obviously. No one noticed as the spear suddenly vanished as soon as it hit the ground. Berserker aimed his left hand at his captive Servant and fired at point blank range…only to miss.

The Black Knight had been latterly ripped off of Berserker's sword and was now being dragged away quickly by white vines covered with thorns. From the shadows emerged a white figure sitting on a white throne of thorns. "**Reckless my other self. No wonder you always needed my patience**."

"Shut up, he needs to die." The Knight roared.

"**He does, but patience is a virtue. One you never possessed**." The white figure acknowledged. He turned to face the oncoming girls who were intent on taking on Berserker. The throne shivered and shook, then sent hundreds of vines at Saber and the Sekirei causing them to leap back and away lest they be impaled. Berserker took the opportunity to flee into the old part of Fuyuki and was lost to sight.

"Bastard." Saber hissed as she evaded the attacks and charged for the pair.

"**Hello to you too mother**." The white figure called in a deadpan voice causing Saber to halt and stare at the pair. For a moment, she looked at them, studying them. The White figure called off the attacks on her and focused on keeping the Sekirei away.

"Kiritsugu?" Saber whispered quietly staring at the sight before her. The white figure ignored her question and turned to the three Sekirei.

"**Leave us. You are involved in something you were never meant to be Children of the Stars. I know not why you are here, nor do I care. Be gone."** With that, vines burst from the ground and began herding the Sekirei back. "**All will be explained in time…if you don't die first**."

"You scum." Yume called out leaping to the left as a thorn rammed at where she had been moments ago. "We will not stop from looking for him. He took Minato."

The black knight looked at them with a tilted head. "Minato….ah him! Yeah, no. Minato is now in the thick of things, there is no way he can back out until I kill the abomination."

"Huh?" Yume asked.

"**Do make me repeat myself. Be gone, all will be explained in time**." The king ordered. Yume suddenly found herself starting to turn around from the sheer power of the voice. "**If you want the abomination, search elsewhere, he is long gone already**." The vines retreated and let the three women pass through. For a moment, the three Sekirei just stared at the black and white duo, and then they turned and fled back across the river towards the new section of town.

"Kiritsugu, is that you?" Saber asked.

"In the flesh." The Black Knight said nodding as he focused on healing his gut wound with his prana reserves, "You met me earlier anyways….or at least a part of me."

"**The abomination**." The White King spoke. Saber blinked at that, and then made the connection.

"Berserker is you as well?" Saber asked.

"…Not exactly." The Black Knight said evasively

"**He is, and he isn't. He is an abomination, a monstrosity forged by the melding of several Epic Spirits in one. All will be explained shortly, but for now we have company.**" The white king spoke as they saw Rider descend with a thunderous roar that nearly deafened their ears on his chariot that was still spewing lighting with every step of the flying bulls and rolling chariot wheels.

"Yo, Saber...and new guys." Rider said looking at the pair. This was a little odd even from Rider's perspective. One new Servant was one thing, two new Servants was a whole different ball game, especially how the black clad Servant stood as a guardian over the white one, still, the plan he had formed in his head was sounding better and better with more Servants. Rider smiled, baring his teeth and spoke in a merry tone. "It's quite I night we've been having here. I was almost lost in its beauty…but then I heard such interesting sounds and had to come and see what was going on."

"**Right, considering you were watching from the beginning, I doubt that**." The White King snarked. Rider looked over the man sitting on a throne of thorns and shot an eyebrow up.

"Oi, don't that hurt sittin' on that throne?" He asked. He could see the blood leaking from the White King's armor where the thorns pierced his body.

"**Such is the burden of Kings, and I am the White King**." He responded.

"Oho, a King huh?" Rider said grinning. "Yah, this is a glorious night. But still…won't you wear something more modern tonight? Ya don't always hav' to wear that old-fashioned armor." Compared to the White King's, Black Knight's and Saber armor, Rider was wearing jeans and a t shirt declaring world conquest.

"This armor was forged by my father and encrusted with protective runes and magic by my family." The Black Knight defended. "Until the war is over, I will not spit upon their efforts by abstaining their work."

"**That, and we have nothing else to wear**." The King added with a shrug. Saber shook her head but couldn't help but grin. Saber looked up and saw the familiar face of Waver looking nervously over at the three Servants. Understandable really, even if he was in a Noble Phantasm, being so close to other Servants. Saber looked back at Rider and couldn't help but sigh. In Rider's hand was a familiar object

A wine casket, clearly some things never change. It appeared her son also noticed the casket and spoke up.

"I'm guessing by the wine in your hand you wish to parley?" The Black Knight spoke.

"**Good, I need a drink, badly**." The White King expressed

"'We' need a drink badly." The Black Knight corrected. "Though…I won't be able to enjoy it for a while." He said pointing to his gut wound.

Saber shook her head. "This really isn't the time for that."

"**We'll make time**." The White King emphasized. "**We need to discuss the abomination, and it would be best if we explained what he is to everyone at once**."

"Don't be a stick in the mud Saber." Rider added. "It'll glorious. Now, is there a courtyard here fitting for a banquet? We can't do this here, it's too damp." He said indicating the closeness of the river

"…" Saber sighed helplessly, and the worry piled up in her chest vanished. Faced against the three of them, she found it impossible to keep up her fighting spirit. "Very well. I know of a good place." She then turned and walked off leading the three of them to a nearby park. As they marched towards the park, almost two dozen individuals followed in the shadows.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tokiomi leaned against his chair watching everything through his crystal. The man was curious to say the least about the two new Servants. It was an interesting turn of events when this White King invited the others to drink. Looking at the stats of the two, they seemed…rather unimpressive at first glance. Their stats were…pathetic and their Noble Phantasms they kept using were weak. Tokiomi was beginning to think he could kill them by himself. So why did he get a bad feeling whenever he looked at them? Tokiomi had consulted with Kirei and had 'suggested' Kirei use Assassin to test the power of the two of them. Tokiomi celebrated his plan by enjoying a nice glass of wine

*Wham*

Tokiomi looked up in surprise to see someone he did not expect to show up. In fact, he had expressly forbid her from coming while this war was going on. It was his wife Tohsaka Aoi.

Hours ago, Tohsaka Aoi had discovered that her daughter had disappeared. Afraid of her mother's scolding, Rin had placed a note beside her bed and wrote that she was going to find her lost classmate Kotone. Aoi immediately became overwhelmed with regret. Rin mentioned Kotone during dinner, and questioned Aoi about Fuyuki's current situation. Back then, Aoi thought she shouldn't hide anything to Rin so she said bluntly 'Forget this friend already.' Clearly Rin had not, instead, Rin had run off on her own to try to save this Kotone. Dammit, Aoi knew she should have seen this coming. Aoi ran out of the Zenjoh house wearing only her household clothes, and galloped on the night state highway with her car. For hours she had search the city high and low looking everywhere frantically. But even she knew there was only so much she could do.

Tokiomi had to be informed. Aoi didn't know magecraft so it fell to her husband to find their daughter. However, she knew very well her husband didn't have time to worry about his daughter. Her husband was in the middle of a war and he had already placed his life and all his concentration on the battle. But there came a point where even she could not go on any longer without assistance. Not for the first time, Aoi hated that she did not know any magecraft.

"Aoi, what are you doing here?" Tokiomi asked. She was supposed to be at the Zenjoh's.

"Rin ran away." Aoi burst out. "She came back to Fuyuki looking for her friend Kotone. I've been looking everywhere for her. All I know is she is here somewhere." She recounted how she found the letter, the frantic searching and the final loss of hope as she found no sign of Rin before she ran to her husband.

Tokiomi clenched is wine glass so hard that it actually cracked slightly. In his mind, he saw Rin in the grasps of scum like Caster or cleaved apart by Berserker. Tokiomi was not a…warm father by any definition, but that didn't mean he didn't care. "Unfortunately," Tokiomi said plainly. "Rin has made a foolish move. I cannot cease my activities for one foolish child." Aoi looked down and nodded. "However, I might have a way to send Kirei out after her." Tokiomi added causing Aoi to look up, hope filling her eyes. "So, go home." Tokiomi told her. "I cannot have any more liabilities in this war."

"Hai." Aoi said before she left the room. It wasn't the outcome she wanted, but it was more than she was hoping for. Hopefully, Kirei would be able to save her daughter, even if her husband wouldn't.

As soon as Aoi left, Tokiomi headed for his workshop. Once there, Tokiomi activated his communication crystal. "Kirei, I have a job for you." Tokiomi said.

"What is it?" Kirei asked politely.

"Rin has snuck into Fuyuki and is now missing." Tokiomi informed his 'apprentice.' "I want you to find her."

"Understood, do you wish for me to abort the attack?" Kirei asked. Tokiomi thought about it for a moment, Assassin would be much faster at locating Rin than a single human. However…

"No, continue as planned." Tokiomi said. "We need to gauge the strength of our opponents, especially these two new Servants and Rider. I need to see what they are capable of. Once Assassin has completed the task, you are then to search for Rin."

"Understood." Kirei intoned as the communication ended. Tokiomi leaned back and rubbed his temples, this was not how the war was supposed to turn out. Blast it Rin, a magus must be calm and composed at all times. Magi do not go running off to save random people, a magus was not a hero, but a researcher dedicated to finding a way into Akasha. The head of the Tohsaka house was extremely disappointed in his daughter. The thoughts of regret or worry were not in his mind, only disappointment. If Rin died, then that was her fate for such a foolish action. Tokiomi finished off his drink and went off to check up on the meeting of Servants.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kirei shook his head at the thought of Rin's foolish behavior. Coming here in the middle of the Grail War without a Servant was akin to suicide.

"Master," a female voice broke in. "What will you do?"

"Continue our plan." Kirei informed Assassin, "Then we'll focus on our new task."

"Hai," Assassin responded. "We have also narrowed down Berserker's base." Kirei raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh?"

"Hai, we have figured from his appearances and disappearances a three mile radius of where Berserker resides." Assassin spoke.

"Is there a possibility that this is another ruse like the temple?" Kirei asked. He had been disappointed in himself for not seeing Berserker's path as a distraction. The temple had been a perfect place to set up defenses considering no Servant could access the temple save climbing the stairs, or at least no Servant besides Berserker. Instead, Berserker had mislead Kirei and Assassin and used an empty fortress strategy. This had made Kirei berate himself for falling for such a simple tactic. Truly, Berserker's Master had to be a genius to control Berserker so smoothly. Kirei dismissed the idea that Berserker had come up with the idea, after all, the Servant's activities had changed from the start of the War. Strategies were now being used, the murders stopped, Berserker's way of fighting had improved greatly. Whatever the boy had done, it was working spectacularly. It was this that Kirei recognized he was looking forward to finding out more about this boy who defied all expectations. This hunt was…interesting. Kirei made a mental note to follow up on Archer once he found Berserker's Master and the reason why he fought.

In the meantime, Kirei had an operation to perform, one that wasn't going to go according to Tokiomi's plans.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Saber lead them to a park about a mile away from the river. The place was old, but had a well-kept lawn. The place lacked anything like a swing set or a seesaw, it was merely an open space of grass with trees lining around the park and a few trees scattered around. The black and white pair looked at this place and nodded, this place would do for their purposes. The air shimmered around the Black Knight and in a moment, he pulled out a large black cloth and laid it on the ground. The air shimmered once more and a large pan filled with ice appeared. The air around the White King's hands flickered and suddenly a dozen bottles of various alcoholic drinks were held by the vines and carefully passed them to the Black Knight who placed them in the ice to cool. The air shimmered one last time as the White King caused several shot glasses to appear and hand them off for the Black Knight to place. Looking at their work, the pair nodded once more.

Rider brought his wine casket to the forward and placed it beside him. Saber took a seat across from Rider while the White King sat on Saber Right and Rider's left. The Black Knight, however, did not sit, rather, he stood back behind the King like a bodyguard. Waver took a seat close to Rider in case of treachery. He realized, wisely that though this was a temporary truce, he needed to be careful.

Rider shattered the lid of the casket with his fist causing a musky fragrance of rice wine to fill the air while the White King poured himself three fingers of high quality vodka.

Rider smiled at the White King's immediate choice and said. "A most unique goblet you possess there White."

"**Some drinks must only be consumed in moderation**," The White King said. "**Unlike your wine, this drink contains far more alcohol**."

"I see," Rider happily scooped up some wine with the long bamboo ladle and drained it. "So, why is it I didn't see you before White? Surely you would not hide from this glorious campaign."

"Considering we were summoned a mere hour and a half ago, there wasn't anything we could do." The Black Knight spoke.

"**Be quiet Knight**," The King retorted. "**This is a battle of Kings, not Knights**." The Black Knight made a small sound at the back of his throat but remained silent. The White King turned. "**Speaking of Kings, it is appropriate that the original King joins us**."

"There is no other king save I pretender." Gilgamesh's voice spoke out before he appeared in his golden armor.

"**No other king Like you**," The White King corrected emphasizing the word 'Like,' causing Gilgamesh's lips to thin slightly. "**But that could be said of all of us here**." He looked at the three figures seating around the drinks. "**The King of Knights**," He said indicating Saber, "**A paragon of chivalry**." He looked at Rider, "**The King of Conquerors, unmatched by any, save one, in conquest**."

"Nani?" Rider asked indignantly. "My conquests are unmatched."

"**Save for the Lord of the Plains**." The White King corrected. "**Genghis Khan conquered twice as much as you, but he was only ever the Great Khan, or Lord to his people**."

Rider frowned that someone had conquered more than him, but the White King continued on pointing to Gilgamesh. "**The King of Heroes, the First King of Man.**" He then finished by pointing to himself. "**And Finally, I the White King, I who now go under the title of Avenger in this war**."

Saber found herself gaping at that last statement, but before she could speak, the Black Knight spoke up. "That is wrong, we are not Avenger, we are fake, false, imperfect. Avenger is another, we merely hold the title. We should be more, so much more but we are weakened, a joke of a Servant. Our strength stolen to feed another, our bonds tenuous and our soul divided. We are nothing."

"**We are Avenger."** The White said with conviction. "**Until Angra Mainyu comes out of the Grail, we are Avenger**."

"Angra Mainyu?" Waver asked quietly, but not quite enough to not be heard.

"The Grail is tainted." The Black Knight warned

"**Impure, Angra Mainyu rests inside**" the White King added, the two were now finishing each other's thoughts in perfect syncro.

"The Grail has changed thanks to the Third War"

"**It's all gone** **wrong with the summoning of the forbidden class**."

"That which should have been able to grant any wish-"

"-**Has now become a device capable of nothing save destruction**."

"At least…for the moment." The Black Knight finished mysteriously.

The White King looked at all three other kings, "**there is much to discuss between us my fellow kings. Of taint, of sin, of the devil**,"

"And of the choices we must make." The Black Knight interrupted. The White King glanced at the Black Knight who flinched under the gaze but stood firm.

"**Yes, we have much to discuss."** The King finished. Rider and Gilgamesh listened curiously while Saber felt relief that her son knew of the danger of this war and the issues with the grail. Yet, she wondered about his title Avenger, and why he seemed to know so much about what needed to happen

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Iri looked at the three people laid before her by Berserker, two girls and a horribly scarred man. Iri could tell that one of the girls and the man were both magi, but the blond girl was a mystery to her, she had never felt such strange power on a person. Iri came to a conclusion, this blond was not human. Iri looked up at Berserker who pointed to them and said one word.

"**Save**"

Iri shuddered, feeling the low reserves of prana in her, but she had no choice. Releasing the Master of Berserker, Iri slowly moved to the three of them and began diagnosing them. The good news was that the two girls were completely unharmed. Iri wouldn't have to do anything for them. Then the bad news began piling in…The scarred man was dying, Iri could see that in an instant, those…worms were feeding on him. Iri didn't want to look, didn't want to see. It was gross, it was disgusting, it was pitiful. To top off the insurmountable damage done to this man, Iri could see that the dark haired girl and this man were both Masters.

'_He's collecting them, but why_?' Iri thought. Surely it was a foolish move to gather the Masters, especially when they possessed command seals. An enemy Servant could be summoned within a moment turning this place into a battlefield. So why was Berserker doing this, was it the boy? Iri couldn't bring herself to believe that, the boy seemed clueless to Berserker's actions. In fact, Iri was sure that the boy was an innocent drawn into the War by chance. It is said the Grail will find a worthy Master if not enough volunteer.

Still, Iri knew she had to work or Berserker might become even more unstable. For a time, she focused her magic on the scarred man, trying to heal his body…only to find the worms focusing on where she healed. Iri had to back off lest she kill him, she watched as the scarred man spasmed and heard his moans of anguish as Iri failed healing him.

Plit plit.

Iri could tell Berserker was right above her, watching her like a hawk. Yet, she couldn't help but notice the liquid that fell on her, she touched her face where a few drops had fallen and looked at her fingers. Blood, the liquid was blood. Iri turned to look closer at Berserker and saw that he was bleeding. The mad Servant had wounds all over his body, his armor was dented in many places, but…the creature was still terrifying to behold. She also noticed that the distortion around Berserker was gone, the mad Servant was now fully in focus to her eyes.

"**Save him**." Berserker growled.

"It's not that easy." Iri said. "He's dying."

"Save Him"

"I can't." Iri said. "I'm not that good."

"**Save HIM**!"

Iri flinched under the screaming rage, but she held firm, the impossible was impossible. People die, and there are times where they cannot be healed. This was one of those times, no amount of screaming would help.

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"What's going on?" A sleepy voice asked. Iri turned to see the boy had awoken from Berserker's tone. No, it wasn't just the boy, the two girls were also awake, but judging but the shivering, they knew how dangerous Berserker was. Neither of the two girls made any move, trying to keep as still as possible, their hands over their mouths to prevent any sound from escaping. The boy on the other hand had no fear in his voice, only curiosity.

"**Save him**." Berserker said in a much more subdued tone.

"Okay." The boy said taking the words as a request. The boy sat by Iri's side and began some sort of magic…only to vomit. Iri realized he had just done a structural grasping of the man and found what was killing him. "Bwa… ah…what is that?" The boy asked backing away slightly from the man from a mixture of fear and disgust.

"Magic." Iri said sadly. "It is a form of magic, the worms are eating him to provide him magic circuits."

"Circuits, what are circuits, and why would anyone want to go through that?" the boy asked.

"I don't know." Iri confessed. "But I can't save him."

"Can't save," The boy said sadly. He looked up at Berserker. "Is there anything you can do to save him?"

Berserker looked rather excited. "Save him, save him, save him!" His black arm shot forward and plunged into the boy, yet, no blood arose from him. Rather, a golden glow appeared and in a moment, Berserker held the sheath Avalon in his hands right before he plunged it into the scarred man.

The result was instantaneous, Kariya began screaming, his eyes wide open as he thrashed in pain. His skin bulged and bent all over before bursting forth insects of various shapes. The bugs swarmed on the ground for a moment before they turned and focused on the people around them. The bugs leaped.

"Trace on." The boy said and suddenly he held a pair of Chinese swords, one white and one black and sliced several of the offending bugs. The rest were blown apart by a combination fo Berserker's left hand firing various magics and his right hands swinging a sword at blinding speeds. Iri hadn't even had time to do more than blink before the whole thing was over. She looked first at Berserker then at the boy and his swords.

"Who are you?" Iri asked.

"Shirou, my name is Shirou. Nice to meet you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Read, review, and apologies for taking so long, but the battle scenes take a while to write up.


	71. Black Zero 24

**Black Zero 24**

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_Word of advice, never drink any alcohol with an enemy in front of you. Rather, pretend to drink and learn how to get it to get it out of your mouth without anyone noticing. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_I may be drunk, but you're ugly and I'll be sober in the morning. – ancient joke._

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"**They say that only those who are worthy are able to fight to possess the Holy Grail**." The White king intoned, his voice lined with sarcasm "**And that this war will determine who is worthy to have their wish granted. Bullsh*t, Servants are nothing more than elaborate sacrifices summoned by the humans to battle for their entertainment. Yet, their fun suddenly caused a great evil to be born anew in this world."**

"Angra Mainyu," The Black Knight hissed. "One of the original devils, one of the old gods brought forth by the hubris of man."

"**Angra Mainyu now resides in the grail tainting it. Any wish a Master possesses will instantly be converted into a wish of destruction. A Master seeking to enter Akasha will enter it, by dying. A wish for wealth will result in catastrophic loss of human life and all their wealth will go to the survivor**."

Gilgamesh frowned while Rider looked downcast at this information. Waver paled at the thought of his wish and instantly saw the death of everyone at the Clocktower.

"All is not lost, there is a way to purify the grail." The Black Knight said getting everyone to look at him.

"**Servants are sacrifices, it falls to a Servant to deal with a Servant. As Angra Mainyu was summoned as Avenger, it falls to me and my other self to deal with this**."

"We have no wish, we have no want. Our duty was fulfilled moments after we were summoned." The Black Knight admitted.

"I see, that's very generous of you." Rider said grinning.

"**Such is the way of a King**," The White King intoned. "**Duty, responsibility, these are the burdens of kings. This cannot be denied.**"

Rider took another drink of his wine before offering a full ladle to the White King. Without hesitating, the White King drank the red wine in three gulps.

"So, if you have a way to cleanse the Grail, will you not share it?" Rider asked.

"…**It's best if you don't look into it**." The White King said.

"Pain, misery, torture, madness, this is our fate, and we walk into it proudly." The Black Knight said.

"**Be silent**." The White King warned his black counterpart. "**We have made our decision, do not seek pity from our enemy."** The White King turned back to Rider. "**Let us discuss other matters this night. This is a rare moment for so many Kings to discuss our paths. Truly, let us see who is the best of us. Let us discuss what we would wish for if and when this Grail is purified. May the best king win**."

"Oho, a competition of kingship, excellent." Rider said happily.

"The joke is of poor taste pretender." Gilgamesh spoke.

"The Joke is your idea of-" The Black Knight started before a white vine slapped him on the side of the face silencing him.

"**Silence Knight, Kings are talking**." The White King said impatiently.

Archer, in full armor, glared haughtily at the Black Knight with burning ruby-like pair of eyes.

"Silence your barking dog pretender of I will do it for you." The Black Knight seethed from the threat, but held his tongue. Gilgamesh looked over the preparations the White King and Black Knight had made. Of course you would choose to use this depressing material to conduct a banquet." Gilgamesh looked over at the armor of the White King with distain. "This is probably as tasteful as you can get. How are you going to recompense me for to coming all the way here?"

"Knock it off." Rider said good-heartedly "Come, have a drink first." Laughing heartily, Rider passed the wine-filled ladle to Archer while the White King slapped his face. Most people would have thought Gilgamesh would be angered by Rider's attitude, but surprisingly Archer took the ladle and downed all the wine in one gulp. Archer made a disgusted face as he looked at the ladle

"What kind of cheap swill is this? You really thought we could discern a hierarchy of heroes with this level of drink?" Archer said with repulsion written all over his face.

"Really? I bought it from the market here. I thought it was a pretty fine wine." Rider said looking at the barrel.

"**You would**," The White King said refilling his shotglass with a different alcohol from the collection he had left to chill. Saber looked at the collection and grabbed a bottle of wine, trusting her son's choice of drinks and poured herself a glass. Tasting it, she agreed that this was much better than Rider's barrel. Gilgamesh saw Saber enjoy the wine she poured and grabbed the bottle to pour himself a glass. Tasting it, Gilgamesh nodded.

"Better, but still not at the level it should be." Beside Archer a golden ripple appeared in the empty air. The same golden ripple that brought forth his Noble Phantasms as needed, yet not one of the other Servants looked on nervously. Instead of a weapon, a large beaker of win appeared as well as four golden cups. "Behold, this is what 'the king's wine' should be." Gilgamesh said

"Oh, many thanks." Rider didn't mind Archer's tone at all and happily poured the new wine into four cups and passed them out to the others. Saber looked at the cup remembering who it had been last time and drank. When the wine flowed down her throat, Saber felt the familiar strong swelling sensation in her head. It was indeed the same delicious wine she had drunk the last time she was in this war. Fiery and clear, mellow and invigorating, the pungent fragrance filled her nose, and her entire body felt like it was floating. For a moment, Saber was back at the Emiya Manor, enjoying a drink beside Shirou in one of the rare moments when they were alone.

"Wow, delicious!" Rider took a small sip, and immediately complimented it with wide open eyes. "Fabulous. This is definitely not wine brewed by men. Is this the drink of gods?" Looking at Rider, who sung praises for the drink, Archer displayed a leisurely smile.

"Of course. Whether wines, swords, or gems, only the best is stored in my treasury." He looked over at the White King who had only taken a single sip, then place it aside for his shotglass. "You dare to scorn my generosity pretender?" Archer said glaring at the White King. For a response, the White King reached into the collection and pulled out a small bottle, one that only held enough for a single glass and held it out for Gilgamesh. Wordlessly, Gilgamesh took the bottle and opened it and sniffed the drink. The King of Heroes' eyes went wide and he immediately sipped the drink.

"How, how do you have the same drink?" Gilgamesh demanded.

"**A gift of an uncle**." The White King said offhandedly causing Saber to smile slightly at the reference. "**Your wine is good King of Heroes, but I have tasted it before**." He emptied his shot glass and opened a different bottle and poured himself a sherry. "**There is more to this world that wine, taste some of the other things I have brought. A few might even surprise you**."

Archer looked dubiously at the White King then reached over and grabbed a bottle with white liquid.

"**Uh, that's Kumis, you may not want that one**." The White King warned. Few enjoyed the tasted of fermented mare's milk. Kiri had developed a taste for it being stuck in the Middle East for so long. Archer took one look at the drink and quickly put it down. Gilgamesh spent a moment looking at the drinks then grabbed a different one. "**Ah, good choice**." The King of Heroes opened the bottle and sniffed it, finding it acceptable and poured himself a small dose in his own shotglass. Gilgamesh tasted the drink and nodded.

"Not bad pretender, it appears that you might have something resembling taste."

"**Now that we're all pleasantly drunk, shall we move on?"** The White King suggested

Rider smiled and nodded before he spoke. "Indeed, the Holy Grail is not a wineglass, but a prize. Now we're going to have a quiz of the Holy Grail to determine if one among us is indeed worthy of having the Holy Grail. Firstly, you need to tell us why you want the Grail. Archer, as the first king, convince us that you and no one else are the person worthy of gaining the Grail once our comrades cleanse it of the taint."

"We will, this we swear on the arms and armor forged by our father." The Black Knight declared.

"Hmpf, irritating." Gilgamesh snorted. "You presume that, we're going to 'compete' for the Holy Grail. You presume too much. If this truly is a treasure and not some garbage then I already possessed it to start with. All the treasures in the world originate from my collection. However, because much time passed, it disappeared from my treasury. But I am still its owner." Gilgamesh paused. "Of course, if is simply trash labeled a treasure than I would have never deigned to possess it. If this is all for a scrap of litter, I will be most displeased."

"**It is a cup, but before it was a box of gold, before that, it was an orb." **The white King said. "**I have researched on the Grail in my life and found references in various texts. Before it was a cup, it was a large golden chest, before that, I have seen depictions of a wish giving orb in Egypt and depictions of the orb residing in Atlantis. Does that help?**"

"No." Archer said evenly. "It's not something you can understand. The total amount of my wealth long surpassed even my ability to comprehend, but as long as it's a 'treasure' then it'd obviously belong to me. Any who wish to possess any of my treasures is now a thief."

"**Had the Grail remained in its original form, I would concur**." The White King spoke, "**But it has changed, changed so radically that one has to do great research to even see the connections. Whatever it once was, it is yours no longer."**

"You dare to presume Mongrel?" Gilgamesh sneered.

The White King shook his head and took up the golden cup Gilgamesh had handed out and drank form it deeply. Rider, however, began scratching his jaw as something occurred to him. "But Archer, you actually don't care if you have the Grail or not, right? It's not like you're competing for the Grail because you're trying to fulfill some wish."

"Of course. But I can't let go of the guy who robs away my treasure; this is a matter of principles."

"**Understandable**." The White King spoke draining his cup. He did not refill it, rather, he grabbed his shotglass and filled it with a rare brandy. "**Kings must follow the laws they set down. Even if you do not desire the Grail, you will need to see this through to the end**." He tossed back his drink with ease. He looked to see Rider holding out his own shotglass to try the brandy which the White King generously filled.

"Thank you." The King of Conquerors said. He took the glass to his lip and drank it all, yet, he held off from swallowing long enough for him to truly taste the drink. "Delicious." He complemented. "You have good taste." The White King merely responded by pulling out another bottle and filling Rider's cup with the new drink. Gilgamesh and Saber both took the opportunity to hold out their glasses to be filled trusting the White King on his taste. None were dissatisfied.

"**Some drinks are better tasted right after having one of a different flavor**." The White King explained. "**But we're getting off track, what is your wish Rider. We have heard the King of Hero's idea of the Grail. What is your wish once I cleanse the Grail?"**

Waver leaned in to hear the wish of his strange Servant. Gilgamesh looked on curious while Saber sat back, knowing full well what the wish was. Rider replied with a hint of embarrassment after downing the drink. "I want to be fully reincarnated."

It was such an unexpected answer for the young Master. Waver cried out, screamed in a near hysterical voice. "Wait, wait wait! Are you still trying to conquer the world?" Rider answered with a single finger flick that sent him flying.

"Idiot, how can I conquer the vast world in one lifetime? Conquest is my dream, and I can only take this first step with the Holy Grail."

"**Careful Rider**," The White King warned. "**That boy has potential to be great. Don't break him**." Rider rubbed his head at that.

"Wait, what?" Waver said taken aback.

"You have potential," The Black Knight told Waver. "But be careful, dead man gain no notoriety."

Any further discussion was interrupted when Gilgamesh spoke up. "Mongrel… you're challenging me with such a foolish wish?"

Rider became serious and spoke evenly "Even when we appear this we are still Servants at the end. We do not exist in this world. Are you really satisfied with just that?"

"Foolish." Gilgamehs restated.

"**The King of Heroes was never human in the first place, why would he want to lower his existence?**" The White King told Rider

The Black Knight then spoke up looking right at Rider. "But then, neither were you son of Zeus."

"Maybe," Rider admitted, not ashamed of his divine blood. "But I am still not satisfied. I want to be reincarnated into this world, and live once more."

Thinking back – Waver originally thought Rider's stubbornness in refusing to exist in spiritual form, and insist in physical form, is an odd habit of his. Indeed, although Servants can talk, dress, and eat like humans, their true essences aren't too far from ghosts.

"Why… do you want a body so much?"

"Because that is the cornerstone of 'conquest'." Alexander muttered as he stared at his own tightly clutched fist. "Possessing a body, marching out towards the ends of the earth, carrying out my great conquest, that is my way of kingship." He pounded his chest in his excitement, then looked a bit downcast. "But right now I don't have a body. Without out a body nothing can start anew, as I am, I fear little, but I know I must have a body if I am to complete my conquest."

While listening to Rider's words, Archer silently sipped his wine throughout this. Yet, when Saber looked closer, she saw he had a strange expression on his face at this moment. It may be far-fetched to describe it as a smile, but compared to his usual sneer, the shape of his lips possess a sinister sheen. She knew all too well the words that would be spoken next "I've decided. Rider, I will kill you with my own hands." There it was, Gilgamesh's declaration of a new equal.

"Hahaha, saying those things even now." Rider said laughing off the deathtreat. "You'd better be prepared to back those words Gilgamesh. The Grail aside, I'm also planning to plunder your treasury too. Letting the King of Conquerors taste such delicious wine is really thoughtless of you." Rider roared into brutal laughter. The look on Gilgamesh's face did not waver in the slightest.

"**So, a King who wants nothing but to judge who is worthy of the Grail and a King that wishes to be born anew**." The King spoke without judgment, merely stating the facts. "**What of you King of Knights?"**

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Saber sat there silently looking into her son's eyes. Though she could not see past the helm, she could tell that there was a small mischievous light as he asked her the question. Yet, the question gave her pause. What was she fighting for? Iri, Kiritsugu, Illya, Shirou, they were her reason she was fighting, but did she still have a wish?

" Oi, Saber, talk about your wish too." Rider demanded in good nature.

"That is complicated." Saber spoke serious looking at him directly. "Once, not too long ago, I would have said that I wanted to save my homeland, to change England's' fate of destruction." She could see Rider remembered the conversation on the docks and saw that he approved that she had abandoned that foolish wish. She felt a sense of pride that this man was glad she had walked away from erasing all she had done. Gilgamesh looked at her with curiosity and she could see that Waver had his mouth open as he contemplated the wish to erase history and redo it.

"As I lay dying from my wounds as my country tore itself apart, I made an offer to a higher power. Grant me the Grail to redo the test of Kingship so that a more suitable King was found in exchange for my soul once I died." Saber said remembering what was her darkest hour. "I fell into a deep sleep and my soul was sent forth. Time and time again I was summoned to when the Grail would appear, time and time again it slipped form my fingers before I was able to make my wish. But then, one day, I realized that…I was wrong. That I did not have to undo everything. I was proud of the kingdom I made, the hard choices I was forced to make to preserve my country as long as I could." Saber smiled. "I have no wish, I have done all I could and that is enough."

Rider opened his mouth to speak, but the White King spoke first. "**Something changed; people do not suddenly reverse their decisions like that. Pray tell, what was that**?" Saber could feel the hint of pride in his voice. She knew what he wanted to hear, and she would give it.

"I found a hero, I found a man that wished to save everyone around him, to the exclusion of himself. He was flawed; a foolish man that did not realize that he could not save others if he did not save himself first." Saber said remembering her husband. "I saw him fight a twisted version of that ideal, a hollow thing that had followed such a foolish ideal to its damnation, and I saw him triumph. Even if it was flawed and foolish, he found nothing wrong with the ideal, he found that the ideal was still one worthy to pursue."

"**And thus you realized you had done the same**." The White King ended. "**And thus you realized that undoing your life's work would make a mockery of all the sacrifices you and your comrades made. Good, who knows how many lives would have been lost had you erased history**."

"So, what do you want then?" The Black Knight asked.

"I do not want anything from the Grail. I merely want to save a friend from her death sentence." Rider looked at her quizzically but the White King made the connection instantly.

"**The Grail Vessel, the sacrifice doomed to die for the greed of men**." The White King said. "**Understood**." He placed a hand on his heart and the Black Knight echoed the move. "We Swear upon our arms and armor forged by our father that we will do all that we can to save your friend." They spoke as one. Saber found that she was touched by her son's oath. If he swore on those things, he would do so. The only greater oath was when he swore on his family name.

"Foolish," The King of Heroes spoke, "If the vessel is preserved, then the Grail will not appear."

"**Not at all**," The White King assured, "**In fact, we will Need to remove the Grail from her, to purify that."**

"Are you sure?" Saber asked.

"We know for we have done it before…or one of us has before." The Black Knight declared. "It is simple, and it is easier since we are Avenger."

"I see, then thank you." Saber said.

"So, we've heard everyone else," Rider said. "What is your wish?"

"**We have none; we did all we could in life and passed on what we could to our child. She will carried on our will until she could carry it no longer which she then passed on to another. Our will is immortal, our desire will be fulfilled even after our death. We are satisfied**." The White King said. "**We came because a pure soul was in danger and possessed the right to summon. She called, we came. Now, she resides with the abomination. We will save her once more and fulfill our duty**."

"And then," The Black Knight spoke. "We will return to our march. Our road is long, but the end of the march will be worth it."

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For a moment, they were silent, enjoying the drinks set before them…until they all went still. Every Servant there went serious. Moments later, Waver also felt something different in the surrounding air. A murderous intent, a large encompassing murderous intent that came from all sides. The air flickered for a moment before revealing the source of the disturbance. Strange black creatures emerged in the center of the moonlit court. One after the other, their pale dark forms appeared. Skull masks and black cloaks. The previously empty center park slowly became surrounded by this strange group.

Assassin…

Each wore a bone white skull mask and were clad in black robes ,but their body sizes differed well. One was a giant, some were slim, one was short, like children. The various aspects of Assassin surrounded the group.

"…This is your doing Archer?" Rider asked

Archer shrugged rather innocently. "Tokiomi disgraces himself.

"I see eighteen." The Black Knight said counting the bodies.

"**I concur. Is that the full number**?" The White King asked quietly. He was suddenly sitting upon his throne once more, the vines digging in his flesh.

"Never assume that this is the full number of enemies." The Black Knight whispered. "The only way to be sure is if we check inside the Grail vessel or kill the Master."

"**Assume this is about half their number then**." The White King advised.

The Black Knight winced. "A single one of these can kill us if we are not careful, we are too weak."

"**Then we must be more clever**." The White King said undisturbed by the prospect that Assassin was stronger than them.

Still sitting, Gilgamesh gazed upon the proceedings with a slight glare. Since this many Assassins are gathered here, their command cannot have originated from just Kireiit had to be Tokiomi's plot. Because Tohsaka has declared fealty to the King of Heroes, Archer grudgingly recognized the man as his Master. However, what Tohsaka did now was extremely displeasing.

Though Avenger and Rider were the hosts of the banquet, Archer had provided wine to this banquet. Though, Gilgamesh had to admit the pretender had taste in wine. Not to mention, the way he changed drinks to accent their flavor was inspiring. For these dogs to come had indirectly sullied the reputation of the King of Heroes and ruined this banquet of kings. Tokiomi should have been able to understand that.

"So….many." Waver gasped desperately as he watched the opponents approach. This event should have far exceeded the regulation and limits of the Heaven's Feel. "What's the meaning of this? Assassin appearing one after the other? There was supposed to be only one Servant of each class!"

Watching the awkward expressions of their prey, Assassins laughed evilly. "You're correct. We are all acting as one Servant, and each individual is only a shadow of the whole.

"They are like us." The Black Knight spoke.

"**A broken soul, a broken mind. So many of them…poor bastards**." The White King added.

"Amen, it was always bad enough when we were two, never could get you to shut up." The Black Knight added a light barb

"**Quiet**."

"I wish you would." The Black Knight joked causing the White King to put a hand on his face and shake his head.

This assassin was a very special one. All Assassins summoned are supposed to be Hassan I Sabbah, or the 'Old man of the Mountain' as he is known. This one was special because of a certain…problem. Differing from other Hassans, he did not need to modify his body in any way. Or, to be more accurate, there was no purpose in doing so. His mind was broken to change his body freely. At the time, no one could understand the concept of multiple personality disorder as an illness. It was seen as a skill, a rare and powerful skill that let him compartmentalize the thirty two skills of an Assassin into different mindsets, different souls. He could use the multiple personalities within him to use all the different skills as needed and then change himself into something so different no one would recognize him.

With is 'disorder' he had risen in ranks to become the leader of the assassins, the 'Hundred Faced Hassan' as he was known. This had translated into being summoned with different bodies, bodies all drawing from the same source. They were weaker than other versions of Assassin summoned, but the made up for that in numbers.

Still, none of the other Servants looked put out by the fact that Assassin had them surrounded. Even Avenger was ready to fight, and was confident in victory, if only because of their trump card. Should they need it, they would use it even though they knew full well what it would cost them…

Even though they fought in a group, Assassin was not suited for a frontal charge. So why were they coming? Saber was sure she knew the reason, yet she could not help but wonder why she felt uneasy. This was the battle that would finish off Assassin for good, she knew that. So why was her instincts screaming that something was wrong?

"What are you doing Rider?" Waver demanded. The King of Conquerors was busy enjoying the wine Gilgamesh had offered. Despite Waver's shouting in discomfort, Rider still didn't act. He scanned the Assassins around him, his expression still quite even.

"Hey, kid, don't panic. It's just a few new guests to the banquet." He dismissed.

The Black Knight cocked his head a bit. "I don't think I have enough glasses. For all of them." He mused

"How in the world do they look like guests?" Waver yelled with panic easily seen in his voice.

Rider laughed wryly and sighed, he then greeted the Assassins that surrounded him with an idiotically calm expression. "Fellows, could you relax a little and cut down the creepiness? As you can see, you are scaring our friends."

The White King shrugged. "**We have**-" Indicating himself and the Black Knight, "**A strange relationship with a few assassins."**

"Dammit Mana, I'm still jumping at shadows waiting for you to appear." The Black Knight added, Saber silently snorted remembering her son tell about Mana's ability to appear out of thin air too often, only to make a killing profit off her son.

"King of Conquerors. Are you trying to invite them as well?" Gilgamesh asked with a disbelieving tone.

"Of course, the king's words should be heard by everyone. So if someone showed up to hear, it doesn't matter if they're friend or foe." Rider said calmly as he picked up a bottle Avenger had provided. "Here, don't be shy. If you want to drink with me there are cups over here. This wine is as your blood."

*Phew*

The sound of something flying through the empty space answered Rider's invitation followed by the sound of glass breaking. Only the bottleneck held in Rider's grap remained of the drink, the glass had shattered lightly sprinkling Rider with broken glass and spilling the sweat smelling drink to the floor..

"**Dammit! Do you know how hard it is to get a good tequila this side of the ocean**?" The White King raged.

"…" Rider lowered his head and stared at the alcohol scattered on the ground wordlessly. The skull masks laughed loudly at Rider's offer. Gilgamesh and Saber both looked at the drink that neither of them had sampled yet with hard eyes. It smelled so good, "Did you have wax in your ears?" Rider's words were calm, firm, but there was a deadly tint to his voice "I said, 'this wine is as your blood,' right? Since you dare to spill it onto the ground carelessly."

At that moment, a whirlwind roared to life. Waver was forced to cover his eyes as sand suddenly spun in the air, he could feel the temperature rising rapidly from the zephyr. The sheer force threatened to lift him up for a moment. Saber, Archer, and Avenger made no notice to the wind and waited as power swirled around them.

"Saber, Avenger, and Archer, the last question of this banquet. Is the king lonesome?" Rider yelled to the others behind him. The air shifted and he was in his royal vestments once more.

Archer's simply sniggered, not responding to the silence.

"**Never**!" The White King and Black Knight roared as one.

Saber did not hesitate either. "No, a king has everyone that followed them, followers that believe in the king even when the king does not believe himself."

Rider laughed. "Right, right! That answer is excellent! Truly befitting of a king to know the answer Let me teach these insolent fools today what it means to be a true king!" The unknown hot wind inverted, and eroded the reality. A phenomenon occurred, the grass turned to sand, the small park turned into a vast desert covered in dunes, night turned to day, and the various aspects of Assassin that had surrounded the party were now standing some distance away like an opposing army.

"How-How could this..." Waver gasped in surprise "A-a Reality Marble?" The earth-scorching sun where night had once held; the clear skies where once had been filled with clouds and smog; the endless desert where the park had once been…Waver stared in awe at something that was infinitely close to sorcery. "How could this be? You could materialize the environment inside your mind? But you aren't a magus?"

"Of course I'm not. This is not something I can do alone." Alexander laughed proudly as he majestically stood in the center of the ever stretching dune. He stretched his massive arms widely in the air. "This land is the land in which my army once crossed. It is imprinted upon the hearts of every single one of my warriors who shared in my joys and sorrows."

In the distance, everyone heard the tramp of countless feet marching forth. The Servants looked back to see a vast mirage coming closer. The colors became clearer and the images became sharper as it moved forward. "The reason why this world can exist again is because it is printed upon _all_ of our hearts." The countless mirages were now completely visible. Calvary and infantry marched forward from that vast horizon to stand behind Alexander. Looking at them, one could tell that they all had individual faces, armor, arms, and distinctive stances. These were no shades, but people, real individual people marching forward. A vast, seemingly limitless army marching for war.

"All of these beings…are servants!" Waver declared. Archer, Saber, and Avenger made no motion to acknowledge the fierce display

"BEHOLD, MY PEERLESS ARMY!" The King of Conquerors stood before the lines of all these Servants facing off against Assassin and raised both of his arms to the skies, shouting with immeasurable pride. "Their bodies may have returned to ash, but their spirits still hear my call! These men are my legendary heroes, my loyal followers! They're my true friends breaking the rules of space and time to fight once more at my side! They are my treasure within treasures; they're my right to rule! They make up my mightiest Noble Phantasm – Ionian Hetairoi!"

Ionian Hetoiroi, an EX rank anti-army Noble Phantasm that consists of recreating the land that Iskander fought and summoning forth multiple independent Servants. A peerless array of heroic spirits gathered here were only heard reverently in legends. All of the famed warriors standing here all of them once fought beside Alexander the Great.

Unseen by all, the Black Knight and the White King exchanged a glance and discussed a million words unheard by any in a blink of an eye. In a moment, they nodded, agreeing that now was not the time. Soon, soon they would be forced to use their trump card, and not a moment before.

A riderless horse galloped towards Rider. It was a powerful and sleek black steed that stood almost as tall as Rider himself. If it was human, the horse is probably just as impressive as any one of the Heroic Spirits standing before the king. "Long time no see partner." Rider smiled childishly as he hugged the neck of his horse. The horse was the legendary charger Bucephalus, the legendary mount of Iskander during his conquests. Apparently even the horse of the King of Conquerors became a Heroic Spirit and joined the fight.

These men, these heroes of old marched alongside their king on the battlefield, they had fought and bled for their king, died for their king, and not even death could stop their unending loyalty. Their loyalty had become the King of Conquerors greatest and most fitting Noble Phantasm. This was something that could conquer the world.

Rider turned to the three kings seated on the dune and declared. "The King lives to the fullest! He laughs hardest, hates longest, dreams biggest! He needs to live more fully than anyone else! He is a figure of admiration to his people!" Rider's voice boomed as he sat atop his beloved steed.

The army of Heroic Spirits began smashing their weapons against their shields, shouting in unison. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"He gathered the will of every courageous being! He marched toward that dream and began his long conquest! That is our king!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"The men shouted rattling their spears and swords and waving their shields.

"The King is never lonesome! For his wishes are our wishes!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The earth shook from the cries of the Heroic Spirits. The sounds pierced the heavens and flew among the stars. No matter what they faced, enemy or fortress, it was surely powerless before the King of Conquerors and his loyal comrades.

And thus, the eighteen Assassins standing before them were as insignificant as motes of sand.

"Alright, Assassin. Let us begin." Rider's smiling eyes were full of ruthlessness and cruelty. To someone who ignored the king's words and destroyed another king's gift, he no longer cared to hold back. "As you can see, my preferred battlefield is the plains. Sorry, but if it's about winning by numbers, I have the advantage."

Each and every one of the Assassins looked on uncaring, unmoved by the danger the faced. As one, they pulled out their knives. They were ready, they were prepared, and they would do all they could to kill one of their enemy Servants, even if the odds were horribly stacked against them.

"Trample them!" Rider commanded without hesitation. He moved to charge, but a pair colored in black and white burst forth ahead of him. The Black Knight rode worth upon Prodagros while the Thorn Throne had shifted to turn the White King into a centaur of sorts. Both charged forward ahead of the charging army intent on one purpose…

"AAAALaLaLaLaLaie!" Behind them they could hear the collective roar of the Ionian Hetairoi and Iskander. Faster and faster the pair pushed, yet Iskander quickly caught up with them and then passed them. First blood went to Iskander who cleaved the head off of one Assassin cleanly. The Black Knight killed one right after Iskander and in the dust storm thrown up, the White King leaped forth, his throne shifted to become a cage that wrapped around one Assassin tightly and squeezed as it rammed into the desert. Immediately, the rest of the army caught up and ground the other Assassins into dust.

With a cheer of victory, the warriors gave dedications and praise to the king. The Black Knight stood guard over the white King whose throne was still in the sand after slaying Assassin. Soon, with their mission completed, the army returned to spirit form and disappeared into the distance as the great desert vanished and reality shifted back to normal so that everyone was in the park.

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"How disappointing to end this." Rider said. He reached down and finished off the alcohol in his shot glass. "Anyways, we've said all we wanted to say, right? Let us stop here for today."

"**I concur**." The White King spoke.

"I say though, why did you charge with my men? Are you interested in joining with me?" Rider asked curious of the strange action the black and white pair performed.

"We wanted to fight," The Black Knight shrugged. "A lifetime on the battlefield does that."

Rider nodded his head in understanding. Pulling out his sword, he waved it in the air. Suddenly, in a thunderous roar, a chariot drawn by divine bulls appeared alongside the roar. Though it was not nearly as impressive as the Ionian Hetairoi, it was still wondrous to behold.

"Hurry up, kid. Climb on."

"…"

"Oy, kid?"

"-Ah? Ah…um…" Waver was still suffering from shell shock seeing the true strength of the Noble Phantasm and a Reality , Waver crawled onto the chariot.

"**Wait Wait**!" The White King said halting Rider from leaving. The Black Knight moved quickly and grabbed several bottles from the collection. He handed on to Saber, one to Archer, one to Rider, and even offered one to Waver. In a near hypnotic state, the Master of Rider numbly took the bottle. "**A good host must always provide a gift**." The White King explained.

"Ah, I see, mighty generous of you." Rider thanked. "Oi, kid, don't forget your manners." He lightly rapped Waver on the head.

"Ow." Waver winced. He looked at the bottle and muttered. "Arigato."

"Be safe boy, you have what it takes to stand among the great." The Black Knight told Waver.

Rider smiled at the Knight's words, and slapped the reigns causing the chariot with to flash lightning and fly into the skies. In the end, the only thing left was the sound of thunder as the chariot disappeared in the eastern skies.

Gilgamesh looked over his bottle and nodded. "Good to see someone remembers the custom. The others have spoken of how they ruled White King, but what of you?"

"**What I was matters not, I am King no longer save in name. All that I am, all that I was I passed on to my child to surpass me. You all ruled for the present, to do the best you could in life. I ruled for the future, preparing the way for others to surpass me**." The White King said. "**Thus, I am the King that did nothing, yet I have accomplished everything**." It was clear that he was beaming beneath the helmet. "**I must leave you King of Heroes; I have much work to do. The Duty of a King does not end in death**." With that, the ground shook beneath him and he fell into a hole that appeared beneath him formed by his vines. The Black Knight had taken the moment to walk up to Saber and whisper.

"I'll save Iri mother, promise." With that, he vanished himself. The drinks left with him as well as the tray of ice and the black cloth on the ground.

Gilgamesh looked over at Saber. And said. "Continue to show me your greatness Saber, I keep falling more and more in love with you with every moment."

Saber rolled her eyes and walked off as Gilgamesh vanished. She looked at the bottle and was startled. This was the same wine that was served when she was married. How did Kiri get ahold of that?"

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As Rider and Waver flew through the sky, the boy looked at the bottle of gin and noticed something. The date on the wine…the date was from three years in the future.

"What the?" Waver said startled.

"What is it boy?" Rider asked.

"Nothing, it's nothing." Waver dismissed. Inwardly, he began to question the identity of the Servant when one fact that had been nagging the back of his head suddenly burst forth. "Wait, if he was just summoned, how did he know who Saber's friend was?"

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In a Sewer below the park, a large mass of white vines with thorns burst forth. Down descended the White King and the Black Knight appeared shortly thereafter. The looked at the mass of vines and drew their blades. The Mass uncoiled to reveal the Assassin that the White King had ensnared.

"**Good to see you listened when I told you to be quiet and used your Presence Concealment**." The White King said with approval.

"Why?" Assassin asked.

"**We need to talk**." The White King said.

"Of Shoes, Ships and Ceiling Wax" The Black Knight said

"**Of cabbages and Kings**."

"And why the sea is boiling hot"

"**And whether pigs have wings**."

"Welcome to the bottom of the rabbit hole Assassin," The Black Knight said grandiosely. "We have much to discuss."

"Yes, we do." A fourth voice spoke. From the darkness, another aspect of Assassin appeared; a female one.

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The underground basement of the Tohsaka manor was currently surrounded by a bitterly stifling silence. "That Noble Phantasm of Rider's was at what is its power level?" the Head of the Tohsakas demanded sure he heard it wrong.

"The same rank as Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. In other words, Rank EX." Kirei's voice spoke from the other end of the crystal. "And that mysterious Noble Phantasm of Avenger, though I still have no idea what it is and why were are even aware of its existence."

Tokiomi sighed. He had not expected Rider to possess such a Noble Phantasm. Assassin had been sent out to attack Avenger to find out why it was so strong. Instead, Rider had revealed his Noble Phantasm was just as strong as Gilgamesh's. So, though Assassin's mission was not meaningless, the whole thing had gone completely wrong at the same time. The only consolation he found was that at least, he would be able to figure out a way to counter Rider's trump card. If he had no knowledge against Rider as he fought him, Tohsaka probably couldn't do a thing against Ionian Hetairoi.

As before, he had always thought his own Servant, Archer's Noble Phantasm was the strongest. However, unexpectedly, two Servants appeared with the same level as Archer's own. This far exceeded his expectations. Now, a rare sense of regret slowly floated into the foremost thoughts of Tokiomi.

Throwing away the playing piece of Assassin was a deadly mistake. Against such a dangerous opponent like Rider, it would have been better for him to send a scout to gather information instead of risking a frontal assault. If he could run into a case where Rider and his Master moved separately, he might have even been able to use an assassination. Avenger had the issue of possessing the same level of Independent action as Berserker, yet there was also that strange Class Skill.

**Vengeance**, what was that supposed to mean? Tokiomi had never heard of that skill. And Avenger, why was there an eighth Servant. The Grail should only have brought forth seven.

"Idiot." Tokiomi shook his head. It was his own fault, he had messed up at a critical moment and would now pay for it. "Since Assassin is no more, Kirei, you should not be saving your own strength any more."

"Yes, understood." Kirei quiet voice responded.

Yes, Tokiomi's first-rate student and Executor still possessed a large combat capacity even with his Servant missing. Now, because he could no longer command Assassin, he had no need to disguise himself. It was time for him to unleash his own abilities.

As predicted, the second phase had begun. Based on the information gathered by Assassin, Tokiomi knew he should mobilize Gilgamesh and begin his assault. As for the solution against Rider, he'll slowly find an answer to that.

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Kirei walked out of the church 'nursing' his bandaged arm. Once he was clear of the church, he ceased his actions and began walking normally.

"Master," Assassin's voice quietly spoke, "These two are most interesting."

"Indeed." Kirei said. "To think that the two of them have such knowledge. This will be interesting."

Yes, Tokiomi thought Kirei was out of this War, but Kirei was not so willing to throw away his Servant when he still did not have all the answers. One, now two Masters were unknown and Kirei wanted to know them all. Until he had all the knowledge, he would not throw away his trump card. He had sent eighteen of his thirty remaining Assassins on a suicide run to once again throw the enemy off the trail using the same trick. Obviously this new Servant was not fooled, and had even done his best to preserve on of the Assassins.

"Down the rabbit hole, huh." Kirei muttered repeating the words Avenger had spoken. "An apt description."

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	72. Black Familiar 5

Black Familiar 5

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It had been about a week since Kiritsugu was summoned as Louise's and he had fallen into a sort of routine. Every morning started the same. He would wake Louise from her sleep, hand her her clothes, and leave her to dress in private while he fetched some water. Every morning Louise would dress in the school uniform which consisted of a black cloak, a white blouse, and a grey pleated skirt. Kiri was mentally grateful that it wasn't as hideous as those Hogwarts uniforms he had seen Potter dress in. The current uniform was still old fashioned, but considering the technological era of this world, it was not surprising.

Louise then washed her face and brushed her teeth. The second son of Emiya had immediately taken away her old brush and gave her a modern toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste to use. Louise had been startled by the strangely crafted device, but she had to admit it did a better job cleaning her teeth and she did like the minty flavor the paste had. Finally, the girl would finish up her morning routine by washing her face.

Louise never used make up due to her natural rosy cheeks, pink lips and adorable hazel eyes so she did not need to bother wasting time on such frivolities. Kiri was pleased of this, but more for the fact he knew that several make ups used things that were hazardous to human health. Louise would then head off to breakfast to eat while he would tidy up her room slightly and hand off Louise's clothes to a maid, usually Siesta who was assigned to deal with that. He would try to help her if he had time, but he often did not as Louise would finish her breakfast too fast and look for him. Afterwards, they would hurry back to Louise's room, (usually via Kiri leaping straight to Louise's window while carrying Louise if no one was around) so she could practice controlling her magic. This consisted of her working on gathering her Prana as slowly as she could.

It wasn't going very well. The girl had terrible control of her power, and would almost immediately go far too fast. Kiri had instructed that she always point her hands and wands out the open window. Louise had a habit of violently overloading her magic and had to cast a spell outside in order to prevent any damages to her room or the building from being done. Several students had complained about the noise and explosions begin disturbing, but the teachers had noticed that Louise had yet to cause any damage so they tolerated Louise's experiments with a warning that if she destroyed her room there would be consequences.

Mentally, Kiritsugu kept thinking of his brothers Aoshi and Shinta, who he had long ago privately dubbed as the boom brothers whenever his Master practiced her magic. With so many explosions occurring in rapid succession, Kiritsugu was beginning to think that Louise might be a descendant of them…at least in spirit if not in blood.

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"Why isn't it working?" Louise asked aghast as another explosion blew up in the air outside her window rattling the window frame from the shockwave.

"It's like learning how to walk and talk Louise, no one learns how to do that over a mere week." Kiri replied patiently. "It will take time."

"How long?" She asked skeptically, not liking the fact that she was being talked down to by her familiar even if he had proven himself to be more competent than she was at the art.

He shrugged. "Hard to say, I always had the problem of not pulling out enough Prana. Took over a year to gain anything resembling control and even longer to truly grasp it. My little sister Keiko was a bloody genius and took a lot less time to do so." Kiri watched as she gathered her prana again at far too rapid a pace and had to fire out another spell out the window lest she injure herself. "Considering how your progress is noticeably slower, if only just, I would say…months, somewhere between six months to a year."

"A year?" The pink head squawked, horrified at the thought.

The Emiya shrugged again, "It's not like I can just wave my hands and fix the problem. It will take time, patience, and self-understanding to control." He looked into his heads-up display in his helmet and looked at the clock. "Alright Louise, time's up, off to class with you."

"Once more," the master begged pleadingly.

"No. Rest, learn, and let your body recover. Besides, it's Mrs. Florine's class." He reminded her. Louise flinched and headed for the door. Mrs. Florine was a stickler for punctuality for her water magic classes and anyone who arrived late would be forced to stand at the back of the class holding two buckets of water. As Louise left, Kiri called out, "We'll work on runic nouns again tonight."

"Right," Louise called back as she headed for her class.

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While Louise was in class Kiritsugu would head off for his own meal. It was imperative that he wait until after everyone else had eaten as his appetite demanded that he consume the equivalent of five to eight people's worth a day. The staff was always surprised by how he could down so much food. Every day, several staff members would make it a point on checking in to see the rumored appetite of the black armor clad man. He found it ironic that he was actually eating finer cuisine than the students and staff, but then again he did pay a huge amount of money, at least for this time period, for the food.

Naturally he kept silent about the quality of the food he ate from Louise. He knew all too well that grudges over food were nasty to behold.

He noticed Siesta made it a point to watch him eat as often as possible. On one hand, he suspected that she was fascinated on how much he ate, on the other hand, he suspected that she was making a pass at him. He might have found it amusing, were it not for the fact that she kept trying to subtly find out if he was wealthy. Kiri was familiar with that type of woman, the kind that wanted to live in luxury, not that he blamed Siesta considering the feudal government of this land, but it did irritate him. Still, he smiled and deftly dodged her questions whenever she asked.

Honestly, he would have found Siesta rather amusing, but the way she kept asking was not doing her any favors for their relationship. Deep down he was sure he was missing something, some vital piece of information that he needed to make the situation make more sense. Old instincts were telling him that there was something going on, but said instincts were only mildly sounding off. He made a mental note to come back later and try to gather a few informants

On the other hand, as distracting as Siesta was, there was something else that was far more attention grabbing to Kiri. Two days after easily beating Guiche at the Vestri Court, Kiritsugu had gained so much popularity by the staff that they had taken to calling him by a title.

"'Our Sword' is here!" Marteau, the head chef, a well-rounded man well into his forties called out whenever the Black Knight entered the kitchen. Naturally, the chef was a commoner himself and was pleased that one of the spoiled brats that never appreciated his work was knocked down a few pegs. Kiri made no mention that he was technically a noble himself by their cultural standards. After all, one should never offend the man who prepares the food. Kiri did find it ironic, however, that for all the culture of Tristain relying on magic, the head chef was making more money than a baron. Of course Marteau had no political power, at least by most of the local populace's standards.

Within three minutes the Black Knight and White King had figured twenty different ways the head chef could drastically alter and change the political climate of this country. And that wasn't even considering poisoning the food.

Every day, Marteau dressed in simple but fine clothes, and commanded the kitchen with a wave and a flourish of his hand that directed his understaff with a firm yet caring grip like a perfect leader. Despite his highly respectable position as head chef of a magic academy for nobles, Marteau wasn't the least bit arrogant. Truly, because of this flawed government system, the country had lost a master general and politician. Instead, this great, yet under appreciated man harbored a deep dislike for both magic and nobles. Thus, he was a threat to Louise, one that Kiri had to keep an eye on. One day, it was possible that this man's grudge would swell so strongly that this entire place would be massacred. As far as Kiritsugu could see, the only reasons such a hatred hadn't consumed him were his professional pride as a chef and his love of his family and coworkers.

It did not bode well to the knight. Dangerous cracks were everywhere in this place, and not just in the academy, but the whole country. The great thing about being summoned in the academy was the sheer number of educational and historical books stored in this place. The Emiya knew that this country was surrounded by three others and a nearby fourth one. To the north and east rested Albion, a floating island country that was reported near impossible to conquer due to the geographical anomaly. How an island floated was beyond him, but that wasn't important. What was important was that it was showing signs of political upheaval. Unless the ruling family moved quickly, the nobles were going to lose control of the country. To the east, lay the vast country of Germania. Germania was already selling titles to merchants and wealthy men. It reminded Kiri of the early renaissance era, and that meant a great many problems. More so since there were rumors of marriage between the sole heir of Tristain, a princess with the emperor of Germania. Finally, to the South rested the massive country of Gallia. Gallia was a problem due to the king himself.

From what Kiri had gathered, the current King of Gallia was either the moron or the scoundrel of the rule of six with kings. The rule of six was the fairly consistent pattern Kiri had noticed concerning kings ruling a country. There were four classifications technically, but three of the six kings fell into the same category.

There was the one Hero king that brought forth a golden age to the people and expanded his country to new heights. People like Ghengis Khan, Alexander the Great, Kiritsugu's biological mother King Arturia. They are the ones who through their own prowess bring about a great age for the people and will eventually end up on the throne of Heroes.

There was the Moron or Foolish king who foolishly ruled his country into bankruptcy and left the army poorly trained and equipped. Often countries fall because of the foolish king's actions. Often the foolish King thinks he is a brilliant ruler, only to squander everything for a foolish goal or task.

There was the Scoundrel king who purposely robbed his country of everything he could get away with, spending vast fortunes on trinkets and feasts. This was the king that took the wives of other nobles to his bed against their will and lived and ruled only for himself. These were the bullies, the cruel tyrants that held everything under an iron fist. King John, brother of King Richard the Lionheart was a fine example of such a king and had eventually been beaten down by his nobles to sign the Magna Carta before all of England fell to the French.

Then there were the three mediocre Kings to finish the rule of six. These ones are neither the best, nor the worst kings the country will experience. These kings will do well enough in peace, merely by maintaining the status quo. If they are lucky, these moderate rulers will employ a talented advisor who can aid the king in ruling better than they could on their own.

Yes, the King of Gallia was either the scoundrel or the fool, and only time would tell what consequences his choices would be. If he was a fool, the country would probably fall to Germania's ambitions, or…the Theocracy of Romania would consume the country.

Yet, as bleak as that was, Kiritsugu had the biggest issues were here in this country. Right now, currently in this tiny country Tristain, the King was dead. The current queen of Tristain was…incapacitated one way or another. He hadn't gotten the full details from the local gossip, but the queen was unable to rule currently. The only reason the government wasn't fatally destroyed was because of the princess. From what Kiri had gathered, the princess was popular…to a degree. Probably because she hadn't been anything more than eye candy to the people. Anyone who goes into politics makes enemies, yet the princess hadn't truly made anyone angry, which told the Black Knight one thing: She had little to no power. And now there was the marriage talks with Germania. If the princess married the royalty of Germania, Kiri knew that the small country of Tristain would cease to exist. Then all hell would break loose.

Nobles from Germania were not on the best terms with the nobles of Tristain as Germaina had broken away from tradition. Commoners were standing equal to the nobles whose bloodlines stretched back hundreds of years, if not thousands. Change was on the wind, and the conservatives that lived in this backwater country were going to clash, violently, with the newfound values of Germania.

Finally…there was this holy land people spoke of. Supposedly elves, or what these people called elves, had taken it away from the humans a few centuries or millennia ago, but Kiri didn't get the full story yet. Elves. He had never seen an elf, the mystical race had gone extinct a long time before he had ever been born. He was rather curious about the lost phantasmal race, but from what he gathered, the elves were violently isolationist in the 'holy land'. Of course, by divine irony, the 'holy land' was in the middle of a bloody desert. The only consolation is that the holy land is far off to the east of Tristain.

Thinking on these blasted issues made Emiya Kiritsugu shake his head in dismay, this land was rapidly heading for a massive conflict the size of the Crusades and Napoleonic Wars. Germania's ambitions to the east, Gallia's troubles to the south, Albion's restlessness to the north, and Romania's leaders that probably wish to start a crusade in a distant and miserable land. All of this compounded with Tristain's internal weakness meant that bad times were ahead. And yet, Kiri could neither afford to care, nor affect things. He was here for one reason and one reason alone.

Louise.

As much as he would like to help, to aide these people in gaining freedom from tyrants, Kiri could not afford to do so. He was bound to serve Louise and her will. If she wanted to fight, to go to war, he would obey. If she wanted to be left in peace, he would guard her with every breath he took. If she wanted to flee to distant lands, he would clear the way for her. He was her Servant, her sword and her shield. Her will is his wish, or at least that is how it is meant to be. The son of Pendragon would follow her as long as she showed him respect, listened to his words even if she didn't follow them, and was willing to admit her mistakes.

So far, she was not disappointing him in the least. She was talented, oh so very talented, even if her control was shot. She was powerful, ridiculously powerful in fact. If Kiritsugu had that many circuits with that high a quality, he was sure that he could have faced most of the Dead Apostle Ancestors in single combat and have a good shot of winning. Maybe not easily, but he could win. Ah well, if ifs and buts were candied nuts and all that…

"Oi. Our Sword, is something wrong with the food?" Marteau asked a bit nervously. Kiri blinked and realized he had been staring at his food for a good minute, minute and a half.

"No, sorry. I just had something on my mind." Kiri apologized. He leaned forward in his chair and resumed his meal. Soon the first portion of food was gone and Siesta promptly brought him a bowl of warm stew and soft white bread. "Thank you very much."

"Today's stew is extra special," Siesta declared, looking particularly happy. Kiritsugu lifted a spoonful to his mouth and held it inside savoring the taste for a bit before swallowing. "Delicious, you are a true artist of your craft."

At this, Marteau beamed. "Well of course. I put my heart into making each meal." Marteau snorted loudly while his lip curled up with a hint of distain. "Hmph! Nobles. Sure, they can use magic. Making pots and pans and castles from dirt, conjuring up gems, even controlling dragons but so what? See, creating such exquisite dishes like this is true magic. Wouldn't you agree, Our Sword?"

Kiri nodded. "All my life, there has been one thing I desired more than anything else. Not swords or glory, not magic and wisdom, I have always desired to cook." he looked down, "Something that was banned to me since I was a child."

"You wish to cook?" Marteau asked. "Well, we can certainly help you with that Our Sword-"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Osmond suddenly felt a chill run up his spine. Perhaps it was his old instincts reacting to the Gandalfr.

Colbert felt a chill up his spine the like of which he hadn't felt since the war and wondered what made him so uncomfortable.

Karin felt the shiver crawl up her spine and grabbed her wand, ready for an attack that didn't occur. For whatever reason, something had awoken her fighting instincts, and she was not pleased that she couldn't identify the source

Three different soothsayers fell to the ground convulsing and screaming "The Destroyer is neigh! The End of Days have come!" Of course, no one believed them.

Around the world, spiritually sensitive people including shamans, fortune tellers, veteran soldiers, and even some elves felt a collective feeling that could be accurately summarized as _'Oh Shit.'_ No one knew why, but a few paranoid people began packing up for a war…

Louise felt a shiver crawl up her spine and feared the worst. She was glad classes had ended and hurried to find her Servant before all hell broke loose.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Thank you Root, Thank You Gaia, Thank you Alaya, Thank You Shinra for the dreams warning me of Kiri's cooking. The world is safe…for the moment… from his cooking. Though…there were times he was able to slip past me and…cook forth a monster. Luckily they're all dead…I think. Supposedly there's some sort of mysterious never before seen creature in the forests of Germania. Some sort of brown hairy creature the locals call Bigfeet or something because of the large foot imprints._

_…I think it's a coconut cream pie. I'll have to investigate later and take it down if it is._

_Then there's that lake monster in Albion. The…Lookness monster or something…I suspect that was the fish dish that he cooked up before his first 'death'. I've looked all over that swampy lake, but never could find it. I fear others will have to take it down._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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"-But…not right now, we have to get ready for the lunch rush." Marteau apologized

"Of course," Kiri nodded. "Then a later time. Is tonight good?"

"Sure, I think we even have a large cauldron that you can practice with. We were going to throw it out, but it might be good to use for any amateur to practice with." Marteau said.

"You are most kind." The Black Knight said standing up as he had finished all the food prepared. With that, he stood up and left, leaving twenty five empty plates behind him. "Tonight then." With that he waved and left. As he left, one of the young cooks noticed a crimson shadow spying inside from the window of the kitchen.

"Hey, there's something outside the window." He pointed out

The shadow gave a garbled 'kyu kyu' and slinked away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After breakfast, and a quick hiss of an order not to cook, Kiritsugu accompanied Louise to class. He found it fascinating how similar, yet different it was to the wizards of his world. At the same time, he could not help but compare the drive all magi had against the laid back attitude these people had.

These…children did not view magic as something to put their life on the line for. Rather, they saw it as a convenient shortcut and divine right. And yet, the magic they wielded for all they claimed was strong and powerful was…basic. Granted they were learning, and maybe their families had more potent spells, but the fact was, their magic was diminutive. To the children, turning water into wine, combining various reagents to brew special potions that sharpened wit, materializing fireballs out of nothing, levitating boxes and sticks and balls out of the class windows for their familiars to fetch, were major accomplishments.

Kiri had been able to do all that before he was ten, and he hadn't received the intensive education Keiko, Sakuya, or Ivone had been given. To see sixteen, and seventeen year olds just now learning these basic spells…hopefully there was more education involved after this, or it would become apparent why the elves were considered powerful enemies. He soon grew tired of watching a teacher show off proudly how to cause water in a cup to rise and dance. Instead, he gazed at the area, taking in everything, only to freeze when he saw a pair of eyes gazing at him intently.

Eyes that did not belong to a human.

It was Kirche's fire lizard. The thing was looking at him with its green reptilian eyes, ignoring everything else. He looked into those eyes and saw something resembling intelligence. Not on the scale of a human, a dolphin perhaps, but more than a dog, that's for sure. Locking gazes with it behind his helmet, Kiri gave a short wave to see how it responded.

In response, the red lizard waved its tail slightly before resuming its watch.

'_So, this one sees me as a threat…probably. Good instincts._' Kiri thought gazing upon the lizard for the rest of the class. The creature kept its own eyes solely on him, not even moving when Kirche rubbed its head idly. The lizard had eyes only for the Emiya, though the Black Knight could not tell if that was curiosity or hostility. The two just kept watching each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While Kiri was having a staring contest with the fire lizard, Miss Longueville the secretary was busily writing away at something in the Headmaster's Office. She stopped writing for a moment and glanced over at the sequoia desk at which Sir Osmond was busy taking a what looked like a nap. His head was laid on the table, his hands used as a pillow while he was lined by two large layers of paperwork. The corner of Miss Longueville's lips rose in a faint smirk as she rose from her desk. Osmond made no indication that he noticed. In a low voice, the woman murmured the incantation for a Spell of Tranquility. Dampening her footsteps so as not to wake Osmond, she crept out of the office.

"Foolish child." The old man muttered quietly. He made no move rise from his desk, rather, he enjoyed the break from the paperwork and concentrated on trying to locate that which he was truly concerned about.

"You're not going to stop her old friend?" The distorted voice from the mirror asked.

"The doors are barred with the strongest magic the humans can devise and the walls are lined with the same magic." Osmond replied casually.

" Strongest magic of now? Or back then?" The voice asked with a hint of amusement.

"A few centuries ago at my request." Osmond replied shrugging off the passage of time. "She will not be able to take anything of value. There is only one thing the vault is vulnerable anyways."

"And yet you have one of them in your academy." The voice pointed out.

"I doubt she will ever be so foolish as to aim at the right spot." Osmond said. "The odds are a million to one."

"Let us hope so old friend. Some of those artifacts must never see the light of day again."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

_It's strange no one ever saw him as anything more than an old man before Kiritsugu saw him for what he was. Sure, there are several cases of wizards living centuries, but how the heck did they miss the Headmaster? It's like no one made the connection. Granted, he was the best of his kind at hiding his true power, but still…_

_The elves think they are the elder race._

_Ha!_

_The Headmaster himself may not have been that old, but his race goes back far beyond any record man or elves can imagine. And they're all bloody annoying to deal with. Each. And. Every. One._

_We've heard of personality quirks, but an entire race made up of them? It's a good thing they are what they are or they would have gone extinct before anyone realized they existed. To think the Headmaster was among the more…balanced of his people…_

_I know Kiritsugu has been dealing with their kind all his life, but how can anyone take them in stride?_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Miss Longueville's destination was the treasury, located on the floor directly below the Headmaster's Office. Stepping off the stairs, she confronted enormous iron doors. They were kept shut with a thick bolt mechanism, which in turn was secured with an equally large padlock.

This place was where artifacts dating from even before the Academy's establishment were contained. After cautiously surveying her surroundings, she withdrew her wand from a pocket and cast a spell at the padlock. …Only for nothing to happen.

"Well, it's not like I really expected a Spell of Unbinding to work anyway." She shrugged, not surprised that someone had been bright enough to ward against that basic unlocking spell. Smiling deviously, she began reciting the words to one of her specialty spells. It was a Transmutation spell. Chanting loud and clear, she waved her baton at the heavy lock. The magic cascaded over it... but even after a considerable wait, there was no visible change.

"Looks like it's been magically reinforced by a Square-class mage," she muttered. Taking off her glasses, she stared at the door once more. At this point, she heard footsteps coming up the staircase. She quickly stuffed her wand back in her pocket and placed her glasses back on her face again just before the new arrival appeared, who happened to be Professor Colbert.

"Greetings, Miss Longueville. What are you doing here?" He asked

"Mister Colbert, I was going to catalog the contents of the treasury." She lied. "But…" She indicated the lock and shrugged slightly.

"Oh, that's quite some work. It'd probably take you all day to go over each and every item. There's a lot of junk mixed together with them, and it's a rather cramped space." Colbert mused as he looked around the room, believing the secretary.

"Indeed." She replied glad to see the bald fool had bought it.

"Why don't you just borrow the key from Old Osmond?" He asked curiously.

The woman smiled. "Well... I didn't want to disturb his sleep. In any case, I'm in no immediate hurry to complete the catalog..." _'Plus I'm not really supposed to catalog the treasures.'_

"I see. Sleep, you say? The old man… er… I mean, Old Osmond, is quite a deep sleeper. It seems I shall have to visit him another time." Mister Colbert began to walk off, but paused in his tracks, and turned around. "Err... Miss Longueville?"

"Is something the matter?"

Colbert looked slightly embarrassed as he opened his mouth to speak. "If it would be all right, how would you like to, say... join me for lunch?"

She took a moment to consider, then smiled brightly as she accepted the offer. "Sure, it would be my pleasure." The two of them headed down the stairs. "Hey, Mister Colbert." In a slightly informal tone, Miss Longueville struck up conversation again.

"Y-yes? What is it?" Colbert asked

"Is anything important actually inside the treasury?" She inquired innocently.

"There is." Colbert replied honestly without hesitation.

"Then, do you know of the 'Staff of Destruction'?"

"Ah, that. It is quite a curiously shaped item." He answered recalling the strange artifact.

Her eyes glinted greedily. "What does it look like? I've heard tales about it, but nothing more than third hand stories."

"It's extremely difficult to describe, except as simply strange." The elder professor thought on the long cylinder with strange attachments on it. But enough of this, Colbert had just worked the courage to talk to her and tried to move onto more…normal conversation, and possibly get a bit closer to her. "But never mind that, what would you like to eat? Today's menu is flounder baked in herbs... but I'm quite well-acquainted with Marteau the head chef, and I can have him make any of the world's finest delica-"

"Ahem." Miss Longueville interrupted Colbert's babbling while trying to not be rude.

"Y-yes?"

"I must say, the treasury is quite amazingly built. No matter what kind of magic is tried, it would be impossible to open, I assume?"

"That's quite right. It's impossible for just any one mage. After all, it was devised by a group of Square-class mages to resist all spells."

"I'm very impressed that you're so knowledgeable about this, Mister Colbert." She regarded him with a comfortable expression.

"Eh? Well... Haha, I just happened to come across a lot of documents pertaining to this floor, that's all... I like to consider it a part of my research, haha. Thanks to that, I'm still single at this age... yes."

"I'm sure the woman that you find will be very happy to be with you. After all, you can teach her so much about things that nobody else knows..." Miss Longueville fixed him with a fascinated look while inwardly rolling her eyes. _'Is there any man out there that's not trying to get in my skirt? So far only the sell sword seems to be the only one that is polite for politeness alone.'_

"Oh, no! Please don't tease me like that!" Colbert flustered nervously as he wiped sweat from his balding forehead. Then, regaining composure, he faced her seriously. "Miss Longueville. Have you heard of the Ball of Frigg that is being held on the day of Yule?"

"No, I haven't." Yes she had. She had to organize the blasted thing with that perverted Headmaster and she saw exactly where this line of questioning was going.

"Haha, I guess it's because you've only been in Tristain for two months. Well, it's nothing spectacular, just a party of sorts. However, it's said that a couple who dances at this ball will be destined to be together or something like that. It's just a petty legend of course! Yes!"

_'Oh bloody hell,'_ She mentally slapped her face "So?" Smiling, she pressed him to continue.

"So... if it would be all right, I was wondering if you would dance with me?" He asked, his face turning a bit red.

_'Like I don't see the connection between your thoughts you pervert. But I have to smile and play the idiot for a while longer...' _"I would love to. But, while ball parties are fabulous, I'd like to know more about the treasury right now. I'm quite fascinated by magical items, you see."

Wanting to further impress Miss Longueville, Colbert racked his brains._ 'Treasury, treasury, she says...wait, I know!' _Remembering something she might find interesting, he put on an important air and started to talk. "Ah yes, there's one thing I can tell you. Although it's not particularly important..."

"By all means, do tell." She said eagerly.

"Certainly, the treasury is invincible against magical attacks, but I believe it has one fatal weakness."

"Oh, that's intriguing." Her eyes gleamed

"That weakness is... physical force." He said. Actually, he was wrong. The treasury walls could withstand an army of modern mages laying siege to the treasure for twenty years, or so the architects had declared to Osmond years ago.

"Physical force?"_ 'Wait, that's it?'_

"Yes. For example, well, not that this is ever likely, but a giant golem could-"

"A giant golem? Most intriguing indeed, Mister Colbert." Inside her mind, she smirked _'How convenient.'_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After classes were over, Kiri had to apologize to Marteau. It appeared that he would have to delay the cooking lesson for now. With classes over, Louise would quickly finish her homework and then focus on her…elective lessons provided by her Servant that went clear into the night. On this fateful night, the pair were back in their room working on runes.

"And this one means wolf." Kiri said drawing a new rune on the paper. "Depending on the sequence, it can mean cunning, wickedness, brotherhood, endurance, warning, and a few lesser known items which we'll get to later." He wrote down the meanings in her language next to the rune.

Louise felt a new tick mark in her eyebrow as she gazed at her work. For days, they had worked on the basic alphabet. She had initially thought that it would be a simple matter of memorizing a few dozen letters, maybe a hundred. Nope, turns out there were eight hundred different runes which will change in meaning depending on the sequence. And that was just the common runes. Depending on little additions, the runes changed from singular to plural, past to present to future, even male to female. Her Servant hadn't been kidding when he said that this was like learning a language that one no one spoke.

"Let me guess, write it a hundred times." She grunted tiredly.

"Yup, and they all have to be perfect." Kiri said. It was critical, one mistake and the whole thing could blow up in your face, summon a monster, rip off your flesh, or do a combination of all the previously mentioned horrors at the same time.

"Of course." Louise said. She was glad he had written the rune so big, allowing her to see the nuances in this 'simple' rune. She reached for a new sheet of paper and frowned…

"Ah, we're out." Louise muttered.

"So it appears. I recall seeing some scrap paper lying in one of the class rooms. I'll get them." Kiri said standing. "In the meantime, rest your brain." He advised. "This is going to take a long time. Relax, breathe, and don't think about runes or magic for a while." Louise nodded and lay back on her bed rubbing her forehead while her servant walked out of the door and began down the hallway.

As he approached it a few minutes later, the door to Kirche's room opened and her fire lizard Flame crawled out, with its burning tail emitting a warm glow. The two stared at each other. The lizard shuffled closer to the Black Knight, who waited patiently for the creature to move

"Yes?" The larger of the two asked, arching his one eyebrow

"Kyurukyuru," it growled comfortingly. It looked harmless before it clamped its jaws on Kiri's leg, shaking its head as if asking him to follow it. It was clear that the thing would have dragged him were it not for the fact that the lizard was only about eighty pounds while Kiri was over three hundred with his armor on.

Kirche's room remained open._ 'Is it trying to bring me in there'_ he wondered, between him and his alternate self, they debated and agreed that the odds were favorable that this was true.

_'I doubt think Flame is dragging me for the fun of it. What does the redhead…Kirche I think, want from me?'_ Intrigued, Kiri allowed the lizard to lead him into the room, flexing his artificial left hand, ready to unleash hell itself if this was a trap.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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The room was pitch dark, save for Flame's mild glow. Kirche's voice commanded from the darkness, "Close the door."

"Why?" The knight asked skeptically. If this was some sort of ambush, it was a fairly bad one so far by his standards.

"Please, it's embarrassing." Kirche asked pleadingly.

_'Embarrassing? Why would it be… waaait. If it is as I think it is…'_ Kiri shook his head, he closed the door but prepared to bolt in an instant. Plunging the room in darkness, he then activated his night vision in his helmet. He noticed that the fire lizard moved off to the side, out of the way of his master.

"Welcome to my room." He heard Kirche snap her fingers. Starting from the one nearest him, lamps lit up one by one towards her like a dimmer version of the Strip in Vegas.

Doused in the mild glow, Kirche sat on her bed, with beatific look on her face. She was wearing attractive underwear, or rather near see through underwear the shade of light purple. One thing was for sure, only her large breasts were keeping that pitiful garment from falling off her shapely body. He noted with mild nervousness that she probably had natural size D breasts.

"Don't just stand there. Come to me." Kirche cooed with her most captivating voice.

Cautiously, he walked forward. Honestly, the near nudity didn't faze him. She would not be the first woman who tried the old seduction routine right before asking for some favor or another. No, there was something else that made his skin tingle, and not in the good way…

"Sit down." She offered, to which he refused, moving the chair out of the way and looked over her body. Honestly, many a model would kill for those long smooth legs, flawless skin, and luscious hair. But right now, he really wished she would cover her body .

"What is it?" The knight asked hoping this was just an act before asking for a favor. Kirche merely stared at him while slowly waving her fiery red hair. Under the faint lamp light, Kirche's brown skin looked wildly erotic. Truly, this one knew how to use her body to the fullest. Kiri was never shy to admit when he was attracted, but still…there was one thing that was throwing him off…Kirche made a long sigh, and worriedly shook her head.

"You must think me a lowly, despicable woman."

"How old are you?" Kiri interrupted. getting the most important question out of the way immediately. This was the make or break bit of information, if she was old enough, fine. If not…

"Eh?" Kirche asked taken aback, temporarily killing the mood.

"How. Old. Are. You?" Kiri spelled out the one thing that was making him flinch inwardly.

"Seventeen." Kirche asked confused. It was a perfect age, yet the way he flinched was strange. "Do you have something against that? Do you like older women then?"

_'Too young, too young by at least a year and I honestly should wait until they are twenty one at my age.'_ Kiri thought of his age of ninety years and what most women looked like at ninety. "Not really. Never mind, what is it?"

Kirche looked at him like he was strange, but continued on, getting back on track. "Many consider me a despicable woman. To be thought so is inevitable. Do you understand? My runic name is 'Ardent'."

"I'm failing to see the connection here." Kiri said confused._ 'What does being Ardent have to do with wearing something that wouldn't be shown at __Uzume's Secret?'_

"My lust is as flammable as hay... that's why I suddenly called you here. Don't you get it? Isn't this really bad of me?"

_'F***, if you were just four years older it wouldn't be an issue girl. Heck even a year older and it might not be a problem.' _"If you say so." Kiri replied blandly.

"But... I'm sure you'll forgive me." Kirche looked at him with moist, watery eyes. Any man normal would feel his primitive instincts burn lustfully after looking at these eyes. Kiri just saw a child when he looked at them.

_'Too young, too young, too young.'_ Kiri muttered in his head clearing all traces of attraction from his mind for the moment. _'She's got the seduction part down, now, what does she want?'_ "So, what is it that you want, what is it that you think is so sinful and needs forgiveness?" He asked tiring already.

Kirche suddenly clasped his hand, enveloping them with her warm palms before slowly caressing through every finger, sending sparks through his spine.

"Loving you, my dear. To you, my love is that sudden."

_'Fangirl. Oh dear god here we go again…' _"Yes, sudden." Kiri said in a deadpanned voice. "So, how did I suddenly capture your love?" _'I didn't save her from an explosion, save her from a terrorist, kill a vampire that tried to eat her,haven't killed any monster children of hers, haven't had time to do anything really impressive. I fail to see how I caught anyone's eye at this time…' _

"Your grandeur when you defeated Guiche was... just... so cool... like a hero of the legends. My... when I saw you right that moment I was in love. Can you believe it? I was attracted to you just like that! Passion! Oh, this is a passionate love!"

"Passion, huh?" _'Fangirl, big case of fan girl. Well, better than Haru's problems at least…'_

"My runic name, 'Ardent', is quite passionate too. I've been writing love songs since that day! Love songs! Just for you Masked Stranger. My every thought is about you. You appear in my dreams every night, so I told Flame to see how you're doing... oh, I'm so embarrassed. You must think that too, am I right? But it's all because of you!"

_'…Okay, maybe worse than Haru's fangirl problems…'_

Kirche took his silence as acceptance, and slowly, with closed eyes, approached Kiri with her lips pursed, ready for a kiss. However the latter backed away from her advances. Realizing this, she looked at the Black Knight with surprise, as if asking "Why?".

Kiri looked away from her body. "You're too young. In my culture, I would be viewed a monster if I took you now. I'm sorry, but if you insist please come back in a few years."

Her face turned red in an instant. "Yeah... That can't be helped. Love is sudden, and it burns my body so quickly... I'm sure we can break you out of that, after all I- "

"Oi!"At that moment, a voice from outside the window interrupted her. A beautiful playboy looked inside indignantly. "Kirche... I came to check on you because you weren't there on time..."

Kirche looked up in surprise "Berisson!" She spoke in shock before quickly yelling, "We'll meet two hours later then!"

"That wasn't what we agreed on!" The Boy yelled back. Kiri noted idly that they were on the third floor. _It looks like this Berisson guy is using a basic floatation spell. _

Kirche nonchalantly took out her wand from between her breasts, and waved it without even looking at him. Flame shot out from a nearby lamp and flew into the gentleman at the window like a snake knocking him out, though probably not doing anything too damaging in the process. "What an annoying owl." She muttered as if she was being bothered by a fly.

Kiri blinked in mild shock.

"Eh... you didn't hear all that, did you?" The teen asked a bit embarrassed as she realized that she had been watched for the entire brief conversation.

"Yes, yes I did. Um, who was that?"

"Just a friend. Whatever... right now, my deepest, most passionate love is you, Stranger..."

Kirche approached him with her lips again. Kiri did not move a muscle, knowing full well anything he did could be considered approval to the fangirl at this point. Kirche slowly walked towards him, causing her luscious breasts to bounce just so and her hisp to sway perfectly in the moonlight.

'_**Crikey, she's a beaut.'**_ The White King said in a fake Australian accent.

_'And she's hungry too.' _The Black Knight thought back.

At that moment, Kiri and Kirche were interrupted again from outside. A sharp-looking man peered into the room with a sad face. "Kirche! Who is that guy? Weren't you going to heat up the night with me?"

Kirche turned to the window in surprise. "Styx! How does in four hours sound?" She asked trying to get him to leave.

"Who is that guy Kirche?" This new boy demanded. Kiri palmed his face at the repeat incident, he could already see the trend. This Styx guy was getting mad, and as he was about to enter the room, Kirche waved her wand again. The fire flew from the lamp again, hit the man like the previous one, and sent him to the ground. "I take that he's your friend too?" Kiritsugu was backing away slowly from the window.

"Instead of 'friend', let's just say that I've only heard of him. Oh well, I don't want to waste our time. Whoever said 'the night is long' didn't know how quickly the sun rises."

Kirche drew near Kiri again. And again, a groan came from the window. Kiri rolled his eyes at the sight before him. Three men looked inside, and said the same thing at the same time.

"Kirche! Who the hell is this? You said you don't have any lovers!"

"Manican! Ajax! Gimli!" Kirche cried out in surprise. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Keheh." The three boys and Kirche turned to look at Kiri who was visibly shaking. "Ahe ahehehe ahahahahahahaha oh, oh thank god. Ah I ahahaha I was so so ahehehe afraid you were a fa fahahaha fan girl. But- but ahahahaheheheohohoho." Kiri held his side at the sight. _'Oh thank you Root, I needed a good laugh'_

"Um, are you okay?" Kirche asked confused.

"Just, just fine." Kiri said collecting himself, though his shoulders were still visibly shaking. He was starting to get a better picture of this girl, and she was entertaining. Even uncle Gil would have smirked at this byplay.

Well..." She turned back to the other guys. "Come back six hours later then," Kirche waved irritably.

"That's the morning!" The three cried in unison.

"Flame." Kirche casually ordered her fire lizard, who was sleeping in the corner until its name was called out. The lizard instantly raised its head sent a blaze towards the three men at the window, and they fell to the ground together. Judging from how quickly it did it, Kiri was willing to bet that it already had a fair bit of experience doing this.

"So, those were...?" Kiri asked in a light hearted voice.

"Them? I don't even know them. But, most of all, I love you!" Kirche quickly dismissed the boys and grabbed Kiritsugu by his helm and tried to lift it off his face. "Hey, how do you take it off?" She tried to sound seductive, but there was a hint of frustration in her voice when the helm would not come off. He found it rather amusing how she tried, though his helm would never come off as long as he wished it…unless someone with super strength ripped it off and took a part of his face with it…again. Still, he felt like he was forgetting something…

At that moment a new distraction entered the room. This time it was the door. Somebody kicked it open, hard. He thought it was just another guy the Kirche made a promise to… nope, far from it. Wearing her thin pink pajamas, Louise stood and stared at the two from the doorway.

"Ah, that's right." The Black Knight said remembering he was supposed to get paper but gopt side tracked by the fire lizard and ended up here instead. Kirche mildly eyed Louise, and kept trying to take the helmet off .

Louise murderously moved towards her Servant and Kirche, knocking down a few lamps in the process. "KIRCHE!" Louise howled towards Kirche's general direction. The redhead on the other hand acted like she just noticed her presence, and slowly removed herself from Kiri, while waving her hand indignantly.

"Don't you see that we're kind of busy here, Vallière?"

"Zerbst! Whose Servant do you think you're touching?"

He knew it was best to stay silent until he was talked to, there was a reason he had lived to be ninety years old after all. Louise's brown eyes glimmered with fiery anger as she gazed upon Kirche.

Kirche raised her hands above her head. Stuck between the two, he felt like a rabbit between a fox and a wolf. It seemed that being late was now the last thing on Louise's mind. Rather, she seemed to find it offensive that the redhead had been touching him.

"Love and fire are the Zerbst family's destiny. It's a fate that burns in our bodies. It is our lifelong goal to embrace this passionate flame. You should know that." Kirche shrugged, while Louise shook in anger.

"Come here, Servant." Louise demanded. The man quietly moved towards his master.

"Oh? Louise... he is indeed yours, but he has his own will too, don't you think? Please respect his choice." Kirche mused from her side with a playful grin.

"I like living, thank you very much." he responded politely.

"But Darling." Kirche gasped in what appeared to be shock, acting as if she was surprised at the male's decision to turn her down.

"Look, I find it flattering that you are attracted to me when you haven't seen my face, but I am not interested in a child. If you wish to continue this, come back in a few years."

"What!" Louise shrieked.

"Later," Kiri said placing a hand on his master's shoulders. With that, the two left the room while Kirche found a blush on her face.

"A few years? Oh I see Darling, you want me to make sure, but my passion will never burn out for you." He felt a shudder crawl up his spine, and not a good one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in her room, she closed the door with a deadly silence, and faced Kiri. Forcefully biting her lip, she sent him a murderous glare.

"Did you have to be seduced by her?" Her voice was quivering. Louise's hands shook while gripping her wand tightly, yet she kept her voice under control as much as possible while talking

"Excuse me?" The son of Pendragon asked

"Is there something about her that you find attractive? Something so great that you ogle her without restriction?"

"She looks nice." Kiritsugu said plainly, "But she's much too young. Clearly you have something against her. What is your grievance Master?"

"Of all the woman, you dalliance with a Zerbst. How dare you offer anything to her. How dare you promise anything to that witch. Do you have any idea what she is?"

"Promise? You misunderstand Louise." He said. Something in his voice showed…amusement. "Do you know the average lifespan of a Servant?"

Louise blinked at that. "Lifespan?"

"Two weeks, most Servants are dead in less than two weeks' time. Tops." He said flatly. "I promised no one anything. In a few years, probably no one will remember me, save you."

"I-I'm sorry." Louise said feeling regret. "Two weeks?"

"Usually. There are…exceptions, but yes, most Servants die rather quickly. Afterwards, we will be born anew elsewhere. Kill us and we appear somewhere in some other time." He grew passionate as he spoke. "That is one of the many reasons I sought to become a Servant. Immortality. It came at a price, a heavy, heavy price but one I do not regret paying."

"What was the price?" The master asked somewhat nervously.

"Why, becoming a hero. Living the life of a hero all my life until I died." Kiri shrugged. "Of course, my death wasn't the most heroic way to go, but I valued saving my daughter over any other way I could have gone." He shook his head, "We're getting off topic though. Why do you hate that redhead…Kirche was it?"

Louise sighed and realized she had forgotten to tell him about the blasted Zerbsts. How she had forgotten them was a testament to how new and strange this partnership was. "First, Kirche isn't a Tristainian, she's a noble from neighboring Germania."

"Hmm, that would be a minor political issue, but not too terribly strange. From the way you act around her, I assume there is something more personal to it?" Kiritsugu asked curiously.

"My house, my family the Vallière, has estates on Germania's borders, so we're the first on the field against Germanians the moment any war starts. Even worse, right on the opposite side to our borders is the Zerbst family estate." Louise bit down hard on her teeth. "So basically, the Zerbst family is our sworn enemy."

Kiri thought about it for a moment, then asked. "Wouldn't they also be your best trading partners? Sure, they are the first ones your family would fight in war, but also among the first ones you would trade with in peace."

"We would never…" Louise broke off in thought.

"You do trade don't you?" He asked. It would be tantamount to idiocy if the Vallières didn't trade with their neighbors in peace. Trade brings income, something all feudal societies rely on.

"Probably," Louise spoke, but looked up fiercely. "But they're still a family of rats. Kirche's great-great-grandfather stole away my great-great-grandfather's lover!"

Kiri arched an eyebrow. "When was this?"

"Around 200 years ago." Louise declared like it was a recent event. Kiri responded by shaking his head in disappointment.

"Plus, that Zerbst constantly slanders Vallière. My great-great-grandfather's fiancé was stolen away because of that. Those thieves."

"For two hundred years, your family has had a strained relationship with what is probably your best trading partner…because of a long dead lost woman that wasn't a part of your family." Kiri placed a palm over his face and muttered something below hearing range. He then spoke up so that Louise could hear. "Is that everything?"

"Not just that. We've lost count on how many family members we've lost from the wars."

"We're they all killed by Zerbsts? I would imagine it would have been more profitable, to capture Vallières. Trade family for land and advantageous trade agreements." Kiritsugu rubbed his chin, "Not to mention the bragging rights."

Louise paused and imagined what the Kirche would be saying if Louise was captured. Louise's hair stood up at the mere thought of such an event. "Ah, yeah, they would never let us live it down."

"So, I've already knocked down all the reasons you've told me so far. How about you tell me the real reason." He said seriously. "What is it about 'Kirche' that angers you? What is it about that girl herself that you hate?"

Louise looked down and muttered something too quiet for Kiri to hear."What? Please do speak up Master, my Hearing is not 'that' good."

"I said she picks on me! Always, she never stops! She is the first to pick on me, she is the one that came up with that insulting name Louise the Zero!" Louise was crying as she admitted the real reason she despised Kirche.

"I….see…" Kiritsugu's face darkened within his helmet. Louise looked up to hear the deep tone in his voice. "Well, that is interesting. Most interesting." He turned to Louise, "Perhaps she and I will need another chat." His tone was unforgiving as he spoke. "Master, I request permission at a later date to…discuss with Kirche."

"Kiri?" Louise asked.

"In the words of one of my mothers, Bullying my Master is…Forbidden." Louise flinched at the power of that word. He, however, was disappointed he never learned how to project either a Hanya or an Asura like some of his parents and siblings. All he could do was instill power and regular fear inspiring tones into his words. He suddenly turned towards the window and looked out. "Hmmm, strange."

"What's strange?" Louise asked.

"Master, tomorrow is your day off correct?" The Black Knight asked.

Louise blinked. "Yes, tomorrow is the Day of the Void, there are no classes."

"Good, because something is calling me." The Servant stated. "I don't know what it is, or why it calls me, but it might have to do with why I have been summoned." He tilted his head. "Perhaps we are in a war after all…."

"War?" Louise asked nervously.

"Whatever it is, we will go tomorrow. Sleep Master, tomorrow will come soon enough." He then got down on one knee and placed his hand over his heart. "By my family and arms, I swear that I will protect you if a conflict brews."

Louise was still nervous at the possibility of war, even if she was unaware of the kingdom having any conflicts, but the seriousness in the tone of her black clad Servant told her that she would have to wait. If she had to get some sleep for an explanation, then she had better lay down quickly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Well, there was a war…of sorts, but it wasn't coming for some time. Rather, what he heard was the resonance between him and the divine artifact that has always been in the hands of gandalfrs. Truly, I'm not sure if I enjoyed his company or not. He was always snarky, laid back, picking on my height, and all around being an jerk. Yet, in the breaks between the times I summoned my Black Knight back from the grave, there was no kinder being. He was always patient, after all, he lived thousands of years. Time was something he had in abundance, something he had long learned to take in stride. _

_Was it a good thing that we met him? Yes, we needed him to understand just why Kiritsugu was here, why I was failing at magic, and why we were heading towards disaster. It is only through his actions that we did not fall prey to the same fate as Brimir. With his memories, as scattered as they were, we were set free, and the world changed instead of burned. _

_Still, some days I just wished Delflinger would have kept his guard shut, it would have saved me a lot of aggravation._

Xxxxxxxxx

Thank you Third Fang for betaing this chapter

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	73. Black Zero 25

**Black Zero 25**

_"We are two in one; one cannot die without the other one doing so as well. Destroy one and he will be rebuilt by the other, wound us and the other will shield him till he is healed. We are not broken, a traumatized, and weak creature that throws the pain upon another. We are two in one, our pains are our own, our sins are our own, our choices are our own; and with this bond, we are stronger for it." – Emiya Kiritsugu_

_Poetry, yeah I know a lot people wonder why this hunk of badassness writes poetry, but I have to. It's therapeutic, and even better, it's distracting. I don't have to think about the dead, the sacrifices, the sins when I'm trying to figure out what rhymes with Time. So they laugh at my bad poems, I laugh knowing that low quality work has kept me from either screaming my throat raw or going on a killing spree. – Emiya Kiritsugu._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the tunnels beneath Fuyuki, surrounded by the destruction of his workshop raged a mad and vengeful Caster.

No more! No more would he endure god's torment, god's cruel humor, and his constant ripping away of his beloved maiden's salvation. Bluebeard had done everything perfectly, his ritual preparations were perfectly arrayed, his sacrifices a perfect one hundred and eleven in number. Everything from the sacrificial circle to the workshop he created had been perfectly created, and god smote it with a casual flick of his wrist. Now, his sacrifices were gone, taken by the divine's white messenger whilst the Prince escaped with his second in command.

Gilles de Rais had endured enough. His claw like nails bit into his fist as he saw that his second workshop had also been destroyed. It had been thoroughly ruined to the point where Caster could not begin to tell what the perpetrator had intended to destroy and what was mere collateral. A mighty storm had raged in this underground place, leaving nothing for Caster to reuse for his efforts. Not one body, not one sacrifice was left available to rebuild from. This deliberate destruction of his efforts just one more nail in the coffin of his belief in god's glory. His maiden's salvation had been delayed once more, possibly forever.

"Damn, damn, damn you God. Why will you not let me save my Jeanne? Is there nothing I can do to save my beloved maiden? What will it take to let her go, to regain what she lost?" He cried out loud in anguish to the being he once devoted his life to. Naturally, the insane spirit was also furious at the destroyer of his sanctum, however he knew who was the true instigator of this destruction.

It was God's work that over turned his every action. It was God that brought forth the Holy Maiden, dangled her before Gilles like a treat to a dog, and ripped away her memories save those of him. What would it take to save his maiden, to restore her to her full glory? Caster had tried bringing her memories back by sacrificing those children in the forest, but the thrice damned Prince had interefered. God had sent the demon to torment Gilles' work, to steal victory with his thieving hands. He had tried to kill the monster, but God had interfered once more.

That damned white messenger had pierced him with the thorns, probably made from the crown of Christ. Even now the wound hurt, always throbbing in his stomach. The thorns had done something to him, a red mark on his body. A curse of some sort, Caster had tried many ways of removing the mark, including taking a part of his flesh off, but nothing removed the mark, it was always on him, glowing.

"Is this God's punishment because I pursued happiness too much? Did I anger God for hoping to save her?" He cried. He paused, then frowned, "No, God does not punish humans. God only plays with them." His words seethed with hate.

"Where was God when I committed blackest sacrilege, the most vile, the most foul things a man could ever do? But no matter how many I killed, no matter how sinful I became, his punishment did not descend upon me. For eight years I walked the road to hell, where was God's wrath? Where was God's anger, his voice, his retribution in the screams and mournful wails of thousands of children I cast into the darkness?" He demanded loudly as if halfway expecting someone to answer him.

"Nowhere! In the end I was not eliminated by God, but by men who had endless desires, like me. The Church and King decided that I was guilty, captured and executed me. But all they wanted was my wealth and my land; they simply drew me into a trap to make my things, my possessions their own. That was not punishment for my sins! That was nothing more than blatant robbery!" His hatred, his rage was rising as he came to a conclusion, an ugly and horrible truth.

"God does not punish, for nothing is sacrilege to him. I am nothing more than a toy to him, a clown, a fool, a puppet for his enjoyment. My every action is nothing more than a fleeting entertainment." Caster's smile grew wide and cruel.

"Very well, I will become his greatest source of despair and bring forth a river of blood and tears to dye this world a crimson shade of fun. I will let those in Heaven know that they are not the only ones who know what entertainment is. I will prepare a feast, a festival for God and show him the greatest climax this world has ever seen."

Caster's eyes narrowed as he hissed in hate. "Prepare yourself God, prepare to be entertained as I kill every man woman and child on this world. And when I have ended the lives of everyone I shall have denied you your fun for eternity." Behind him, a hundred demons writhed to the dark and evil aura rising up from their summoner.

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It was an abandoned house. The residents of this place had upped and left as the serial killings, the child-nappings, the terrorist attacks, and the strange phenomenon wracked the city. Outside the house, a For Sale sign was clearly posted. No one should have been in at the moment. But inside, at least three figures stood, looking at each other.

The Black Knight and the White King looked at the man whom they had grown up listening to as one of the most evil people in the world. Kotomine Kirei looked on, unafraid of the two Servants due to his own Servants watching from the shadows, ready to act in a moment's notice. Not that it was needed when the two enemy Servants had saved one of the aspects of Assassin.

"We thank you for joining us this evening Master of Assassin." The Black Knight spoke.

"**We have much to discuss, and little time to tell it**." The White King added.

"Understood," Kirei said. "Well then, what is so important that you required my presence?"

"First we must begin with our Master," The black clad Servant spoke. "A girl, our master is a young girl, one Tohsaka Rin."

Kirei found himself gaping at that. "What?" The false priest asked. "How?"

"Who knows, who cares? What's done is done, and our Master is now in the hands of Berserker." The black Avenger spoke. Kirei clearly winced at that. "So far our Master is unharmed, for how long we know not."

"**However, we do have one advantage. Our Bond**." The King spoke.

"Through it we can feel our Master's location, or at least the direction she lies in. Like a compass, we can use it to hone in on her." He held out one hand and pointed to Kirei. "We desire a temporary alliance with you. We need scouts, beings that can get in and out of places without being seen."

"I see," Kirei spoke, "I will consider this. So, what else do you have to speak of?"

"**The Grail is corrupted, we can feel it**."

"All our lives, we have been tainted by a small amount of Angra Mainyu. This taint has given us, if not an affinity, at least a familiarity of the old evil. We could tell the instant we were summoned that it was wrong. This is where our second request comes in." The Black Knight said holding up two fingers. "We know how to purify it, our bodies are suited for consuming the taint whilst being consumed by it, but we need a place to properly prepare the cleansing."

"**It must be isolated from mankind to prevent excessive casualties. It must stand on a leyline to draw power for the cleansing. It would be preferable if it were in a hidden, unknown place where no Servant could intervene**."

"Understandable," Kirei said nodding once, not commenting one way or the other as he analyzed what he was told with a calculating mind. "What else?"

"The final thing we request deals with our Class Skill **Vengeance** and two of our Noble Phantasms." The Black Knight spoke mysteriously.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Iri watched the boy work on cleaning the house in a tired wonder. Was it possible? The name was the same, the boy was probably around the right age, and it was known that the Grail has been known to reapply command seals to the same person if they are found worthy. There was only one way to confirm this, but it required Saber. Of course, the noble Servant of the blade was not available, not after Iri was kidnapped by Berserker along with these three other strangers.

The two girls, Rin and Tsukiumi were tight balls of fear at the moment, not surprising considering what was watching them constantly. The two had tried to pretend that they were unconscious, but it was clear that they were fooling no one. The constant opening of one eye to peek was a dead giveaway. It had taken Iri and Shirou over two hours before the two girls had hesitantly given their names. Rin was clearly a magus, a Tohsaka in fact. Iri had seen the pictures from that computer of Kiritsugu's. If Saber had been telling the truth, Iri would have placed a great deal of money on Rin being in the Fifth Grail War…if Tokiomi wasn't participating himself. Honestly Iri needed to talk with Saber longer about the Fifth Grail War. The tantalizing hints were driving her nuts made.

Rin was doing her best to try and stay brave and defiant, but she wilted instantly every time she looked upon Berserker or heard his growls. The poor girl was always forced to curl up in a ball and shiver in fear.

Tsukiumi was…a Sekirei? Iri had never heard of such a creature, but that wasn't saying much as the woman had never gone out of the castle before the war and she had focused most of her studies on the heroes of old in preparation for the Grail War. Either way, Iri could tell that she had an affinity with water, not the strongest element, but if the girl was clever, it might be possible for her to throw off an enemy for a short time. Not that it would do much good against something like Berserker though…

The blond child was trying to do her best to seem strong, crossing her arms and constantly puffing out her chest as proudly as she could whenever she wasn't curled up. The problem was that she could not look at anyone in the eye and she was visibly shaking in fear. She had been kidnapped, taken against her will by something that everyone instinctively feared, unless one counted the boy, and was now in a strange place surrounded by strangers.

That left Iri with the last individual amongst this rag tag group gathered by Berserker, the scarred man. The man was definitely healing at a tremendous rate. He'd never be handsome with those permanent facial disfigurations, but he was no longer on death's doorstep thanks to the second Avalon driving out the worms. Iri had no idea where that second Magical Sheath came from, but it was clearly the same sheath that held the legendary blade Excalibur that resided in her chest. She wanted to investigate it, but she had other problems to deal with.

Namely, the big black mad creature looming over her like a guard dog.

"Hey, here's some food." Shirou said placing down a simple dish of curry on rice. He had been lucky to find a package of instant curry and a bag of rice in the unkempt building but there was little doubt he would have to go out soon to feed all these guests if he wanted them to stay and not starve. At least there was a large supply of spare disposable chopsticks in the bags lying around. Really, this place was filthy, he'd have to spend some time cleaning up soon.

"Thank you," Iri said tiredly. She took the plate and the chopsticks. The boy smiled and distributed a plate of food to both of the little girls.

"Here you go," Shirou said as he handed Rin and Tsukiumi their curry. For a moment, they just stared at the plate, then Berserker growled. Both girl instantly took the food and began eating.

"Ah, you're hungry too?" The boy asked the black monster.

Though Berserker gave no response, he did take the food offered to him. However, unlike the others, he did not use chopsticks, rather, he used his hands and ate in giant scoops of food through the helmet that was on his head.

"That's not right." The boy reprimanded the mad Servant. "You eat with chopsticks, or at least a spoon."

Berserker stared at him, whether that was due to incomprehension or something else, Iri couldn't tell, but the boy was either very brave, stupid, or confident to berate the Servant of madness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in the abandoned house, Kirei made a small sound of appreciation for the twin Avengers' scheme. "Interesting," He mused, intrigued by the revelation. "No wonder you found Assassin to be a perfect tool. Your Noble Phantasms combined with Assassin's multiple bodies makes you one of the, if not the most powerful Servant."

"**Gilgamesh's is small time, ours cannot be stopped or countered once it has begun**." The White King said flatly. This was no boast, just a simple statement of fact.

"The problem is, though our Noble Phantasm is strong we are incredibly weak, and of course we must rely on Assassin if we are to survive." The Black Knight pointed out

"**Survival is meaningless, we must cleanse the Grail**." The white Avenger countered.

"I must ask this before I agree to commit," Kirei interjected, "Why are you so determined to cleanse the Grail?"

"**Two lifetimes ago it seems, we came upon a revelation. We now know the truth of Angra Mainyu**."

"The devil never meant any harm; it was humanity that created him." The black clad Servant had a tone of dark humor as he spoke the next line. "Much of Angra Mainyu's history is remarkably similar to the savior your church reveres." Kirei almost choked at that.

"One day, a boy, an ordinary fairly innocent boy was randomly chosen and declared the source of all evil in the world by his village. The villagers believed that from the moment humans are born, there is evil in them, much as your church preaches. Since it was impossible to be freed from sin and evil just through clean, righteous living, the only way to realize the true goodness of human beings was to force all of it onto one person and blame him as the true source of any human evil."

He paused his telling and gazed at Kirei "Doesn't this seem familiar, if only slightly altered? One man sacrificed by the people for the salvation of the whole?"

"Heresy." The catholic hissed as he seethed at the accusation blatantly thrown at his face.

"**Enough insults Black Knight, your hate of religion gets us nowhere**." The White King reprimanded. "**Finish the tale and let us then hear his decision**."

The Black Knight held up a hand acknowledging the White King's argument and pressed on. "To the villagers' belief, if one person embodies all the evils of the world, the rest of the people cannot be evil, no matter what. This was the simple, stupid, child-like theory they all invested in."

"**Kniiiiiighht**." The White King hissed in a warning tone, nearing the end of his patience.

"They captured him and continuously tortured him until he went insane. They beat him, carved every word that cursed mankind onto his body, forced every sin imaginable upon him, took out bits and pieces of him slowly, defiled his mind with absolute evil, and held him responsible for all of it in the world. All this they did for years and years. They would not allow him to die until he succumbed to an astounding old age." The Knight paused for a moment then said in an accusing tone. "Say, didn't your church kinda do that to Jesus?"

WHAM

A large clump of white vines smashed into his face sending the black Avenger flying through a wall.

"**My apologies."** The White King spoke, "**It is in the nature of the Black Knight to fight any and all governments and organizations, including religion. It requires me to temper his words and actions…and we are broken. The rest of the tale is simple. The villagers spread across the land that the great evil Angra Maiyu had passed on which eventually caused him to be deified by the legends rising him into an epic spirit. Angra Mainyu is no great evil, merely a boy forced to become evil by the very actions of man.**"

From where he lay, the Black Knight's voice rose to make a point, "But that does not mean he will not cause great evil merely by existing. Though he is the victim, his very being can and will exterminate the human race if nothing is done. That is why we must cleanse the Grail, to prevent that boy from truly becoming a monster. We are as much a part of him as he is a part of us. It is right for us to prevent the wrongs he will commit as we will be a part of the wrongs."

"**His sins would be our sins. We will cleanse the Grail and return Angra Mainyu to the Root. We must do this, or we will never be forgiven**." The White King spoke grandly, but the Black Knight cut off the speech with a single observation.

"Yeah, kind of corny and circular in logic, but that's how we are. We never claimed to be the most logical person that existed."

Kirei had to admit, the Knight had a point, these Avengers' reasons were…flawed, but it was clear that they believed what they were going to do. "Very well, I will aide you." He held up his hand and displayed two fingers, "On two conditions. Tell me, did Rin purposely summon you?"

"**No**"

"No"

The two replied instantly and simultaneously. The Black Knight, however, elaborated further as he picked himself up off the floor. "She was lucky, Caster had already created a summoning circle intending on using Berserker's corpse as a catalyst to summon a different Servant. Clearly Caster did not take into effect that the Grail is sentient." There was real amusement in the voice as he spoke. "The fool gave the Grail a boost through the preparation for an eighth Servant to be summoned. Of course, that was only possible since the abomination was carrying the seeds for all this. It's almost frightening how far reaching she is when she interferes."

"She?" Kirei asked.

"Never mind, don't ask." The Black Knight said dismissively. "It matters naught to our current situation. What is your other condition?"

"Your identity, I am trying to think back on any Servant with your Phantasms and yet I cannot think of a single Hero that fits your identities."

For an answer, the White King produced a bottle of wine and lightly threw it at Kirei. The priest caught it expertly with a quizzical expression. Taking it for the answer, the priest examined the bottle…only to freeze when he saw the date. Kirei gulped as the revelation hit him.

"Yes, is it so surprising that the Grail can summon heroes from the future as well as the past? The Throne does not reside in a place that deals with time. Past, present, future, all are one in the Throne." The black Avenger pointed out.

"So, who…are you?" Kirei asked.

*Sigh* both heaved at the same time in perfect syncro.

"Of course he keeps asking, so much for that plan." The Black Knight muttered.

"**Did you expect anything else?"** His other-self asked.

"No, but I could hope he would be too stunned to asked." The Servant of Vengeance admitted.

"**We could have told him we were of the Magus Killer line…"** The White King asked almost humorously.

The black Knight shook his head. "We are in the wrong line of alternate worlds for them to appear in the war... there is no strong enough connection here for any of them to be summoned. Assassin would have figured that out."

"Magus Killer line?" Kirei blinked in surprise before turning to one of his servants. "Do not tell me that…"

"The throne is separate from all timelines." A whispered voice replied, though somewhat irritably. "Due to some events, a version of the one you call Emiya Kiritsugu did indeed eventually make it to our level of the throne… albeit through unusual means… as did his successor…"

"You sound displeased by that revelation." The priest frowned.

The Black Knight laughed dryly. "Due to the history of that title and what it means, the Heroic Spirits that possess the name and legacy of the Magus Killer are the only ones other than those known as Hassan-i-Sabbah that can be summoned as Assassin in a standard Grail War… though it is not often that it happens…"

"We are getting off topic." Kirei interrupted. "Answer my question. Who are you?"

"**My Name-**"

"Our name is Kiritsugu Pendragon Emiya. Son of the King of Knights Arturia Pendragon and the King of Ideals Emiya Shirou." Kirei found him going wide in the eye as he recognized the legendary king of Camelot as well as the familiar recognition of the name Emiya, even if he had no idea who Shirou was.

"Which one?" A ghostly fourth voice asked from the shadows.

"What?" Kirei asked

"The one that gained the memories from the one that traveled through time. I, we are the one that inherited his memories and passed on all we are to my, our daughter Aurora."

"Ah, I know of you." Assassin's voice spoke up. "The blasted racket makers."

"What are you talking about?" Kirei asked, clearly confused.

"Ask Assassin, we're famous in the Throne." The Black Avenger spoke.

"Hence the Eternal March, we should have realized it from the start." Assassins' voices spoke clearly miffed that they had not made the connection.

"Not really, there are two other Black Knights with the same name, history, heritage…that I'm aware of, my daughter Aurora who wore the armor, my partner who wore it to throw the enemy off, a few other of my children, some of my grandchildren, a-"

"**Stop, they don't need the list."** The White King said tiredly. He looked over at Kirei. "Do we have a deal?"

Kirei thought about it and nodded. "We have an agreement…for now."

"**For now**," The King agreed. "**Only time will tell when and from who the knife comes. We will wait outside for Assassin to come and scout for us**."

The Black Knight and the White King vanished, leaving Kirei alone with his Servant.

"Assassin, do you think this is wise?" Kirei asked.

"It benefits us greatly." The female Assassin spoke for the others as she appeared from the shadows. "They are powerful, but we now know how to counter them. They will not be the ones that will kill us, because they cannot kill us."

"For now, this is the best course. They cannot kill us, but we can kill them." Another Assassin spoke. This one was a midget, the size of a child.

"Give us the order Master, and we will begin." A third Assassin spoke, this one sported large tufts of hair that would have been at home in a Final Fantasy game.

"Very well, have three go with them and scout, have seven others begin locating all possible areas for this ritual. The three left over will stay with me and wait for other instructions." Kirei ordered. "This time, however, stay out of corporal form, we cannot have any chance that you are detected. Scouting is your only order, do not reveal your presence for a moment unless you are passing information, and then only when there are no witnesses."

"As you wish Master," The thirteen surviving Assassins agreed. Kirei then walked out the backdoor of the house and briskly walked home as if he had done nothing more than take a walk to ease the pain. His left arm was still wrapped in bandages hiding his Command Seals. If his father or Tokiomi asked why he covered up his arm, he would simply say that he did not want to give away whether or not he still had Command Seals, thus making it impossible to tell if Assassin was truly dead or not.

The best deceptions are told with truths after all. His father and Tokiomi would think it was a sound strategy, never realizing that the Master of Assassin was still in the War.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Look at them, look at the Dead" The Black Knight spoke.

"**Look the Sins we've gone and fed**." The White King Added.

"Look at the harm we've done and the words we've said." The black one mourned.

"**Our Friends have now gone and fled.**"

"But we are alone instead."

"**No, no, that last one throws it all off."** The White king interrupted the pattern. "**Change it.**"

At the front of the house, the two selves of Kiritsugu waited for Kirei to make his getaway before materializing. To pass the time, they did one of the things they had constantly done, composed poems. If they weren't composing, they were playing chess, debating, plotting, or just plain analyzing the world around them.

"Hmm, how about 'To forever lie in bed'?"

The White King pondered this then said. "**Come back to it later, it should have been enough time**."

"Right." The Black version of Kiritsugu agreed. He looked away from his other self and addressed the air. "I know you can hear me Assassin, so be quiet and listen for a moment." The Black Knight whispered. "We are going to work under the assumption that Archer is still watching us form a distance. We will be able to tell through our curse if Caster watches us, but we have no way to tell with Gilgamesh. In addition, we are not the best at determining if a familiar is watching or not." He paused for a minute as he reviewed the plan. "We are not going to head straight for Berserker, we will be weaving a bit to try and throw off any pursuit."

The White King then ripped off a bit of cloth from his outfit and let it drop. "**Take this and release it in front of us if you need us to stop for any reason**."

"Especially if we are near Berserker." The Black Knight added. The pair then shifted into spiritual form. Most humans would never know that they were there, but any Servant worth anything would still be able to detect them, though that depended on the Servant. Assassins, Archer, and Casters were the best at detecting presences, and Sabers usually were limited while Berserker's were notoriously bad at detecting, but it paid to be paranoid. The Assassins found that this was a good plan and silently agreed. As the pair of Avengers moved off, the white strip of cloth on the ground seemed to vanish in the shadows.

Despite the seriousness of the situation however, there was only one thing that went through the minds of Assassin as they moved.

'_Allah, these guys create terrible poetry.'_

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Waver cried to his giant of a Servant. "This is impossible! How can this 'White King' know something before anyone speaks about it? Not to mention the bottle! The Bottle! It's thirty two years in the future!"

Iskander shrugged as he took a small drink of his own gift from the White King. "Boya, it doesn't matter. Until the Grail is purified, everything becomes pointless."

"Pointless?" Waver yelled in frustration while pulling at his hair.

"Ah, remember boy, all of us were summoned to fight for the Grail and the chance at having a wish granted." Rider said. He looked rather grim as he spoke, "However, since the Grail is nothing but a curse, we have nothing to do but wait until it is purified."

"That doesn't mean we should ignore the others" Waver argued. "I'm telling you, I think he's from the future or something."

"Probably," Rider said unconcerned. He took another sip of the drink and nodded. "Mm, delicious! He knows how to pick a good drink, regardless of when he's from."

"Don't you realize what it means if he's from the future? He might know everything about us, our names, our weaknesses, our entire history!" Waver tried to get his point through this thick-skulled barbarian.

"And? What good will it do him until the Grail is cleansed?" Rider asked. It was clear he wasn't impressed with Waver's issues.

"How do you know he's telling the truth? He could be lying." Waver pointed out skeptically.

"Boya, do you think I could have been King if I couldn't tell when someone was lying?" Rider raised an eyebrow. "Many have tried to deceive me before, none succeeded. No, he was clearly telling the truth, or at least believes completely what he is saying." Rider admitted. "No, this Whitey is ready to die, as is Blacky. They seem confident that they can purify the Grail."

"Why? Why would you believe something as crazy as that? Who would give up their lives for such a stupid re-" Waver was sent flying by Rider's finger flick.

"Boya, that man is a king. All kings have a duty, be it to their dreams, their people, to their country, to their army, or to whatever they dedicated themselves to that was grand enough to enable him to command their home, and this is his. Do not belittle his responsibility. Much like how I walked forward to Oceanous without hesitation even though I knew it would most likely lead to my end, he walks forward to his own goals knowing that it will most likely end him. To stay with such a goal, be it for benefit or ill, is one of the qualities that all Kings bear and why their names are still remembered."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Waver shot back irritably. "What is the point of giving up your life and possibly destroying everything you've worked for on some baseless urge?" It made no sense, normal people do not walk to their deaths so willingly.

The large man continued his explanation after drinking some more alcohol."To insult and belittle what pushes a king forward… Such a dishonor I will not hear in my presence. A king must be willing to do what others will not, a king is a man that must be greater than anyone else. Cry more than anyone else. Laugh louder than anyone else… and in the end sacrifice more than anyone else." Rider's face was grim as he lectured his Master. "The true mark of a king is to do them all without hesitation and still maintain the air to command your people immediately afterwards and walk forward without stopping. Regardless of what you see ahead of you, around you, or behind you, a true king's march will never falter regardless of how unsavory the sights are and they will continue on forward towards their intended end. Do not disrespect them."

"And what makes you think that they will go through with it?" Waver countered. "Their words were noble, but what proof did you have that they did intend to die?"

Rider looked at his master with a raised eyebrow before taking another gulp of his drink. "It's simple boya. They carried themselves the same way I did when I was alive and went out to look for the end of the world… only a man who has their mind, body, and soul set on something could say those things so casually and carry themselves like that."

"Even if it means their own death?" Waver asked skeptically.

The giant red head chuckled lightly. "Like I said, they reminded me of myself when I decided to look for Oceanous…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the same hotel Maiya had booked earlier, Kiritsugu watched over his injured partner while watching recording from his familiars, including the meeting of the kings.

Gazing out the window the Master of Saber noticed that dawn had arrived. The rising sun failed to inspire any emotion in the broken man's heart. His wife was gone, Maiya was injured, and he had just found out that what he had been sacrificing everything for was a lie. The Grail was not a device that could save. Rather if Kiritsugu had made such a wish, it would have killed everyone. What was it all for then? Kiritsugu was a man that fought to reduce casualties to the bare minimum. When he entered this war, he had been willing to do almost anything. To achieve his goals, he should have been able to do anything but he conceded that he had gotten soft over the years.

Only now did he thank the Fates that he had not detonated the bomb while civilians were still inside. It would have gone against everything he was to kill civilians needlessly. Had the Grail been real and untainted, Kiritsugu would should have never hesitated on sending those people in the hotel to an early grave. It would had been worth it if it meant that Kiritsugu could save the world in the process. Instead, the Grail is a fake, a fraud, a broken and evil thing that must not come into the world.

What was it all for? The sacrifices, the damages, the deaths, what was it all for? Kiritsugu had no answer for this question. In theory, if this Grail could be purified, then Kiritsugu could continue his quest. But, right now his core, his very self had been shaken in a way that had never occurred before. Kiritsugu had been so sure of his path, so assured that the Grail was the answer to his ideal, only for it to shatter. He had chased a cursed object that would have destroyed the world rather than save it. Kiritsugu had broken his own ideals. Instead of fighting for a cursed cup, Kiritsugu could have hunted down the Masters and Servants that were killing innocents. He could have, should have worked on reducing the casualties of this war as much as possible rather than focusing on the Grail.

How many had died because of his inaction, because of his betrayal? Children had gone missing for days due to Caster. Berserker had cleaved apart dozens of people for no apparent reason. And through it all, Kiritsugu had stood aside and let this all happen. To make matters worse, it wasn't just the innocent strangers that were suffering, Illya was alone in the Einzbern Castle where her relatives would be preparing her as a vessel should Kiritsugu fail and Iri was taken by Berserker. Even if the mad Servant had no idea what Iri was worth, surely the Master of the Servant did. Who knows what was happening to his wife right now?

With dead eyes, Kiritsugu gazed at the hotel room wall covered with maps of the Fuyuki region. These maps had been annotating various locations on the maps with information pertaining to them. Maiya had spent days collecting data on foot, and reconnaissance by familiar. His partner had gathered the variance of the leylines, tapped the police radio for information on missing people, and performed surveillance of various locations. All these data points had been dutifully indicated on the map nocturnal happenings in Fuyuki City regardless of size or importance like a mosaic, showed a state of utter chaos. So much information that had been collected for the war… and almost all of it was pointless now.

The map, while informative gave him nothing that he truly needed. Caster's location was missing as well as Berserker's. All this work, and all it possessed was useless information to him regarding the Servants and Masters.

Archer: True name Gilgamesh, Servant of Tohsaka Tokiomi. At the moment, there was no movement at the Tohsaka house. Like a sleeping dragon, Tokiomi had closed his doors with an unfathomable silence and had not left ever since the defeat of Assassin. The only instance where Kiritsugu had seen the Golden King leave Tokiomi's presence was during the drink between kings and during the event at the docks...

Lancer: True name Diarmuid of the Lovespot, Servant of Kayneth Archibald. Lord El-Melloi and his wife had kept low key since the battle at the Einzbern's castle, but one of his familiars had been spotted by Maiya's thus Kiritsugu knew that they were still alive…somewhere.

Assassin was a Servant that possessed multiple bodies. The troop of Assassins that had attacked the Einzbern castle last night must have been their entire combat force or only a small fraction. Kiritsugu wanted to believe that the Servant of shadows was gone, but he had no guarantee, not unless he found his wife. As Servants died, she should be able to tell when they enter the Grail.

Caster: True name Gille de Rias, Servant of an unknown Master – The night before, more children had gone missing from the city. Yet, inexplicably, the children had all appeared on the side of a busy street with the words 'You're Welcome' carved into the ground around the same time as the fight over the river last night. It would appear that another Servant had done what Kiritsugu should have done and gone after Caster.

Rider: True name Iskander the Greek, Servant of Waver Velvet. Being that he constantly moves with his Master in his flying Noble Phantasm, tracking them would be difficult. Rider appears to be openhearted and forthright, a formidable enemy that seems to be without major flaws. Especially with that powerful Noble Phantasm he recorded. Rider's Noble Phantasm Ionian Hetairoi, is a powerful thing to behold and dangerous to fight. Humpf, like it matters anymore…

He wanted to stop thinking about it, this was a pointless exercise, but he couldn't. He had spent years preparing for this only for it all to come tumbling down in a mere few days. Mechanically, Kiritsugu ate a cheap hamburger from a nearby fast food joint. For nine years, Emiya Kiritsugu had eaten at the table of the Einzbern family, who had lived and dined like royalty. He was tired of that fancy cuisine and it was not what he wanted in his current mood. This cheap, mass produced pitiful excuse for food was far more suited to him right now. As he ate, he continued to read his notes on the maps. One map had been covered in pins detailing the sightings and the possible trails of the most elusive Servant of all.

Berserker, the enigmatic Servant. Possible Master: a young boy with red hair. Of all the Servants, this one gave Kiritsugu the greatest headache, and not just because it took his wife. Somehow, time and time again, it always escaped even when several Servants…and those mysterious non-human females attacked at the same time. Caster had called him the Black Prince, but Kiritsugu was fairly certain that he was wrong. There was too much inconsistency with the mad Servant, and now with the two new arrivals, both of which had armor extremely similar to Berserker, Kiritsugu was ready to believe that Berserker was someone different.

And his Master… was the boy really the Master of Berserker, or was there a puppet master involved? Kiritsugu had a hard time believing a boy could summon a Servant, especially one as powerful as Berserker. True, some of the strength came from the mad enhancement, but there was something about that mad creature, something with intelligence hidden behind the insanity. And that intelligence was becoming more and more prominent by the day. Like the madness was bleeding off to reveal the Servant behind the helmet…

Kiritsugu sighed deeply, lighting his first cigarette for the day. Dammit, this was not how it was supposed to go. Saber was to guard Iri while Kiritsugu took out the Masters from a different angle. It was supposed to be quick, clean, and efficient. But, like Saber warned him before he left for Japan, nothing is as it seems in the Grail War. An Archer that doesn't use bows, a Rider with an Army, a Caster that is less than a sorcerer, and a cunning Berserker.

And here Kiritsugu had thought that Kotomine Kirei would be his greatest opponent. Kiritsugu took a drag from his cigarette and inhaled.

"…who exactly are you two?" Kiritsugu muttered as he looked on at Berserker and his Master's data.

The more he thought about the problem that was the odd pair, the further away from him his answer became. All he could do was become more frustrated. He felt like every piece of information he gained only added more questions. The more he pondered this, the more he was sure that everything they did up till now was deliberate. Appearing in a rage, 'revealing' his Master, going back and forth along the same route then losing the pursuers through a mountain none could follow him over. If this was a mindless Servant, it should have gone through the path of least resistance, not go through an elaborate scheme. It just wasn't adding up.

Kiritsugu snuffed the cigarette out in the ashtray having gone through it at a phenomenal rate during his contemplation. This state of being impatient and frustrated irritated him. It was probably a sign that his judgment was dulled. He would need to rest and start over, but he had to find Iri. He could not rest until he found his wife, even if it had had been over seventy hours since he last slept. Though he did not feel tired under the influence of various techniques, his fatigue was still accumulating, deteriorating his focus and overall condition as a result. He knew he had to be in top form to find Iri, but he would not, could not res-

Knock Knock Knock

Kiritsugu grabbed his gun as he slowly made his way through the door, he knew the presence behind the door, but he was not one for taking chances. He turned on a security camera he had bugged outside his door and confirmed that his Servant stood out there in her black outfit before opening the door and admitting his Servant into the room.

Once she was inside, Kiritsugu closed and locked the door and turned to his Servant who was looking him over.

"Master, you need to rest, you are clearly exhausted." She scolded him lightly.

"No, we still have things to do." Kiritsugu replied in a dead even tone as he glanced at his array of maps again.

"If it is about Irisviel, you don't have to worry, Avenger will find her." Saber reassured her Master.

"Why would I trust another Servant?" Kiritsugu asked frowning at Saber's naïve statement. Was this really the legendary king of Camelot?

"Because they, he is my son." Saber said with pride.

This statement managed to break through the Master's emotionless shell as he looked at her in surprise. "You mean to tell me that was Mordred?"

"No," Saber said shaking her head. "Kiritsugu," She smiled as her Master missed the joke. "I told you, I grew to love your son. Is it so surprising that he named his own son after his adoptive father?"

"His name is Kiritsugu?" The Magus Killer asked, having trouble believing what he was hearing. It was understandable of course. Few would believe that the female incarnation of a legend several thousand years old originating from the other side of the planet would name their kid after you.

Saber nodded, pride evident in her voice. "Kiritsugu Pendragon Emiya, also known as Emiya Kiritsugu the Second, though we all just called him Kiri. He, and his twin sister Arika are the ones I brought into this world, and they are my greatest source of joy and pride save my husband."

Kiritsugu stared at her like she had spawned a second head.

"Master, get some rest. My son has sworn to find Iri, he will not fail." Saber insisted pushing him back towards the bed.

"But," Kiritsugu began before Saber shoved him roughly on the bed.

"No Kiritsugu, you need sleep, there is nothing you can do until tomorrow night. Rest, recover, and then we will deal with everything. You are useless as you are now." Saber ordered in a tone that would make anyone jump to obey.

Kiritsgu sighed and gave in. "Fine, but we will deal with this when I wake up."

"As you wish Master." Saber agreed. "Now sleep."

The physically and mentally exhausted assassin laid down on the bed and used a self-hypnosis spell to disperse his consciousness. It was a crude way of eliminating mental stress via the disintegration and cleansing of the psyche, but it was efficient none the less. With this, he would be able to relax and sleep without any nightmares and get some decent rest, be restored after about two hours, and wake up. Kiritsugu let his body's muscles uncoil after dispelling the image of his enemy from his mind and fell into a deep sleep confident that he would be awake in a mere two hours…

…Unfortunately for him, Saber's Shirou had done this many times in life, and all his wives had figured out ways to make sure that their husband did not wake up until the reckless man had gotten a significant amount of rest.

Saber cracked her knuckles and whispered, "Forgive me Master, but you need rest." Despite her kind words and tone, her face looked absolutely feral. She was going to enjoy this far more than she should…

xxxxxxxxxxxx

As they drew nearer to their Master, the twin Avengers became more and more suspicious. They went left, they went right, trying to see if they were just nostalgic, but no. Closer and closer they came to their Master, until a small strip of white cloth fluttered in the breeze.

'_Of Course_,' they both thought as one.

'_Of course he would go here. Like a wounded animal retreating to his old burrow_.'

'_**Of course he would run to the place he thought as his second home**_.'

'_We should have seen it coming_,' They both concluded. '_After all, there's no place like home._' Before them stood the much needing repairs building that was the Emiya Fuyuki residence. It was here that they had come to get away from the madness of the manor and enjoyed simpler days…when Aunt Taiga wasn't busting in to eat. It was here that he had trained till he sweat blood with his swordsmanship, raising the bar on dirty fighting and desperate tactics till he became a legendary fighter.

"Assassin, head in and scout the area, but no sudden acts of heroism or assassination. Reconnaissance is the order of the day." The Black Knight commanded.

The White King, however, gave a far simpler command. "**You know what to do**."

And so the shadows slinked into the lion's den to see what there was to see, and their findings were astounding to say the least.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once again, thank you Third Fang for betaing this,

To my readers who have read FFD, look for the refrence he threw in to his work.

Read and review.


	74. Black Zero 26

**Black Zero 26**

_There is always a moment right before an operation that I have. A moment where I feel the forces of fate and chance gaze upon me, judging me for what I am about to do. I wonder, what do they think of me? Am I a mover, a conqueror, or a jester in their eyes? – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

_Forward, forward, always keep moving forward Man With No Future, and someday you may create a miracle. – The Oracle to Emiya Kiritsugu II_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You ever get the feeling that someone, somewhere gets a kick out of the crap we put ourselves through?" The darker clad Avenger asked his white comrade.

"**Yes, by Alaya, Shinra, and Gaia Yes**!" The King emphasized. He paused for a moment and then added, "**And the three of them plus Zelretch are all probably watching us while eating popcorn to boot**." The Black Knight nodded vigorously at the that, that was definitely in character with the four of them.

The source of their comments was the location of the 'elusive' Berserker. The bugger had holed up in the most obvious place in the city. Like an injured animal, the mad Servant had fled to its old home to rest and heal. Truly, Assassin was completely unnecessary for finding Berserker. Heck, the twin aspects of vengeance had planned on checking out their old home as a possible safe house before even thinking about using assassin in their plans.

Cosmic Irony at its finest.

"Assassin, scout the inside of the house, but do not let yourselves be seen. We need information first, and then we can plan the next phase." The knight ordered the multiple aspects of the Servant of the shadows. The two stood there in their spiritual forms waiting, they could not tell if Assassin had left or not, but they figured that Assassin was on the job.

For a time they were silent, then the Black Knight asked his other self. "If they're really getting a kick out of watching us, should we do a River Dance or something?"

"...**What?"** The King asked incredulously. "**Where the Father did that come from?"**

"Just a thought." The Knight defended "I figure if they are watching, why not make an effort to please? Maybe they'd kick something our way for the effort."

The King shook his spiritual head, "**River Dance, really? What's next, bagpipes? Thank our mother that I was always there to check your words. Gods only know what would have happened had I not been there**."

"Don't talk bad about bagpipes." The Knight argued.

"**We are not going to discuss the merits of bagpipes again**." The alter-self responded exasperated by the old debate. "**You think they are moving, I think they are only good for psychological warfare. Leave it.**"

"If you two are finished." A third voice broke in, "We have finished reconnaissance." Apparently Assassin worked quickly, that and it was clear by the tone that he was annoyed by the conversation the two were having. This aspect of Assassin had that large Mohawk dyed dark green.

"Excellent," The Knight spoke, "So, what did you see?"

"Berserker is residing in the house you indicated. In addition, the Master of Berserker is there. However, for some reason the Grail vessel, the Master of Caster, your Master, and an unidentified blond girl that has the same feeling as a few other women residing there as well." Assassin explained. "Are you aware of-"

"Yes, we are both well aware of the Sekirei child. She was there when our Master is taken. But bloody hell, it's a friggin' Master's gathering." The Knight spoke.

"**As expected**." The King replied. "**Now we can begin the next part of the plan, planning a kidnapping/rescue of the various humans and the distraction of Berserker**."

The Knight pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. "Assassin, draw a basic layout of the place and mark the current locations of everyone inside. I, we also need every detail on everyone inside. Who is hurt, who is healthy, who is unconscious, and so on."

Assassin took the piece of paper and pen and began sketching. "By the way, you called her a Sekirei?"

"**Yes, they are an alien species that crashed onto the planet a few centuries ago. Over the years, their arks would open and spread their population to copulate with humans**." The White Avenger explained.

"It was the only way for their dying species to have a chance at continuing their line." The Black Avenger added.

Assassin seemed to be a bit repulsed by the idea. "You seem to know quite a bit about them." One of the aspects pointed out.

"**Yes, for good reason. Some of them ended up as relatives**." The White King added. "**However, they are unimportant. For all their powers, they are nothing more than D to C rank class equivalents of Servants at their best**."

"Word of advice, leave them be." The Knight whispered. "It's too much of a hassle to deal with them. For the moment, they think they are the alpha predators." He then snorted. "They've never heard of a Dead Apostles or Types."

"**They think they are gods**." The King snickered earning similar chuckles from the Black Knight and Assassin.

"Truly?" Assassin asked between chuckles.

"Yes, it will be a wakeup call when they face the magi. Even modern magic users can defeat them relatively easily…if they're smart about it." Black Knight mused.

"**Enough! Questions come later; we need to deal with the situation with Berserker at the moment.**" The King reprimanded. "**Tell your Master we will be willing to divulge more about these creatures at a later time."**

"Very well." Assassin agreed and went back to work sketching. For a time, they were silent as this Assassin went to work until another Assassin appeared. This one was tiny, the size of a child.

"Yes?" The King asked.

"We have found a suitable location for your ceremony." This new Assassin announced.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Calmly, showing no signs that he had anything to hide, Kirei entered his room inside the church. Before he had opened the door, he had sensed the great king of Urak was resting in his room as if he owned the place and had merely deigned to let Kirei in. As Kirei entered, he gazed at the sight of more of his precious wine collection had been scrounged. Yet, there was an unfamiliar bottle of wine unopened and resting on the plain coffee table. As strange as the bottle of unopened wine was, it was stranger to see the smile on the face of Archer. Kirei swore he saw the Golden King's eyes narrow for an instant before his grin grew slightly wider.

"It looks like your mood today is fairly pleasant Archer. Pray tell, why is that?" The priest commented neutrally.

Under normal circumstances, a smile is infections, spreading from person to person. Yet, Gilgamesh's smile was more of that of a predator rather than a smile of pleasure. In addition, considering what Kirei was hiding on his left arm behind his bandages, it was infinitely more unsettling to see that smile.

"Tokiomi has made a fool of himself and has brought me into a worthless battle for no reason other than to snap at a cursed bone like a dog." For all his pleasant spoken tone, the undertone hidden behind that smile and kind voice was malevolent. "Truly, Tokiomi should praise the gods for his fortune. For, though the Grail is a worthless trinket, I have found several other things of great interest." Kirei found that he was sweating slightly under the gaze of the King of Heroes. There was something in that gaze, something that the priest could not identify, but it was disturbing nonetheless.

"That's surprising." Kirei commented with his neutral expression and tone, donning an excellent poker face. "Did you not declare that this earth has only forgeries and ugliness? That mankind has become excessive and unnecessary?"

"That has not changed." The King dismissed the inquiry. "There are still far too many unnecessary men on this world. In my time, I once searched my Kingdom to find someone that was unnecessary and kill him. In all my searching, I found not a single one. From the lowest dog to my attendants, I could not find one man that was not needed, unlike now where the ants today are all pointless beings performing pointless tasks. However, I have now found some beings that have interested me, ones that I find are most intriguing."

Kirei had seen the drinks between Kings through the eyes of Assassin and made the connection. Something in that gathering of Kings had changed something in the King of Heroes' mood. Boredom, it was a lack of boredom. The Great King Gilgamesh was entertained. By Saber? Rider? Avenger? All of them? Probably the last one looking back in retrospect.

"I like arrogant opponents." The King explained. "I enjoy facing people who are not constrained by their own humble strength, and thus are ambitious. Every time I face an opponent like this I am very happy as they give me the greatest pleasure testing my strength and ambition.

The golden haired man paused as he swirled some of the alcohol in his hand before taking a eloquent sip of its contents. "But there are two types of haughtiness too. One is a person that possesses too low a caliber for his ambition. The other is a person that has too great a wish. The former, more common one is very foolish, but the latter is of a rare species, a being that refuses to accept the norms of the world and tries to impose his will upon reality rather than let reality impose on him."

"And yet both are fools." Kirei observed. "Both will be destroyed by their ambitions. So what is the difference?"

"Compared to mediocrity, a rare foolishness appearing becomes valuable, does it not?" Gilgamesh observed mulling over a glass of wine. "Though born human, they possess visionary ideals so great that they are impossible to attain with human strength, and so abandon their status as humans to realize their one ideal. No matter how many times I see it, I do not grow tired of witnessing it. The sorrow and despair of this sort of person, nothing compares to the exquisite sight, and now I have met three of them at once…"

Archer finished speaking, raising a wineglass as if in celebration, then elegantly downed the rest of the red wine inside. Then the eyes gazed back upon Kirei and the priest froze as he saw the naked calculating look in those eyes. "You said I look cheerful Kirei, but you appear unusually cheerful today as well."

"Only relieved. I have finally been released from a heavy burden." Kirei explained. He hoped that Gilgamesh would let it lie. The Command Seals of Kirei's right hand still remained under the bandages as only a portion of his forces of Assassin were decimated. A Servant under the Archer class shouldn't be able to see beneath the bindings, but Gilgamesh is no ordinary Archer.

For ordinary Masters, it would look as though Kirei had completely and finally forfeited his rights as one. Tokiomi had released Kirei from responsibilities and obligations of being a Master believing the farce as well. Kirei's temporary residence at the Church could finally be considered completely justified…unless one knew the truth.

"Yes," Gilgamesh said neutrally. "It must be a joy to be released from the shackles of that bore Tokiomi." He poured some more wine in his glass and nodded with a smile that held infinite meanings, and all of them obscured. Kirei was fairly certain that Gilgamesh was not fooled, yet he was not going to tell Tokiomi. Truly, the Servant of the bow is a capricious being.

Something must have shown in Kirei's expression as Gilgamesh spoke up. "Kirei, it seems that you have a great misunderstanding of the relationship between me and Tokiomi. Tokiomi faces me with the manner of a subject to his king, at the same time offering prana as tribute. It is because of this sort of contract that I agreed to obey his summon. Do not liken me to the other Servant lackeys. If I do not wish him to know something, then I will not speak of it. If Tokiomi wishes to know, then he will need to work it out on his own."

Kirei could not help but smile wryly.

"The way Tokiomi dawdles, it will be long before it is time for my entrance." Gilgamesh sighed. "During this period of time I can only look for something else to do to kill boredom. Kirei, did you have Assassin complete all his assignments?"

"All save Berserker, and Avenger has kindly offered to lead us to him as Berserker kidnaped his Master." Kirei had once promised Gilgamesh to inform him of the various Masters' actions and their motives for wanting to obtain the Holy Grail, for his 'entertainment'. So to satisfy Gilgamesh's curiosity, Kirei had also ordered Assassin to keep watch. However, in the course of the investigation, Kirei had also become drawn into the search. Berserker and his elusive Master were a challenge, a real and honest challenge to find. The longer the hunt drew on, the more Kirei wanted to find out the motives of the pair.

"Ah, forgive me, I should have let Assassin personally report yesterday night. This way, the effort of explaining it-"

"No, this is good enough." Suddenly Gilgamesh interrupted Kirei's words. "I have no interest in that shadow-like guy. Kirei, this sort of thing is only meaningful information when you say it."

"…*sigh*" Kirei released an exasperated breath and began recounting a brief summary of each Master's character. From the intelligence obtained via Assassin through eavesdropping on the conversations between Masters and their Servants and any entourages that they possessed, their motives for participating in the Heaven's Feel could be summed up fairly easily.

The Master of Lancer and the Master of Rider had no particular wish of the Grail, and participated in this war in pursuit of victory only for the honor of magi, though Lancer's Master had toyed with the idea of using the Grail to reach Akasha. Gilgamesh made a small snort of derision at the paltry and petty wishes of those two Masters.

As for the Master of Caster, he was a nonentity. Whatever wishes he had, Caster had destroyed it by betraying his Master. Kirei had figured that the former exile of the Matou's had joined for something…personal. Kirei knew that Kariya was close to Rin and her mother and it would not be a stretch of imagination that he had joined because of feelings for Rin's former sister Sakura. In all probability, Kariya had joined the war to win the grail solely to throw it at the old vampire and get Sakura out of there. Killing Tokiomi may or may not have been a bonus objective. Still, since he lost control of his Servant, unless he wasted one, two, perhaps all three Command Seals to get his mad dog to toe the line, then Kariya was out of the running.

About Saber's Master…Kirei could only give a brief overview as the Master of Saber was a cautious creature that rarely discussed anything outside of a secure area. However, Kiritsugu had slipped a few times and Assassin had greedily drank up every tidbit dropped. Kiritsugu wasn't fighting for himself, but for others. Kirei had first assumed that it was fighting for the Einzbern's wish. That was quickly discarded as a few hints were dropped. It wasn't all for something as small as a wizen old family. No, Kiritsugu was fighting for something more, something larger. A country? Several countries? Kiritsugu had planned on saving vast numbers of people with the Grail. The number was beyond Kirei's ability to determine, but it was a large number for sure. They way Kiritsugu talked about saving 'everyone' Kirei could almost believe that the man was actually trying to waste the grail on bringing the salvation of man.

Not likely, that seemed too…arrogant to match Kiritsugu's profile.

"Amusing, I wonder what would have happened had I granted him the right to use the Grail?" Gilgamesh mused. Kirei shuddered at the thought. The Grail was tainted by Angra Mainyu, such a wish would only grant salvation through death. In all probability, everyone that Kiritsugu wished to save would die, to the last man woman and child. Hopefully Kiritsugu wasn't aiming too big.

All that remained was the Master of Berserker who was, of course, a complete mystery.

"For now," Archer acquiesced. For a time, there was an awkward pause, Kirei could feel that Archer was waiting for him to continue, but Kirei wasn't sure what was expected of him. Finally, Archer deigned to speak in a condescending tone. "Come now Kirei, there are more than just those five thieves in this war. What of those strange women, and what of our two new arrivals?"

"Ah," Kirei understood. "Those…women are actually creatures called Sekirei. Apparently they work for a pharmaceutical company called MBI. Anyways, They are here in this city for one reason, their leader and employer's son was kidnapped." Kirei found himself smiling. "And by kidnapped I mean he is the Master of Berserker."

Archer quirked an eyebrow. "Hoo, isn't that interesting."

"Indeed. The women have been busy looking through the rescued children, hoping of find a sign of the boy" Kirei continued. "As for our newcomers…I have found out a great deal in fact. The identity of the two Avengers is Kiritsugu Pendragon Emiya, also known as Emiya Kiritsugu II." Kirei waited to see if Gilgamesh had the same reaction as Assassin. All that King of Heroes did was raise an eyebrow.

"Emiya Kiritsugu, isn't that the name of one of the opposing Masters?" The King of Heroes asked before sipping at his alcohol again.

"Hai, in fact, he is the grandson of Emiya Kiritsugu." Kirei explain. Mentally he was a bit disappointed. Assassin had seemed to think that this Kiritsugu Pendragon was more important than Gilgamesh gave him credit for. "The other interesting fact about this new Servant is that his Master is Tokiomi's daughter Rin." At that, Gilgamesh froze in mid drink and stared at Kirei before he placed his cup down and placed his mouth behind his entwined hands in a move many people would claim belonged to Gendo Ikari… not that those in the room knew who Gendo Ikari was or cared for that matter.

"His daughter, huh." There was something in those eyes, cold and calculating. "Is she determined to oppose her father, or, is she trying to aide him?"

"Neither, from what Tokiomi has told me, Rin had come back to Fuyuki to search for someone. Her friend had been taken by Caster in his mass gatherings, and is now free and returned home." Kirei answered.

Gilgamesh looked disappointed at that. "I see, disappointing. I had hoped that the little girl might prove more interesting than the father, but…is appears that she is as boring as her progenitor."

"Not necessarily your majesty." Kirei argued. Gilgamesh looked at Kirei quizzically at that. "After all, Rin did summon Avenger, whom you seem to find interesting."

For a moment, Gilgamesh did not respond, then he smiled. "True, true, true, true." He burst into a laugh. "You are right Kirei, anyone who can summon such an interesting insect deserves a second look." For a time he continued to laugh at something he found hilarious. "I wonder, will she follow his lead or will she continue to walk blindly like her father?"

"I have high hopes for Rin," Kirei defended the little spitfire. "She is spirited if anything."

"Good, that is truly good. A woman should be spirited, it makes the breaking all the more enjoyable." Gilgamesh complemented. "Very well, then I will watch her progress carefully. Perhaps she will be worthy of receiving my treasure."

"We will see." Kirei agreed. "However, she will have to get past the other Masters, and her own Servant is preparing to die."

Gilgamesh mused for a time. "Indeed, this pretender was assured that he will die cleaning my treasure. Perhaps, but that does not mean she will be out of the war yet. Do you know Kirei, if a Servant dies, the Command Seals are not lost?"

"Hai, they end up returning to the church at the end of the war." Kirei acknowledged.

"However, it is possible that the Grail will redistribute the Seals to those that are worthy." Gilgamesh continued. "Even if a Servant is lost, a Master still has a chance to become a Master again, provided a spare Servant is found."

"I see, but there are no spare Servants at the moment." Kirei pointed out.

"For now," Gilgamesh agreed. "But perhaps not for long…"

"You intend to free a Servant?" Kirei asked.

"If she shows her worth." Gilgamesh said vaguely. "Still, my interest in her is tenuous at best. All around her, the thieves think of stealing my treasure for their foolish reasons. Honestly, they're all pests that should be executed."

Hearing Archer's unusually arrogant words, Kirei helplessly sighed. "I did as you ordered and gather the information, information that required a great deal of work to obtain, and these are your only thoughts? It looks as if I have suffered for nothing."

"What 'suffered for nothing'?" The King of Heroes, a meaningful smile on his face, asked. "What are you saying, Kirei? The efforts of you and the Assassins have gotten great results, have they not?"

Sensing that the other party's words carried an ironic meaning, Kirei stared at Archer and asked. "Are you mocking me? King of Heroes."

"No. You don't understand?" Gilgamehs asked before he dismissed the question. "Never mind, it is excusable that you do not understand. Because you are a man who can only care about what he sees. Men who have no self-awareness simply pursue pleasure. Just like those beasts who chase the scent of blood, this type of feeling in their hearts will manifest in their words and actions. Therefore, Kirei, when you recount all that you have heard, seen, and understood, you have already amply shown your inner thoughts. That which your words describe in greatest detail, is also that which you are most interested in. In other words, observing a person's words and actions, is the best way of understanding his interests…"

Kirei had to admit, he had truly been careless. He had originally thought that this was only the King of Heroes' meaningless amusement. But it looked as if his judgment had lapsed; the King of Heroes was using this method to probe Kirei's innermost thoughts.

"Firstly discount that guy you purposely deceive yourself about. This sort of subconscious concern is only a sort of stubbornness. Now what I want to talk about are the people you unintentionally noticed. Of the remaining Masters, who is it then that you paid most attention to?"

Kirei suddenly felt a strong sense of unease in his heart. Regarding Kirei's silence, Archer seemed to feel satisfied, and drank a mouthful of red wine before continuing. "The Master of Berserker and the Master of Avenger. For the first, though you have little information on him, you doggedly pursue him, even at the cost of disobeying orders."

Kirei flinched at the accusation, even if it was true.

"As for the second, you believe that she is worth noting, something that you do not share about the other Masters nearly as much. Because you relationship is relatively complicated you defend her against my ire unlike any other Master in this war.

"Rin is but a child." Kirei argued.

"Hm, I don't think that's it." Gilgamesh eyed Kirei "You are more concerned about this Rin, this is true, but it is not all. Again and again you defended her, believing in her potential, more so than you do her father."

Kirei had no answer for that, truly, he did have high hopes for Rin.

"However, for all that you praise Rin, it is Berserker's Master is much more interesting to you. You gave Assassin the order to doggedly investigate this Master regardless of the cost.' An order you gave under circumstances even you were not aware of, purely based on curiosity."

"..." Facing Archer's argument which did not permit rebuttal, Kirei began to review his own actions.

Minato Sahashi, as the boy was called, Kirei had indeed believed this boy required special attention. Not because of the strange behaviors of the Servant, but because the boy had somehow eluded everyone else so flawlessly that it took another Servant whose Master had been kidnapped to find. Of course, the Servant was also important to note. Again and again the mad Servant had fought off numerous opponents with only minor damage, even when there was a cursed lance in his shoulder. A mad creature that stirred up chaos in every plan that was developed in this war, a force of pure chaos, a storm that only the boy had the ability to command, all this described Berserker yet failed to truly grasp the essence of him.

But still, in consideration of threat level, the boy and Berserker would definitely not be first in line. Not by a long shot.

The Master and Mad Enhanced Servant weren't prepared in any definition of the word, merely making it up as they went along in this war. For all the chaos had beneficially done for them, it was only a delaying action. They will probably be the quickest to be eradicated. There was no need for use of some scheme; merely dragging out a battle into a protracted war would be enough to slay the pair. Berserker was powerful for a brief fight, but the Servant had yet to truly fight for any extended period of time. Again and again, the creature had to flee to save its skin. So to some extent, he should probably be considered an opponent extremely easily dealt with, keep it pinned down, and Berserker would die shortly. Against such an opponent, to continue this investigation at the cost of betrayal…taking a step back, it truly appeared somewhat insensible.

The only real 'advantage' Berserker has is his A rank Independent Action. Killing the boy is meaningless as the mad Servant would still be able to rage for a full week with the support of a Master. The boy was, for all intents and purposes, the leash that kept the Servant from running off into the countryside. Everyone had seen Berserker's speed on his Noble Phantasm. It wouldn't take any time at all for Berserker to run to another city in Japan and kill and kill and kill everything in its path. Eventually it would go down, but until then… Still, for all the power the threat of a loose Berserker posed, it was ultimately meaningless in the Heaven's Feel Ritual.

"... I admit, this was a lapse in my judgment." With the humility of a clergyman Kirei nodded and said. "Indeed, after thinking about it carefully, Berserker's Master is but a short-lived and weak enemy. From a long-term perspective, he cannot become a threat, and thus is not worthy of attention. I have given him too high an appraisal it appears…."

"Heh, is that it?" Even though Kirei had made his apologies, Archer's glittering scarlet eyes, still had an unfathomable expression. "But Kirei, now let us suppose, in the event of miracle interweaving with luck, Berserker and his Master survived unto the end and furthermore obtained the Holy Grail. What will happen at that time, have you thought about it?"

That event, such a possibility seems unreal given the circumstances. The ultimate end of what the pair seeks is unknown. Berserker sought only death and destruction and the boy probably held little to no ambition himself. It wouldn't be a stretch of imagination to think that the boy had no idea what he had gotten himself into. Would he even have a wish? If so, what would that wish be?

Archer watching Kirei silently thinking, smiled, and spoke again. "I say, Kirei. Did you realize the true significance of asking you this question?"

"...What do you mean?" Archer's words made the priest even more confused. Did his previous thought process have any areas of inadequacy? "Tell me, Archer. What exactly is the significance of Berserker's Master obtaining the final victory?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." Archer replied glibly. "Ora, don't assume such a scary expression. I've told you so many times that I don't have the intention of poking fun at you. Think about it, why did Kotomine Kirei all along not discover the complete meaninglessness of this question? Do you not feel that this matter in itself is worthy of consideration?"

If this conversation were to continue, Archer would continue to lead him by the nose, step by step. So Kirei just gave up thinking, resting his entire body against the chair and spoke. "You might as well speak plainly, Archer."

"If I had posed the same question to you using another Master as an example, you would perceive at that this is a completely meaningless question and cast away such a silly question. But with the boy it is different. You did not believe this to be a pointless question. Instead you immersed yourself in questioning all you knew, trying to piece together the puzzle, completely uncaring that you are doing something futile. This is authentic 'interest'. Congratulations, Kirei, you can finally understand what 'entertainment' is."

"... Entertainment? You speak of pleasure?" Kirei asked.

"Yes."

Hearing Archer's affirmation, Kirei resolutely shook his head. "In the fate of the boy, there is no element that would allow one to feel 'pleasure'. The longer his life, the heavier the suffering and lamentation accumulates on him and everyone around him. To him, an early defeat would instead be a salvation."

"Oh Kirei, why perceive 'pleasure' that narrowly?" As if facing a student with poor comprehension abilities, Archer sighed deeply. "Exactly what contradiction is there between suffering and lamentation and 'pleasure'? So-called pleasure does not take any particular form. It is precisely because you do not understand this that you are confused."

"That's not something which should be forgiven!" Kirei's angry voice, like a conditioned reflex, rang out. "King of Heroes, only people with evil such as you would feel happiness in savoring the suffering of other people. But that is the spirit of a sinner, an evil which must be punished. You are not on the path of faith I, Kotomine Kirei, travel!"

"So you believe that pleasure in itself is a sort of sin? Heh, you do make fallacious arguments. You've become a really interesting man."

Just when Kirei was still considering retorting with a few words, suddenly an acute pain wracked his entire body, forcing him to double over.

"!" From his forearm near the elbow came a burning pain. Where his hidden Command Seals resided, a burning sensation flowed outward nearly crippling Kirei with pain. Assassin was calling him, warning him of something.

"It looks as if you are needed Kirei." Archer, with a somewhat sinister smile, said. "Go, do what you must. But know that you have raised my expectations of you. Now, now you have no excuse. No matter what you claim, you must have a reason to wish to obtain the Grail."

"I... a reason to obtain the Grail?"

"Indeed, if that is truly a miracle that can grant any wish, the Grail is definitely able to realize even what you yourself do not perceive, the deepest wish of your heart. Before, you claimed you had no wish, yet, now you have one. It is a small, simple wish, but even now it has gripped you." Gazing at Archer's expression, Kirei suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. Yes, that gaze was depicted in the illustrations of the Bible, the expression of the snake of Eden as it spoke to Eve the words of temptation.

"Kirei. Go forth, continue to seek answers, hunt down the one that has interested you. Learn everything about him until you know all that you desire. Seek without restraint or fear of discovery. Thinking will not bring you the answer you seek; only your actions will bring you what you desire. Continue to seek, hunt down your desire. The Grail selected you, knowing you possess a wish, even if you do not know it. Only now do you begin to understand that wish Kirei."

"..." This is something Kirei has never thought about. In this hunt for the boy, Kirei has discarded things he had never considered. He has disobeyed for the first time, trying to understand what drives the boy and his Servant. It didn't matter that he sought something that would ultimately be futile, he had sought because he believed he had to. He had taken it upon himself to learn all he could. If it were just to find an answer. Indeed, there is a way to find an immediate answer.

"...Mayhap I have a wish… But if it is like this, I will have to personally destroy the wishes of seven other people before being able to find the answer. And if I seek the Holy Grail for my own personal intents... I must make an enemy of my teacher and benefactor."

"Then you must first look for a stronger Servant. Otherwise, how will you contend with me?" As if speaking of someone else's matters, Archer leisurely drank a sip of red wine. "As for what comes after... heh, Kirei, you're on your own." The scarlet eyes of the King of Heroes shone with the light of pleasure. "To pursue, for your own desires. That is the true way of entertainment. Then entertainment will bring pleasure, and pleasure will guide you in the direction of happiness. The road has been pointed out to you, Kirei. Pointed out extremely clearly to you. Go." With a wave of his hand, Kirei was dismissed.

Holding his hand in pain, Kirei walked out of his room, out of the church to a secluded section. "What is it Assassin?"

"Master, we have done as you ask. We have found the boy, and we have found a location that will suit the purposes of the ritual." The female version of Assassin spoke.

"I see, but why did you decide to contact me whilst in the middle of a conversation,"

"Master, from now on, you are his enemy. It is the height of foolishness to stand in his range while you are his enemy." Assassin explained. "Do not go near him again Master. He will kill you."

"We shall see, but enough of this, what have you learned?" Kirei ordered.

Assassin bowed to her Master "Hai, first the Master of Berserker. He is currently-"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Takami took a deep breath, inhaling her cigarette. "He was never here." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Of the near one hundred children found on the side of the road with the carved 'You're Welcome' message, none of them was her son Minato.

"I'm sorry." Yume spoke softly. Takami shoved the arm off and took another puff.

"Enough, if he isn't here, then we need to keep looking. We've wasted enough time as it is." She stated neutrally.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeh, still holding out hope woman?" Kazehana asked.

"Shut up." Takami muttered. "The kidnapper of these children worked differently. Minato was taken by a man in armor that keeps kicking your asses as if he was Miya, not a bunch of thugs."

"…Gomen." Akitsu apologized.

"I wonder if this is what Miya was talking about that one time." Kazehana muttered.

"What was that?" Takami asked.

"Mmm, Miya spoke about how some people might still possess the power of their ancestors. Is it possible that he's a power type?"

"No," Yume argued. "That was no Sekirei power, it was too raw, too animalistic. Not even Karasuba can compare to that madness."

"…Berserker." Akitsu added her two cents.

"Hai, just like a berserker." Yume nodded.

Takami considered their words. "Berserkers have traditionally been known to possess greater than average strength for short periods. However, possessing the strength he displays, it's like he comes from an old story. No, Miya's explanation might have some truth to the matter. Perhaps it became corrupted over the generations?"

"Whatever," Kazehana miffed. "It was just a story Miya once told me. It's not like humans can match Sekirei."

Takami made a small laugh at the truth of the statement. After all, armies had died trying to take on five Sekirei, what kind of human could face multiple Sekirei and win?

"Sti~ill," Kazehana added in a mischievous voice, "It must be hard for Yume to fall in love with such a beast."

"Wha-!" Yume gaped

"Ooo~oh, so you prefer that kind of man. Strong, unpredictable, and mmmm a real animal." Kazehana spoke seductively.

"You're wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!" Yume denied shaking her head back and forth while waving her arms in the air trying to get her senior to shut up. All the while, he face turned as red as a tomato.

"…Sounds nice." Akitsu whispered in her usual stoic tone, but with a hint of envy as well.

"Doesn't it?" Kazehana agreed. However, Yume was silent as she listened to the true intent of Akitsu's words. Akitsu, like Yume as a Scrap, doomed never to find their destined one. Akitsu wasn't so much wishing Yume happiness, but expressing jealousy.

"You'll find your one." Yume declared glomping Akitsu. "Promise."

"…I am broken." Akitsu reminded everyone there of her current status.

"Don't worry, I, Yume the Sekirei of Fate know you will find your one."

"…Ah, arigato." Akitsu thanked, her tone not changing in the slightest.

Kazehana looked at Yume with a large Cheshire cat grin. "Ara, was that a confirmation of your own love?"

"Kazehana-san." Yume moaned. "It's not true."

Takami sighed at the antics of her 'help' and felt a headache creeping up her side. However, everything was interrupted by a phone call. Waving a hand for silence she answered it. "Hello Miyajima. Why are you calling?"

…

…

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN TSUKIUMI IS MISSING?" Takami roared at her phone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What is your condition Lancer?" Kayneth asked his Servant.

The spear wielding knight rolled his shoulders feeling the kinks pop and his joints realign. His face was still horribly scarred and required that he wear bandages over his face, but that was of no concern. "I am almost at peak condition Master." He then indicated his two Noble Phantasms. "I am also now possession of both my weapons. I am ready for your orders."

"Good. Tonight you are to hunt down Caster." Kayneth ordered. He needed that extra command Seal to make up for the one lost. After words, Berserker would die.

"As you order Master."

"Do try not to fail this time Lancer." Sonia scolded with an icy tone. "It wouldn't do for one of the three knight classes to fall before such trash as Caster. Honestly, had you died before Assassin had, we would never live it down."

Lancer cringed under the tongue lashing Kayneth's wife had given him, but he accepted it with stoic silence.

"Well, aren't you going to answer Lancer?" Sonia asked raising an eyebrow slightly.

"I will not fail Madam." Lancer swore.

"See that you don't." She scoffed before walking away.

"Do try not to irritate my wife." Kayneth asked his Servant.

"As you order Master." Lancer promised. Honestly, that woman scared him more than any of the Servants. Maybe she should have been the one summoned as a Servant. Lancer would have given her good odds at winning.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"The Einzbern Manor," The Black Knight spoke in a dead pan voice. He looked up and spoke in a disbelieving tone. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"**Probably because we've never been here."** The White King spoke.

"Really should have. Really, we should have thought of that ourselves." The Knight shook his head before he gazed over at what he assumed was the direction of Assassin. "Thank you for your hard work, the location is perfect for the ritual."

"Of course." Assassin's voice came from behind the knight.

"Now all we need is a large disturbance that we can take advantage of to remove everyone from Berserker." The Knight continued. He looked up and asked in a snarky voice. "But WHERE could we hope to find THAT?" He looked around, expecting a giant explosion to wrack the area.

…

…

…

"I really thought that would work." The Knight muttered looking down, looking like a dejected child.

"**Usually does**." The King pointed out. "**Kyon did it all the time**."

"Well so much for that," The Black knight muttered kicking a small pebble. "Guess we'll actually have to make a plan."

"**Yup**"

All around them, the various aspects looked at the two Servants in disbelief. Within their hearts, they were starting to have doubts. These two, these two are supposed to have some sort of Master plan to purify the Grail? Each of the Assassins looked at each other and had one collective thought.

'_What the hell did we get ourselves into?'_

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Inside the house, Shirou had discovered a life threatening problem. This was the problem to end all problems. Any other considerations were secondary to this problem. The whole world would stop at such an issue and look on in mute horror when faced with this problem.

"We're out of food." Shirou declared.

"What?" Iri asked nervously.

"We. Are. Out. Of. Food." Shirou repeated slowly, his whole body trembling in mute terror as sudden images of dozens of strange, yet familiar looking women glaring at him assaulted his mind. "Everything else is spoiled." The boy looked at his guests and inhaled as he collected himself. He steeled his nerves for the critical decision. "We need to go shopping." His tone was deadly serious

…

…

…

"?" Iri, Rin, and Tsukiumi all asked at once. They had all been kidnapped by Berserker, held against their will, and the boy wanted to take them out shopping? What was wrong with this boy?

Kariya made no sound as he was still unconscious.

Berserker on the other hand had no idea what they were talking about, but even in the madness, something felt wrong.

Yet, he felt so eager at the same time…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Read and Review.


	75. Black Zero 27

**Black Zero 27**

_There is nothing 'free' about freedom. It is paid with epics, tragedies, and monstrosities. The freedom my descendants will have comes at the price paid by their forefathers. Yet, once they are free, once they never need fear slavery or coercion, then the price paid by us will have been worth it. So, I will pay a king's ransom of blood, if only to make sure that they never need pay this price. – Emiya Kiritsugu II_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Save Him**

In a ruined throne room, covered with shattered murals and broken pillars trying to sustain the room, blood was flowing. It came up from the pit, never ending, ever rising, never clotting, never ceasing to flow. It touched the shattered black armor, it stained the white thorn throne. Only the black cloud hovering free of gravity was safe from the blood, but for how long?

**Kiritsugu**

The walls were cracking, behind the broken murals and from the cracked room light poured forth. It was not a soft and gentle light. It was a harsh, red, and smoggy glow that filtered into the rooms, casting the place into a more ominous tone.

"_w__**E**__r__**E **__r__**U**__n__**N**__i__**N**__g o__**U**__t o__**F **__t__**I**__m__**E.**_" A ghostly, distorted voice moaned.

_**"P**__ra__**Y**__**T**__he__**Y F**__ini__**SH T**__h__**E T**__as__**K**__.__**"**_ A second voice urged.

"_I __**cannot **__hold __**it**__ back __**much**__ longer_." A third warned.

"**H**urr**Y**."

_**"**__hUr__**Ry H**__u__**R**__r__**Y **__h__**U**__r__**R**__y i__**T**__'s b__**R**__e__**A**__k__**I**__n__**G."**_

_"__**Endure**__ it; endure __**it**__ a __**little **__longer."_

Even as they spoke, the pillars creaked in agony and the cracks grew larger and more light streamed into the throne room.

**Sve Him**

All the while, the blood flowed out of the pit into the room, staining everything it touched. And in the background, the sound of machines groaned

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Some distance away from the old Emiya residence, the Black Knight and the White king plotted. Never fully uttering their plan, for they did not need to, they understood each other too well to need words. They had known each other for so long, for so much of their life, that even when separated, they were still able to complete each other's thoughts.

"Tell me Assassin, do you possess Independent Action?" The Black Knight asked aloud as they watched the boy, his Servant and the 'hostages'.

"No, we do not." An aspect's whisper breezed through the air.

"**Well, there went that Idea**." The King sighed.

"Not necessarily. Perhaps we just need…an opportunity….yes…" The Black Avenger placed a hand under his chin. "If we cannot have you run around for a short time without a Master, then we will need a substitute for a short time."

The air was silent for a moment before an Assassin spoke. "What are you planning Avenger?"

"**Many moves ahead**." The King explained. **"Many moves ahead. Proper planning and preparation prevents **-poor performance after all."**

"So we cannot sacrifice the cripple, pity. That would have been easier. Hmm, in the end, I fear that we cannot go without losing one of the pieces." The Knight mused. "Hmm, we need to consider the pros and cons of-….what are they doing?" He asked seeing them put on their coats and walking out the door. Iri was helping the scarred man stand up. Apparently he had woken up recently. The lone boy in the group was now leading them out the building and down the street. As they passed the building entrance Berserker shifted into astral form. No one could see him, but any fool with a hint of self preservation would be able to feel the oppressive atmosphere that he was generating.

**"This…is either a golden opportunity or a large problem." **The White aspect of Avenger declared.

"Knowing our luck, it's the second." The Black aspect moaned.

"Perfect," an Assassin hissed in annoyance. It was obvious that the 'hostages' were being subtly herded by Berserker's presence to keep in a tight group. While it would be possible to grab one or two of them and manage to escape, Berserker would in turn leave a bloody toll in his wake and probably kill several of the other targets.

As one, the various aspects of Avenger and Assassin thought one thing at the same time. _'Not good'_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_The boy had done it. Years of work, years of effort, and he had accomplished his dreams. He was a knight, he had a lord to serve. The boy had accomplished his simple little dream. Could it be better? For the most part no, but…there was a small part of him, a small part that wanted to have just a little more. Nothing fancy, nothing elegant, just one small minor thing._

_A family. _

_A woman to love, and a child or two to raise. _

_Just a simple little dream, nothing ambitious, just something any man could want. For one who was more than his fellows, a champion among men, this man, this simple man wanted just a little more. He didn't want a kingdom, he didn't want wealth, any honor or glory he gained was inconsequential, he just wanted one last small simple thing._

_But the boy… no, man… no, __**knight**__ was in no hurry. He had a lord to serve, good friends and comrades to fight and celebrate beside.. His small little dream, his simple little wish was placed aside. After all, there was plenty of time, plenty to do. He would surely have that simple desire. It was far harder to become a knight, how hard would it be to finish this last wish? So the boy, no, the man fought for his lord. He won his liege glory and honor, defeated and destroyed his master's enemies and made a name for himself. All for his master, all for his original dream, but he never fully forgot his second wish. Still, he was content, he was willing to wait. Surely he would find the one…_

_But Fate…_

_Fate is a cruel thing._

_He was cursed, he was damned by his face._

_Love he found but it was not his. Love was given but he should have never taken._

_Cursed and damned was he by his face, his honor was lost, his trust was betrayed, and he was left to die for sins that were not his own. Alone in the forest, his last moments were nothing but regret. Regret that his lord had betrayed him, regret that the woman he loved had ended him, regret that his dream as a knight was over, and regret that his last dream, his simple wish was gone. It hurt, more than the wounds, more than the pain, this hurt him the most. As he died he wished one last time._

_'I just wanted to serve a Master, to serve a good and worthy lord with all my might. I just wanted to have a family. Was it too much to ask for? Was it too much to grasp? I wish, I wish I could have the chance, just one more chance. Is that too much to ask for?'_

_And so he died._

_Alone, ruined, and soon forgotten. They would tell his tale, not with honor and glory, but spat upon with disgust for actions that were not entirely his fault. If there was a fault to be blamed, it lay with that woman._

_That woman, and his damned lovespot._

_The knight had held his pride, had been a prodigy amongst his peers, and what did he have to show for it? His name scorned and condemned, his life's work tainted and trashed, and all that he worked for….gone…_

_So what was it all for?_

_The Master watched in fascination. Something about this, something about this simple wish touched him. Only lightly, of course, he was a prodigy and Lord, but still… That final wish, the one thing the knight possessed. The wish that damned him forever, that simple, stupid, plebian wish he kept in his heart…_

_That wish, no matter how fate destroyed the knight, no matter how it lead to his death, it still wasn't a bad one…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How are you doing Uncle Kariya?" Rin asked with a great amount of concern. It was understandable of course. The girl had not seen the her uncle figure in over a year, and at the time he still had full motor control in his limbs, his hair still had color, and a functioning left eye.

Kariya had a small wince in his step, but to him, it was heavenly compared to what he had been living with for the past year. The worms were gone, completely and utterly gone. His augmented magic was gone, and therefore, the pain was…if not completely gone, decreased by an order of vast magnitude. There had been day where he had wanted to die and only the thoughts of Sakura and Rin separated, and Sakura left in that hell had kept him going. "I'll be fine Rin." He tried to assure her.

He had awoken in a strange place, recognizing it not. He had immediately noticed that the pain was gone, but hadn't had time to question it as of all the people he had thought to see when he woke up, little Rin was the last. Once Rin had seen him awaken, she had quietly called upon a woman with white hair and red eyes.

Homunculus.

Kariya knew instantly what she was after studying for a year. She was the Einzbern's Grail Vessel. Despair had hit him as he believed that the Einzbern had kidnapped him.

Irisviel, for that was her name, had quickly killed that idea. She had told him quietly that he, Rin, another girl named Tsukiumi and Irisviel herself had all been kidnapped by Berserker. A new wave of despair had hit him until Iri had pointed to the Master of Berserker.

A boy

A boy no older than Rin was the Master of the most dangerous of Servants. Yet, he showed no fear of Berserker, and Berserker showed no hostility to the boy.

How? How had the boy done that? Kariya knew that Rin was bright, but not even she could have pulled off summoning a Servant at her age

…or so he thought.

Apparently Rin **was** bright enough to summon a Servant. At least, that's what Kariya believed upon seeing the command Seals on Rin's left hand. Root knows, Tokiomi would never relinquish his 'precious' command seals on his daughter. Given the situation, and surrounded by future enemies, he had not risked talking to her about it for both his and her safety.

"Why are we going out?" Kariya asked confused by the whole turn of events.

"Apparently we need to go shopping for food." Irisviel responded, just as confused as he was at the moment.

"Of course," The red-head boy declared. "It's a major emergency. We're all out of food."

Kariya slowly turned his head between Irisviel, Rin, and the blond girl, who all shrugged at his unspoken question. This? This was a major emergency? Judging by the severe pressure that Berserker was unsubtly pressing down on Kariya, yes, yes it was.

"I…see…" Kariya uttered. "That is important…I guess…" Nowhere near as important as the war going on or Berserker breathing down their necks, but it is important to a certain degree. Actually, considering it felt like Berserker was half an inch from him, Kariya was beginning to place this issue on a higher scale; world shattering levels in fact, just please get Berserker away from him. Looking back at the boy, Kariya saw that the boy was rifling through his clothes desperately.

"Oh no," The boy suddenly cried. "Wallet, wallet, wallet. Where's my wallet?" He seemed to be panicking at this.

Sighing, Kariya checked his pockets and confirmed that he still had his in his jacket. "Here, we'll use mine."

"No, you don't have to," The boy protested, as if forcing the man to pay was a grave insult to his prisoner. Berserker's presence seemed even nastier at the moment, as if the Servant was insulted that Kariya had placed the boy in this position.

"It's fine." Kariya said as calmly as possible while virtually feeling Berserker breathe down his neck. "My treat, don't worry about it."

"But," The boy looked down, like he was ashamed, so ashamed of taking the money.

"Shirou," the Homunculus spoke up, "Please, if we need food, we need food. Don't worry we'll work out how to pay him back later." She seemed to be trying to soothe the boy, whether out of that mysterious maternal sense all women have or mere survival instincts, it was uncertain. Still, it seemed to be working.

"…Alright, if we pay him back later….mmh, that sounds right." The boy said nodding. He then turned to Kariya and bowed deeply. "Thank you very much." He spoke in the politest form. Berserker seemed to sense his Master's relief and backed away from Kariya.

"D-don't mention it kid." Kariya uttered in relief.

_From the distant west, an army marched, sweeping rolls of dust at its wake. None could underestimate this invading army since they had begun their march. Rumors about the army's might had already swept through the land like a gale long before this army arrived. Usurping the throne of the small country Macedonia in the far west country of Greece, the young king had since then subdued the neighboring countries in the blink of an eye, and became the leader of Corinth. _

_Iskander_

_Iskander the Great, according to some. It was said that his ambition lay past the Straits. That he wanted to extend his territory into the great empire of Persia. _

_Of course, none of the brave warriors who swore utter loyalty to protect their glorious Persian country would bow their heads before the invader. The warriors bet their pride and honor as soldiers upon this fact and countered the attack of Iskander's army. Yet, the soaring morale of this upstart invading enemy that appeared before them terrified them horribly. The defenders' moral shivered and shook in fright. _

_It was not due to the command of gods or the call of the greater good that pushed these invaders forward. They all were only here to fulfill a tyrant's desire. However, why would these soldiers have such a soaring morale, such a mighty fighting spirit? Even those warriors who swore to protect their country till their death could not contend with them. _

_However, it was not this that truly shocked the defeated generals. _

_Young Alexander, standing in front of the captives, opened his mouth and spoke as if he was a kid pulling a prank. "What I want isn't your country. I merely wish to keep progressing toward the East." _

_Then, this country was merely a foothold for his continuing conquest? _

_No, it was not. _

_Then, could it be that his ambitions even exceeded the Iranian plains, and wants to conquer distant India? _

_No, it's the East even further away than that. _

_Seeing that none of his foreign subjects could guess his intentions, the King proclaimed loudly. "My goal is the end of the world. My destination is the furthest border of the East. I want to behold Oceanus with my own two eyes. I want leave my footprints at the beach beside that endless sea." _

_Of course, no one believed in his words, and they all considered it as boasts that he used to conceal his true intentions. But this man returned the domination of his conquered lands to the local nobles, and brought his army away with him continuing towards the East. The defeated generals finally understood when they watched, dumbstruck, his back disappearing into the distance. _

_None of those 'reasons' that the tyrant said were lies. He was only progressing towards the East, and swept away those who stood in his way. _

_'How pitiful and deplorable were those soldiers who discarded all their glory and riches and left their homelands to follow' him declared the defeated armies. At first, they also felt indignant. How deplorable they are that those men have to fight due to such a foolish reason. But very soon they, who had lost everything, suddenly thought. What would they see behind that mountain?' 'What would they see at the other side of the sky?' _

_To explore the unknown world; isn't that the dream that all men had once possessed in their youth? _

_But as they aged, these men focused on maintaining their positions and keep climbing up the social ladder, simply discarding the dream of their youth for those illusionary glories and titles. Now, this man, this King shattered their reason of existence in one night's time and ignited the dream they had longed for in their hearts. The men who finally understood this held up the weapons in their hands once again. _

_They were neither heroes, nor generals, they were just ordinary youths, having just taken out their armor and weapons from the inside of the storeroom. Those hearts once drained of pride and glory were filled once more till they overflowed and they went after the back of the great king traveling to the east. _

_Thus, the army of the King increased endlessly with his victories on his road of progress. How incredible were those people if they were to be beheld by the eyes of others. Heroes who were once defeated, generals of vanquished armies, and kings who lost their throne; everyone walked together, shoulder by shoulder, with the same smile on their faces and the same light sparkling in their eyes. _

_"To Oceanus!" The men called loudly together."Forward, to the East, to distant East!" _

_Until, together with 'that man', their leader, their king, they behold the legendary beach they march. The long march still continues on without end. Across boiling deserts, over chilling snow-capped mountains, fording billowing rivers, chasing away ferocious beasts, and fighting for their lives for times out of count with those alien tribes never seen before and the unknown weapons and strategies they deployed. Innumerable soldiers died in foreign lands. _

_Their sight scattered while they stared at the back of the King, who continued forward. Their hearing faded while they listened for the sounds of the tide from the distant East. Even when they died in battle after giving all they had, their faces still held a proud smile until the end. _

_Very soon they'd be able to reach the image in their dreams, the evening-mist-covered seashore that they had once seen. There, no other sounds existed apart from the sound of the waves ceaselessly splashing against the shore; a distant and far-away sea that one cannot see the end. That is the scene that their King described for them, but they never got to see even once in their lives. _

_Therefore, this isn't a scene in their memories, but a scene that they continued to long for in their hearts during their heroic crusading lives. The youth seemed to hear a billowing of the tide when the dream of the Heroic Spirit's memories that was transmitted from a distant time and space ended. That billowing had, perhaps, always echoed in his heart._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rider agreed eagerly and instantly as soon as Waver suggested that they should go have a stroll in the streets. Of course, for Waver, there was nothing that interested him much in this eastern little town compared to his hometown London. He just wanted to find a book. Although the easiest way to find books is to use the library, it would appear a bit inconvenient when a giant such as Rider was following him. Moreover, it's clearly foolish to bring a loud guy such as Rider into the library, which demands silence. Besides, Rider had a history of destroying the library when he was first summoned out. It's going to be problematic if he went along, became recognized, and Waver had to pay for the damages.

So he had to search in the bookshops. He had to go to larger shops to find English books as local bookshops usually only sell books in the native language. However, a market that is too busy can also be problematic. It was the first time Waver walked in the streets of Fuyuki Shinto during the day. It was reasonable as he hadn't had anything in particular that needed him to come out during the day until now. The morning streets were completely void of the nocturnal feeling filled to the brim of a demonic aura, and the oppressive feeling of madness hiding in the shadows. The warm sunlight and fresh air seemed to ease the burdens and stresses built up in the night.

"Say boy, what on earth got into you today?" Rider questioned his diminutive Master.

"Nothing in particular; just wanted to lighten my mood." Waver replied in annoyance. It wasn't as if he had something that irritated him or that he was unsatisfied with Rider's work; it was that pointless actions such as to lighten his mood has nothing in common with Waver's strategies. Still…no matter what, he wanted to completely forget about the War of the Holy Grail even if for only a little while. That was the truth. He didn't want to think of the oppressive feeling Gilgamesh imposed with a mere gaze, the bowl loosening feeling Berserker's roar created, and most of all…he didn't want to think of Caster's atrocities. Saber and Lancer were icons, beings so great that Waver felt insignificant before. And Avenger…there was something wrong with that pair, something so innately wrong that Waver did not want to think about.

How does one describe something so innately wrong that it seems alien, yet familiar at the same time?

How could Waver feel relaxed when facing a being that comes from the future, armed with knowledge no other could possess? Everyone else was taking it in stride, but Waver could not, would not.

"Just stop asking why. Anyways, weren't you yelling since this war started that you want to stroll at some busy place?" Waver

"True, the pleasure of feeling the bustling atmosphere in a foreign market is not any less than the pleasure of battles." Rider commented grinning widely.

"… Countries brought into war and strife because of such reasons…are pitiful indeed." Waver mumbled helplessly.

Hearing his words, Rider tilted his head as if very surprised, and asked. "What's wrong, kid? You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes."

"Nothing nothing, just pretend that I didn't say anything."

Waver had read that Masters who had established a contract with a Servant might experience former memories of the Heroic Spirit in the form of dreams but had never expected it to happen to him. Waver was reluctant to mention what he dreamed of this morning. No one should want others to see through events in their memory, at least in Waver's opinion. Moreover, Waver didn't intentionally want to see those memories in the first place.

Rider immediately expressed immense interest to the shops around them as soon as they arrived at the shopping district in front of the station. It seems like Waver won't need to worry whether this King of Conquerors will stir up some trouble before Waver's proper business is done.

"I'm going to deal with some business in this bookshop." Waver said pointing to a nearby shop.

"Mmm," Rider grunted whilst he was looking around at the various stores and enjoying the foreign scents.

"Basically, you can do whatever you want, but you absolutely must not step out of this shopping area. We can't be careless even during the day. You need to be able to rush to me immediately if I am attacked." Waver ordered

"Mmm! Mmm!"

He didn't even know if Rider was listening at all with those great, big, sparkling with light eyes that were completely focused on the surrounding restaurants, toy shops, gaming arcades and food stalls already.

"Don't conquer, don't invade." Waver continued.

"Huh?" Rider suddenly turned to Waver.

"Huh what? Seriously, don't." Waver insisted not trusting his Servant's instincts. Worried that they might draw attention if they took too long here, Waver stuffed his wallet into the King of Conquerors' thick palm. "Don't steal anything, and don't you think about eating without paying, Go use money to buy something if you want it. Do you need me to use the Command Seal to tell you this again properly?"

"What? Hahahaha! Don't be so nervous! Macedonian decorum is applicable to all civilized men in any country." Rider cried out, though it failed to ease Waver's worry of unleashing the Servant upon the populace.

Not indicating if he really understood what Waver meant, Rider disappeared excitedly into the crowd of packed and raucous shoppers. Waver could only sigh as he looked at Rider's gradually disappearing figure. Although he was still seemingly slightly worried, Rider looked extremely adaptable to foreign cultures despite his careless demeanor.

Although Waver hadn't expected to actually find the target book, instead, he found it rather easily much to his surprise. Waver immediately began to quickly peruse through the contents of the book. As he began reading, he forgot all about time as he read through the book. Reading this, in Waver's opinion, is he specialty he had always had since childhood. He is confident that he wouldn't lose to anyone when it comes to the understanding of a book after reading it once. It's not perfect memory, but Waver could retain the information from any book he read, if not word for word. In the Clock Tower, this kind of talent he makes it easier when researching through books.

The contents of the book Waver was now reading were very captivating, to say the least. The author had written the book so well that it pulled the reader's thoughts into a whirlwind of life in ancient times under the reign of the King of Conquerors. For an unknown amount of time, Waver remained in an oblivious state of reading….

Until a hand clad in white armor grasped his shoulder.

"**You are either very foolish or very brave little Master."** The White King whispered.** "I'm thinking the former at the moment.**"

Waver paled as he slowly turned he head to gaze at the Servant of Vengeance.

**"Tell me little Master, if I were your enemy, how would you hope to survive?"**

Waver instinctively looked at his left hand.

**"Wrong, I could remove your arm faster than you could use a Command Seal."** The King commented gaining a flinch from Waver. The White Servant then removed his hand from Waver. **"You have potential boy, but you waste it. Were I Assassin, you would be dead, no warning, no mercy. You are simply in luck that I am not your enemy…today**" The King stepped back a bit giving Waver room to breathe…metaphorically. The boy was busy holding his breath at the moment in fear.

Suddenly, Waver felt some extraordinarily heavy steps, different from that of an ordinary person, coming into his hearing. Leaping away from the Avenger, he ran towards the familiar steps of Rider. Waver only made it about ten feet before he almost collided with his Servant.

"Oooh! I found you I found you!" Rider declared upon seeing his Master.

"This isn't the time Rider," Waver cried. He pointed at the King who was busy picking up the book

Waver had unconsciously dropped upon seeing that a Servant had snuck up on him.

"**You and your Master are careless Rider. You left him vulnerable and he closed himself off in his book. I wasn't even hiding my presence and I still startled him**." The King critiqued blandly, like a schoolteacher lecturing children.

"Ah, ah my bad, my bad" Rider apologized lightly placing a hand on his head in embarrassment.

"What are you doing Rider?" Waver demanded.

"Boya, if he wanted you dead, you would already have been." Rider pointed out.

"**Doubtful, you were too close to kill him. You would have sensed my intent.**" The King shrugged getting a massive grin from Rider like a child caught in a lie. Kiritsugu glanced at the book and flipped through it a bit. Subtly, his shoulders shook in amusement. He closed the book, shaking his head twice to clear his head before lightly tossing it to the boy. "**Word of advice, history is only what was written down. The past is what truly happened. After all, King Arthur was really a woman despite history saying otherwise…"**

Rider snorted in amusement. "Ah, that's the truth. When my scribes were writing my exploits I just told them to write it as they saw fit."

"N-n-n-nani!" Waver cried.

"**Well that would explain several issues about your legend…**" The King mused casually.

"You really are a weird guy Master." Rider commented seeing that the book Waver was reading was the biography of him, Alexander the Great. "Wouldn't the real person standing in front of you more reliable compared to these records? Isn't it easier to just ask me whatever questions you have?"

"Rriiiiideeeerrrr…" Waver hissed. Why wasn't his blasted Servant killing the enemy? Dammit! Now they were looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"Well? What is it boya, what did you want to ask?" Rider leaned forward eager to hear.

Fueled with frustration, Waver cried out. "Aaaaaa! Fine, it's clear you aren't going to kill him! I'll bloody ask you!" He flipped to a page that had caught his attention.

"Historical records say you were a very short man, so why do you appear like an idiotic giant now?"

"I'm short? Where did you read that?" Rider asked. The White King looked up and down the King of Conquerors and cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Here." Waver pointed to a particular page. "It is said that your feet couldn't even reach the foot stool after you conquered the Persian Empire and sat on Darius' throne, and at the end they had no other choice but to swap that foot stool for a table!"

"Aaa, you mean Darius? That couldn't be helped. I'm indeed short compared to that tall man." Hearing Waver say the name Darius, the King of Conquerors laughed loudly and clapped his hands. He then spoke while gazing at the sky with a face full of reminiscence as if he was remembering an old friend. "Ah, his caliber as emperor was very majestic. His figure too. He was indeed a ruler fitting for the mighty Persian Empire." From Rider's description, the other man should have been a giant of more than three meters tall.

**"Sounds like a good fight."** The white Avenger commented.

"Indeed," Rider confirmed

"Unimaginable… it's absolutely unimaginable!" Waver stuttered.

**"Not really, that's about the same size as Herakles."** The White King argued.

"Oho, you've met him?" Rider asked curiously.

**"No, but my parents did, I heard the stories about him many a time as a child."**

Waver instantly jumped on what he thought was a lifeline. "Wait, how would they have met Herakles if you are-?"

**"Do you really want the answer to that question?" **The White King cut off Waver's question. **"Regardless, I am getting off track of why I came here originally."**

"Ah." Rider grunted, his eyes suddenly becoming serious. "So what is it that you came here to do?"

**"Please leave."** White Avenger asked. Both Waver and Rider blinked at the blunt request.** "In a few minutes, Berserker, his Master, and several hostages will be here. I and my other self are using what magic we have to 'persuade' all customers to leave and all shop keepers to ignore Berserker's aura, and the last thing we need is either of you two being detected and Berserker kills the hostages."**

"Hmm….I understand." Rider nodded. "Let's go boya." The Servant then grabbed his Master and began moving whist his Master strugged in Rider's grasp.

"Wait, wait wait wait," Waver called out.

**"No time, the abomination is almost upon you."** The White King declared before vanishing into spiritual form. As Waver passed the front desk, he saw that the clerk was staring at them strangely. Her pupils were dilated, yet she followed them easily as they passed.

"Arigato," The woman said bowing as they left, not noticing or caring that they hadn't paid for the book in Waver's hand. Waver shuddered slightly at the blatant use of hypnotism. Yes, he was doing the same with the family he was staying with, but now…it felt disgusting to do that to people.

Then…Waver felt it; the distinct sensation of madness and evil approaching. It was still faint, but coming closer by the second. Rider began picking up the pace quickly moving away from that sensation at a good clip Waver wildly looked around to see people all moving in the same direction. Each and every one of them had the same eyes as the clerk earlier. Each of these hypnotized people seemed to not notice that they were all moving in a great stream away from the monstrous sensation that should have them shaking in fear.

Perhaps…perhaps it was for the best. Whatever Berserker and his master had come here to do, it was probably for the best. Waver tried to not think of the panic Berserker's presence would cause even in spiritual form.

Mass hysteria.

Yes, that's a good description. Those two words felt perfect to describe what would happen. As Rider and Waver evacuated, the Master caught sight of a figure clad in black armor upon a rooftop bowing slightly at the them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You're sure that they are coming here?" The Black Knight asked aloud even though he seemed to be alone on the rooftop.

"Yes, the boy was very clear that they were going shopping for food." One of the aspects of Assassin spoke while hiding his presence.

"Then let us pray that this will be enough." The knight muttered quietly. "Honestly, what is he thinking? Berserker? In public? Let's just burn down the city while we're at it. It wouldn't be all that much more obvious."

"Truly, Berserker is as subtle as an avalanche." Assassin agreed.

The 'younger' Kiritsugu would have continued, but he suddenly grabbed his right hand in pain. "Hrk." He grunted as the pain spiked to near blinding levels for a moment. Looking at his hand, he saw that it was constantly twitching in agony. 'Not good.'

"Something wrong Avenger?" Assassin's voice pierced through the pain.

"Times running out. Less than twenty four hours left." The Black Knight muttered. He was sure that at the same moment, the White King was experiencing the same problem. "Never mind, ignore it. We have plenty of time to finish our duty. By tomorrow morning, the vessel will be purified."

"If you are sure…" Assassin placated.

"I don't need your comments Assassin. I know my limits, I've known my limits for a very long time. As long as I don't strain things...and Berserker doesn't do anything we should be-"

"We have a problem." Assassin suddenly spoke up.

"F***" The knight cursed throwing his hands up in the air. "What? Fires? Floods? Caster?"

"Sekirei."

The knight hissed and seethed for a moment before he finally spoke. "All right, give it to me, what the hell is going on?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As cliché as it was, Kariya couldn't help but think it. It was quiet, too quiet. This place should have been bustling with people. Yet, the shopping district was empty. Deserted. Yet…there wasn't a single hint of magic in the air. It was as if they were walking into a ghost town. Kariya shivered slightly, this place reminded him too much of Caster's work. But still…no magic to detect, or at least magic infinitely more subtle that Caster ever performed. Kariya glanced down at his command seals in frustration. Damn Caster, and damn that old blood sucking bastard as well. Kariya wasn't an idiot, it was clear that Zouken hadn't planned on Kariya winning. It was nothing more than the old man messing with his mind. As soon as it was Safe, Kariya was going to burn a command Seal getting everyone out of here, use a second to sic Caster on Zouken, then finally use the third one for Caster to kill himself.

Forget the Grail, it was clearly up to Kariya to save Sakura.

"Ah, here's a good place." The boy called to the group. Kariya followed the finger of Berserker's Master to a grocery store. Kariya had no idea how the boy expected to buy anything from this empty place, but before he could speak up his thoughts, the boy had already entered the store. Kariya and the rest followed quickly as any sign of hesitation brought the mad Servant's presence exceedingly close to them. Though none of them could see the Mad Servant in spiritual form, everyone could feel his presence herding them like an overpowered sheepdog; one that would rip out their throats if they tried to escape.

Kariya had to hand it to the boy, he was a better manipulator than Zouken. The old vampire was fond of dangling hope in front of victims, this boy however… he was painting himself as an innocent. Not once had the boy hinted any threats, the mere existence of Berserker was enough to get what he wanted done. The boy was playing pure innocent, so much that Kariya could almost believe it was genuine.

Almost.

Kariya entered the store and found himself staring. There was a clerk there; just, just standing there, with a slight smile on her face, like nothing was wrong in the world; like she didn't feel the great bearer of death in the room. It was like she didn't feel the madness encompassing the room. She just stood there, smiling.

"Welcome, how may we help you today?" The clerk asked kindly as she bowed.

"Ah, we're here to get some groceries." The boy responded bowing politely in return. Not noticing what was wrong.

"Well this is the place." The Clerk replied. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but most of the staff are in a meeting at the moment, but I would be happy to help you however I can. It's been rather slow today."

Kariya couldn't believe it, how could this woman could act so…so normal whilst she was under the full effect of Berserker's presence? Then, he looked in her eyes and ended up staring at them. They were dilated, completely dilated, a sure sign of a powerful hypnotism. That, that made sense…

So who the Root put that on the clerk?

Kariya wasn't sure he wanted to know. All he knew was that the boy was already commandeering the others to help collect groceries. After about half an hour passed they placed the food on the check-out counter where the clerk rang it up. "That will be six thousand five hundred twenty yen. Kariya flinched slightly at the cost, but considering the number of mouths being fed, that wasn't too bad a price.

_(The current market makes 6520 yen = about 82 American dollars if anyone actually cares)_

The clerk helped them bag everything which was then carried by hand by everyone out of the store and back towards the house. They hadn't noticed that a battle had been waged about a quarter of a mile away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

watch?v=RH-zelfuSAw

The Black Knight fought back the urge to cough blood from the blow Yume impacted on him. Dammit, that HURT! He barely dodged left just as he fist smashed through the area his head had been a half second ago. As always, Yume was a league of her own when she fought. As it was, with stats that belonged to mere humans, Kiritsugu was losing. Badly. He didn't know why she was here, shopping maybe? At the moment, it didn't matter, as soon as he appeared in front of her, she had smashed her fist into his chest. His armor did little to dampen the blow to his liver.

"Grk," Kiri coughed as Yume's leg connected with his side. Pain…everywhere…

"How dare you take him away!" Yume yelled for the umpteenth time since this fight had started. Honestly, one would think the fact that he was slower, weaker, not roaring his head off, and actually making human sounds would tip her off. Dropping to one knee he avoided a kick to the head. Pouring prana through his knee into the ground, the roof beneath him burst up in an explosion. The thrust allowed Kiritsugu to send his knee flying up towards Yume's chest at an unbelievable speed.

And yet the blasted alien dodged!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Whilst the Black Knight was busy facing Yume, the White King was almost at his next target. Yes, the knight would never approve, but then again, that was rarely ever new. The Knight was always the weakest in conviction of the two. It was always the King that urged for the necessary sacrifices. Honestly, without his white half, the black would try doing things father's way. Which, while it is a nice ideal, a perfect ideal in fact…it just would not work for the two of them. Their own ideal could not be done in a lifetime, not in a hundred generations, possibly not even in a hundred thousand generations. Shaking his head, the King cleared his thoughts and focused on the building before him…

The Church.

**"Stay out of this for now Assassin,"** The King warned.

"What are you doing?" The invisible servant's voice whispered in the wind.

**"Obtaining something important."** Refusing to elaborate, the King walked up to the church and opened the door. As always, this place felt wrong to him. This holy place was like a slow poison to he whose origin was Sin. This place felt like a massive weight on every inch of his body. Worse, the memories of this place, of the nun who wielded a red scarf…The King repressed a shudder thinking of the things she had done in his presence. That woman was nuts. _**'Mental note: Make Kirei vow that he will do everything in his power to prevent his daughter from getting interested in S&M.'**_

"Yes, how may I help you?" An old man's voice echoed in the room.

**"As I understand, it is required for Master's and Servants to be registered for the church. Forgive the delay but we have been busy."** The Kiritsugu answered.

"Hmm… indeed Masters are supposed to register, however, so far only two Masters have bothered with such things. Indeed, all others have ignored the church's regulations." The voice continued to echo in the room.

"**Cease this hiding Priest, if I wanted you dead, I would have killed you already." **Kiri growled.

"Of course," Risei replied as he entered the room. "I was merely cautious of an unknown Servant entering this sanctity." The priest came to stand before the alter. "So, Avenger, where is your Master?"

Striding forward confidently, the White King's voice exuded confidence. **"Still in Berserker's hands; however, just because the Master isn't available doesn't mean that we should skip formalities."**

"I see…most unusual." Risei frowned watching the 'eighth' Servant walk forward until he stood a mere five feet from the priest.

**"Hardly, the Grail war is a place where anything can and will happen. Normal does not exist in this Ritual."**

"Ritual?" The priest asked suspicious. "Why do you call it a Ritua-"

Slash

Risei fell to the ground as his right arm suddenly separated from his body. Before it even his the ground, the White King caught the limb. From his back waved a hundred thorn covered vines. Though each of the vines dripped blood, one such vine was now coated in blood from Risei.

**"Goodbye Priest, see you in the Root."** He spat on the word 'Priest' as he spoke. Hate lacing his voice.

Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab Stab.

Faster than the eye could see the vines shot forth impaling the priest again and again. His corpse was lifted in the air and pinned to the large crucifix at the back of the church.

"Was there some reason for this…butchery Avenger?" Assassin's voice echoed in the room. The Servant of the Shadow's presence was completely hidden as a reminder that the King would die without an explanation.

**"Three Reasons. The first of which is on this arm."** The King replied holding up the limb.** "Command Seals."** On the limb were a dozen, maybe more, Seals. **"We will need these for what is to come."**

"I see…" Assassin's voice spoke, barely hiding his surprise at the revelation of the presence of so many command seals on one person.

**"No, you don't. But that is fine. Come Assassin, it is time for the second reason."** Stepping into a side door, the King marched to his next destination inside the church.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Duck left, roll right. Slash. Slash. Slash. The lone, sane Black Knight fought on against Yume feeling every fracture, every bruise, every concussion throbbing in pain. The blasted alien was truly living up to her name as the dirtiest fighter of the enforcers. Every dirty trick Kiritsugu tried against her was seen through and easily dealt with. He tried throwing dirt at her, causing the ground to explode around her, set the area on fire… heck, he even punched her with his arm on fire. None of it was working.

"Where is he monster?" Yume yelled as her fist smashed into the space between his chest armor and waist armor.

"Gah." Kiritsugu coughed _'You'd think she'd let me try to speak. Dammit, she's expecting the abomination and fights accordingly.'_ Still, though he was losing the battle, he was going to win the war._ 'Just a little more, just a little more annnnd.'_ Kiritsugu leaped back avoiding Yume's fist as it smashed through the roof. Unfortunately for her, the sheer strength in her punch was enough to work against her intentions. The roof, weakened by time and by the attack, gave in instantly. For a mere moment, Yume lost sight of him as she fell before she landed and pounced back up again.

A moment was all he needed.

She burst back up in an instant looking for him. Gone. The black clad armored figure was gone. She looked left and right and then she saw it, a flap of black in the distance. She dashed after it. As soon as she came to the spot, she saw another flap of black in the distance and she was off.

Back where the battle had waged, the Black Knight revered into physical form and collapsed. "Many thanks Assassin, keep her on a wild chase for a time."

"Of course." One of the Assassins voices spoke.

The Knight found his strength leaving him and thus he collapsed. "F***, don't ever face her head on again. I think she broke five ribs." He tried to stand only to fall flat on his face while holding his side. "Grk, no, make that seven." He helmet popped open around his mouth allowing him to spit. Two teeth, one of them a gold one came along for the ride out with a great deal of blood in accompaniment. "Well, it's not like I needed those two for long."

"Fearsome creature that one, but for all that, she falls easily for the old tricks." Assassin commented.

"To be fair, I was busy getting her angry." The King commented slowly, agonizingly getting up. "An angry opponent is an easily fooled opponent. Now, help me get the hell out of here. I think I need to lay down for a while."

An aspect of Assassin appeared, a larger than average one if one were curious, appeared and held out his hand for Kiri to grab and pull himself up. Kiri began limping forward towards the direction Berserker and his 'entourage' took, back towards the Emiya residence.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

As he walked down the stairs, the White King couldn't help but frown at the difference in atmosphere. This stairway in another lifetime had been covered in a staggering amount of evil auras. Mentally, he had come prepared to walk down those evil stairs once more. Instead, it was as holy down here as it was above. **"To think, this very hell hole was actually a real holy ground. Shocking. Absolutely Shocking."** He muttered as he walked down the last step. He gazed at this place, where in another life it was dark and filled with evil, a temple to the darkness, in this time, it was covered with candles glowing softly like the stars in the night sky. And in the midst of this holy place was an altar, an altar white as snow that seemed to glow in the dark.

He placed his hands on the altar and used a basic Structural Analysis to determine where to grip. Placing his hands upon the right spot, the King heaved and pulled off the cover of the altar. There, a very special red cloth lay there, as if waiting for a worthy user. **"The Shroud of Martin, a conceptual armor of…minor levels or protection."**

"That's the second reason?" Assassin asked, confused as to the cloth's significance.

**"The church guards their relics well, no devout priest would ever part with anything belonging to their saints…But no, this is not the second reason. This is just a mere bonus."** The King explained. **"**As for the second reason…" From the back of the King sprouted a dozen vines. The vines twisted and turned as they braided themselves together. Once the vines had woven themselves together, the King drew his sword, flourished it for good measure and swung it behind his back separating the vines from his body. Moving quickly, he turned to the altar and kicked it out of the way. He then grabbed the vines and rammed them into the spot where the holy relic had rested a moment ago.

For a minute or two, nothing happened. Then, the vines that had lain limply began pulling themselves erect. Once the stalk stood up proudly, it began growing. More and more vines began appearing from the ground, adding their mass to the stalk. More and more grew, as each appeared the air grew thicker with Mana, the magic of the world itself.

"What is this Avenger?" Assassin asked, somewhat concerned about this new function of Avenger's throne.

**"A seed," **Kiri replied cryptically. **"A seed from a corpse of a Dead Apostle Ancestor."**

Assassin could only ask one thing hearing that reply. "What?"

**"Enough, this is what needed to be done. This seed will not harm the planet, merely inconvenience it slightly. If you have questions wait until it is time for the Third Reason to be unveiled. We must go now."** The White King stepped away from his creation and began making his way back up the stairs.

"We will be reporting this to our Master if you do not give us an explanation," Assassin threatened.

**"I would expect no less. He will listen, and then he will make his choice."**

Left alone in the crypt, the vines began to take shape slowly. At the top of the stalk, a face began to form, a face vastly different that Kiritsugu's; a face that formed a slight smile. More vines grew from the ground, and though some added to the growing mass, others began moving across the room, along the floors, up the walls, across the ceiling.

It grew and it grew, all in the name of the King and his desires.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_He watched the fight in fascination. A boy that was near death kept fighting with everything he had for his dream. He would not fall, could not fall against his fallen future. In the ruins of the Einzbern manor, the two fought on; ideal clashing with harsh reality, innocent fighting cynic, fool facing fool. It was impossible to tear his gaze away from them. Even now, the words of Archer rang through him as strongly as they rang through the boy._

_"Ask your Servant, she desires the Grail but will not use it for herself. In that regard, she is the ideal guardian. Nothing more than a 'slave'."_

_"It is hypocrisy to for you to fight for someone else and not yourself. You only wish for peace, and not victory."_

_"Drown in your Ideals and die."_

_"Boring ways of the world, justice, ideals…Such vague reasons are meaningless."_

_"If you fight for ideals, the only things you can save are ideals."_

_He had watched the Servant of the Bow lecture the boy while trying to kill him; telling the boy the same ideals that he had followed his whole life. One cannot save everyone; sacrifice the few for the many, reduce the damage to the smallest level possible. Archer had told the boy this time and time again, and each time the boy rejected that way of thinking, he wanted to save everyone, to refuse to sacrifice even a single life. The boy was naïve, but…but it was so pure that ideal._

_Compared to that pure, noble ideal, Kiritsugu's ideal was trash, a filthy excuse to take lives in the name of saving the world. Compared to that sweet, naive ideal, Kiritsugu was a failure. Yet that was reality, one could not save everyone. That is why Kiritsugu had gambled on the Heaven's Feel Ritual. _

_But the boy, Shirou, he would not accept this. He pushed his body beyond its limits fighting the Servant, refusing to retreat, refusing to surrender, refusing to acknowledge his future, and refusing to accept reality. _

_And as he watched this battle of ideal, one thought kept going through Kiritsugu's mind. 'I did this, this is my fault, I did this to a boy. The only person I had ever saved in my life…and I damned him. It's all my fault.' The boy had been raised by Kiritsugu, and took that damned ideal he lived by and twisted it into something that lead to the monster that is Archer. Kiritsugu had always views himself as a tool, a weapon, a machine, but compared to Archer, he was nothing. Archer was, is the pinnacle of Kiritsugu's ideal, and it filled him with horror seeing it. _

_To take a boy and save him, actually save him, only to twist him into this monster, there are no words that can describe the man's horror. Kiritsugu had never conceived that he could do something so horrible as turn a child into the same monster as the Magus Killer. He knew he was broken, distorted, but to place that distortion on a boy….to turn him into something so cold, so dispassionate, so…wrong… What kind of a man was the Magus Killer?_

_So, Kiritsugu watched through the eyes of Saber, watched as the boy kept attacking even as he destroyed himself. Though he knew the boy would live through Saber's hints, would the boy be unchanged? Would he still try to follow his foolish ideal?_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiritsugu woke up feeling a massive headache. Placing a hand on his head, he noticed that there was a bump, a rather large one in fact. Finding it strange, he looked at the clock…only to stare at the information displayed before him. "What? Why is it Four in the afternoon?" The bewildered man asked in disbelief. He should have awoken at eight in the morning.

"Saber did that." Maiya informed him from her bed next to his.

Kiritsugu turned to look at his partner in equal surprise and anger. "What?"

"Saber made sure you slept." Maiya repeated. "She cracked her knuckles and…" Maiya shivered. "Anyways, she made sure you had plenty of rest."

Kiritsugu bit back countless words he had learned over the years in various languages and forced himself to breath in through the nose and out the mouth in an attempt to calm himself down. It didn't work. Rage built within him at Saber's jeopardizing everything. The war was still going on, Iri was still missing, Caster and Berserker were running rampant, who knows what the other Masters were doing, and she wanted him to sleep? Inhaling once more, he glared at Maiya, "Why?" He asked simply.

"Because we need you at your best Master," Saber's voice called out as she appeared in front of him.

Kiritsugu frowned and turned to his Servant. "Saber." Ice filled his voice. However, before he could continue any further, Saber held up her hand to silence him.

"Master, while self-hypnotism will work to a degree relieving mental stress, your body will still be affected by fatigue. Had you already been well rested, you would have woken up earlier. As you spent the entire day resting, it is clear that your body was near its limits, something we cannot have once my son find Irisviel." Saber argued. "At the moment Master, you have no leads, no clues to the whereabouts of Iri. Tracking Berserker will take time and energy. Energy you lacked. On the other hand, my son will find her without your intervention."

"Your reason?" Kiritsugu asked quietly.

"He's hunted before, mostly Dead Apostles, vampires, and men, but I have no doubt he will find Iri's location." Saber declared proudly "Of all my husband's children, few could hunt as he hunted. Others could gather the information, but he was the one that could compile it all into something coherent."

Her eyes shone with pride as she praised her son. "No matter where Berserker hides, my son will find him, far faster than we could ourselves." She waved her hand dismissively. "Hence why I deemed it best for you to rest. As it is, my son has found Iri and will show us her location tonight." She held out an envelope and passed it to Kiritsugu. Quickly scanning the contents the man inhaled through his nose and exhaled out his mouth one more time. "Understood, there is no point arguing it now." The day had ended and the night would soon come upon them, bringing forth something more monstrous then even Caster could bring forth.

"So we are to meet him at the bridge tonight. Very well, that will be all Saber." Kiritsugu stated.

"By your leave Master," Saber said before departing the room. For a time, there was silence, then Kiritusgu turned to Maiya.

"Maiya, how are you?" Kiritsugu asked.

In response, the assistant answered bluntly. "I will be fine."

Kiritsugu nodded his head accepting the answer and asked her. "Will you be able to set up a sniping point aimed at this location?" Kiritsugu asked handing her the note. Maiya's eyebrows frowned slightly as she recalled the area. Then, nodding she answered "Hai."

"Then do it,"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"All of them, all of them must pay." Caster seethed as he stood on the beach. This place was special, It was here that the river met the ocean. The mixing of the two waters, both salt and fresh, was the perfect catalyst for this place. Here, though it lacked a Leyline, the natural mana of the world flowed and mixed. With this land's unusually high levels of magic in the air, it was perfect. The veil of this place was thin. Had he been only planning on summoning a great Beast, he would have not needed to spend all day and the previous night preparing sacrifices that lined the beaches. His book would have been enough. Instead, he needed sacrifices, to do that which Gilles' teacher had forbidden him from the first day of his apprenticeship.

So he gathered sacrifices.

Each of his sacrifices were hung on crosses with their naked bodies coated with the blood of others. Their skin had been removed, their eyes collected, their tongues cut out, and their bodies had become twisted parodies of everything wrong in the world.

A madman's canvas.

Twenty Seven was a powerful number. Twenty Seven is the number of nights it takes for the moon to complete its cycle. Twenty seven were hung on crosses, and twenty seven more were drained dry. Tonight was a complete moon, a full moon.

The perfect night to open a Door.

They would pay, they would all pay for what was done to poor beautiful Jeanne. Time and again God had denied him his due, time and again God had worked his miracles against his once devote servant. No more! No more would Gilles pray to God, he would revile him. No more would he honor God, he would spit on him. No more would Gilles try to work out God's plan, he would destroy it.

This world…God Loves it does he not? The Gilles will take it from Him, just as God took her from him. This world that God loves would burn, would become hell itself. Gilles would usher in the end times before Revelations. God had decreed that the world would end when God decided. Gilles would deny Him that. He would deny God everything, and devote it to the Devil. If God wished to stop that, there would be only on way.

Free the Maiden.

As his eyes gleamed with a mixture of ecstasy and madness, he allowed his robes to fall revealing that he too had coated his body with grisly marks, and in his hand he held the head of a child, drained completely of every drop of blood, his eyes forever locked in a horrified expression.

Twenty Seven was a powerful number, but twenty eight starts the cycle anew.

On that beach, words near unpronounceable by man were uttered as the Servant flipped his book to the very back where loose pages, ripped in secret from another tome had been hidden in life, only to be revealed in death

The late night sky, which had looked as though it would be a cloudy night began to shape into a storm, and black fog began to rise from the mouth of the river.

And evil would soon walk this world anew…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Here tonight, under this blood red sky,_

"That bastard." The Black Avenger hissed as he gazed into the old Emiya residence. "That lousy lucky Bastard."

**"I hate him, I hate him so much."** White Avenger agreed nodding vigorously.** "Let's kill him."**

"Assassin, prepare to dispatch Berserker on my signal, the bastard dies tonight." The knight ordered.

_I dig my grave and prepared to lie._

The various Assassins looked at each other in confusion in response to the venom in the voices of the two aspects of Avenger. If they thought they had seen the depths of the hate Avenger had for Berserker, they had just been proven wrong. Yet, they could not understand what the reason was for their hatred. Watching from the darkness, they witnessed Berserker's Master place down bowls of food that had been concocted between the boy and his Servant. Honestly, the aspects of Assassin thought the food smelled wonderful.

_Please give me a moment, if I might be so bold_

_To tell you of a story that must be told_

So what was causing them to hate Berserker so much? Was it the missing out of that divine smelling food? No, the two of them had never expressed any interest in something like food. Drinks, on the other hand… The more they tried to understand the pair, the more their brains hurt. It was becoming apparent that they were dealing with either a contradiction of a Servant, or madmen. Actually, now that they put some thought into it, it was probably a combination of both.

"Dammit, it has to be from the aberration, it's the only explanation." The Knight declared irritably.

_A tale of a man that did love and lie_

_Proudly did he live and proudly will he die,_

**"Of course, we know they would not be able to cook otherwise."** The King agreed.

"Kill him, I want to kill the abomination now." The Black one hissed getting a nod from his white counterpart. Any further comment by either aspects of Avenger or the aspects of Assassin ceased instantly. As one, they craned their necks towards the river.

"Evil," The Knight declared.

**"Wrong, it feels very wrong. Outer worldly wrong."** The King clarified. **"Long has it been since we felt this sensation."**

"Demons, Greater Demons." Black hissed.

_Who easily shook the world when he tried_

_Who battled foul things and died_

**"The time is now, we are ready." **White declared.

"Ready? You haven't even made a plan yet." One Assassin argued.

"Sure we did," The Knight argued. "You just didn't listen. I'm going in, you guys will pick up the targets and head to the Einzbern manor. Simple."

**"Even an idiot can pull this off." **The King agreed. Had they been able to see under the helmet, they would have seen the arched eyebrow wondering what the problem was.

_And was buried in a field of gold. _


	76. Code Black prologue  Stats

You may all rest at ease, I will return to the Black Knight's tales soon enough but for right now I'm a bit tired of writing about him so I wrote up the prologue chapter of something that's been going through my head since a few chess snippets were written a long time ago

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you a tale of Aurora, Artemis, and Kiritsugu, please enjoy the ride

Oh, and I will try to stay away form Deus En Machinas this was famous for

**Code Black Prologue **

_I remember when they came. I remember them appearing from thin air, an entire army, armed and ready for war. For a moment, I thought I had gone insane, I didn't know that the madness was just beginning. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, from mid air in a busy street, they came like locusts. They rammed everything out of the way and began attacking anything that looked threatening to them. I thought they were some sort of secret group of terrorists the Japanese had been hiding. _

_I had no idea; I couldn't have dreamed that we were being invaded form another dimension. That day, I'd like to say it was the day that my future was changed…but it wasn't. My life, my future was not changed until months later. My life itself did not change that day, but I will say that the future of my country, no my world changed that day._

_The day the Dogs of War descended and the Black Knight appeared…_

_Lelouch vi Britannia 100th emperor of Britannia_

_For over two thousand years Britannia survived. We survived against the Romans, we survived against the Vikings, we survived Washington's Revolution, we survived Napoleon's butchery, we survived making an enemy of the world. However, I cannot, in my wildest dreams, believe that we can survive a second war with the Dogs. Barely more than ten thousand men against an empire that spanned the globe, and they broke us in what seems like a blink of an eye. For over two thousand years we survived, never before have we come so close to being annihilated. Not even Napoleon brought us this close to the brink. I know not where those Dogs of War have gone, but wherever they are, I cannot help but feel sorry for whoever is their enemy._

_It's not well known, but we were never the enemy of the Dogs of War. They came for someone...or something else. If we came close to the brink of destruction by merely standing in their way, I shudder to think of what would have happened if we had ever been their enemy._

_- Cornelia li Britannia, Retired Chief General, Britannia_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm calling in one of my favors." A feminine voice broke out suddenly. Kiritsugu froze as he recognized who it belonged to and slowly lowered the report on the latest deployment of the Dogs of War. Looking across his desk covered with paperwork stood a woman…or at least, what looked like a woman. Nothing, **Nothing** was human about the aura she possessed. Kiritsugu needed only a moment to recognize her.

Though she wore a white dress with red trim, had white hair with some streaks of red in them, and crimson eyes that seemed to glow in an inhuman way, Kiritsugu could only see her as his sweet little sister.

"Hello Shinra, or should I say SHINRA," He spoke politely as he put down the paperwork. "I'm sorry, but did you just say-?"

"I'm calling in one of my favors." She interrupted to confirm. "Someone is trying to kill kaa-san."

For a moment, Kiri looked as though he would scoff, then he saw how serious she was and changed his mind. Instead he calmly spoke, "I assume that since you are deadly serious about this that this…threat has the possibility of accomplishing that goal."

"To a degree," She confirmed. "Nothing and No one can kill all of Kaa-san, but it is possible to kill a part of her. It's very possible to end her existence in a dimension."

"Like killing Alaya-ko…I see." He found himself nodding slightly and ceased the motion. "It makes sense…except for why the counter guardians aren't doing anything about it? I mean, there's an army of them, all working under her. "

SHINRA shook her head. "There are two problems with that brother. Not all branches of Kaa-san have Counter Guardians to draw on. And for those that do have counter guardians, they are only allowed to send them after mankind has been pushed to the brink of extinction. None of Kaa-san's aspects are able or allowed to send them against threats to herself. She can slay anyone that breaches the barrier into Akasha, but as long as the source of the attack comes from outside the Root, there is nothing she can do."

Looking deeply into her eyes searching them, Kiritsugu finally spoke. "So…the various parts possess entire armies of Heroes but can't use them except for when humanity is about to die or when someone actually finds a way into the Root. I really, really want to call bullsh*t on that but unfortunately, that's not my department." Something stank about this, something royally stank.

"The fact is, brother, you don't need to believe me. I'm calling in one of my favors, that means I say 'jump,' you say 'how high?' If I'm lying to you, you're going to have to live with it. You **made** a **deal** with me brother, you will obey." Her tone was filling with monumental power as she spoke reminding him where she truly stood on the family hierarchy if she truly tried.

"Fine, your wish is my command, Master." The way he spoke 'Master', he made the title sound like a mockery of what he had lived his life seeing as a venerated title. "Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?" He fired off in rapid succession the pertinent questions for taking this job.

"The 'Who' is…a problem. I can't tell, not unless they actually accomplish their goals, goals that I want you to destroy. I know they can do it, I can… well, I can 'feel' it. I can 'see' it. It's hard to explain to someone with so…limited in perception."

"Great, fine." He covered his face with a hand in exasperation, feeling the problems already piling up with this favor. "So you can't tell me my target…you realize that makes this much, much harder right? Any hints, anything at all?" He asked hopefully. Favor or no favor, he might was well be walking in the dark without a night scope on this.

"Yes, the ones attempting to kill mother are using the technology and mindset of a dead alien species. Look for ruins related to the dead civilization." SHINRA informed him.

"…and you know this how?" Kiritsugu asked suspiciously.

"Just go with it brother, I can't explain unless you see what I see and hear what I hear." She waved off.

"I'm legally insane. I have witnessed countless things that would drive a lesser man insane. Hell, I looked ORT in the eye one time, just to prove that I could be just as good as my alternate. Granted, I had just drunk a barrel when I made the agreement and couldn't back out when I sobered up, but I looked ORT in the eye by ALAYA. I think a little mind r*pe won't kill me." He urged.

Shaking her head once, SHINRA opened her mouth and spoke…well maybe spoke…kinda spoke? Words, sounds, things beyond human comprehension came from her mouth all at once bombarding her brother. The walls shook and the table rattled under the assault. Kiri tried, he tried so hard to hear the words, to understand. But then he noticed something, he was tasting blood. A hand on his face revealed that he had bitten his tongue, his nose was bleeding, and judging by the wetness on the side of his head, so were his ears. He could feel a pressure building up behind his eyes as he tried to listen.

Just as sudden as it came, she closed her mouth ending the assault on his senses. "Did that explain everything brother?" She asked as she arched her eyebrow. She was treated with the sight of tears made of blood pouring out of his eyes. Honestly, she had given the simplest explanation she could and look at him. You'd have thought Cthulhu came in for a visit or something from the way he looked.

He could only look at her and moan quietly, "Owwwww," Before planting his face on the table and passed out. Sighing deeply, she pulled up a chair to wait for his mind to reset.

Xxxx

"Well, did you understand everything or did you need me to repeat that?" She asked in a rather coy like fashion after her brother having fully woken up.

"No no, no no." He waved his hands back and forth frantically, "Lovecraft can stay in Lovecraft, I'll just go with a Wizard proclaimed it for my sanity's sake."

"Good choice. Now, moving on with your other questions..."

"I had questions?" He asked confused. Sighing deeply, she realized that the mind assault had done a bit of a number on him. Nodding once, she spoke slowly and evenly as if talking to a dull child. "Yes brother. What? When? Where? Why? And How? To put it in your own words."

His eyes widened as the familiar words came back to him. "Ooooooooohhhh yeaaaaaaah. I remember now…" His eyes were still a bit glassy when he spoke, but soon enough the familiar calculating gleam in had returned.

"I'm not sure what 'What?' is at the moment, you can clarify it when your mind is all here again." She gratuitously spoke. "The 'When?' you referred to earlier is probably the timeframe of the mission. I need you there within a month or two. You have about three years to complete the mission before we run out of time." She saw him nodding, gathering the information. If she were honest, it was rather amazing how he was able to retain anything at the moment, but clearly the previous assaults on his mind had given it a proverbial backbone of steel. "The 'Where?' on the other hand is an interesting problem, I am sending you to an alternative timeline."

"Wait," Kiritsugu suddenly spoke, holding up a hand while the other one was holding his forehead to ease the agony. "You want me to go, across time and space, for three years just to save a branch of your mother. One you've probably never met."

"You. Owe. Me." She emphasized. She shrugged, "Besides, you vanishing for a year or two will do wonders for seeing the effects of your plan. Think of it, two years with the Black Knight missing. At first everyone will think you've just gone to ground, waiting, watching. But after a year, they'll get bold again. By the second and third year, if it comes to that, they'll think you've died. Now, imagine their faces when you suddenly return."

The man couldn't help but smile, which looked rather disturbing with the face that was still showing signs of an unhinged mind. Still, he was getting better…slowly.

"The 'Why,' as you so eloquently asked is an ever more messed up question to answer. Actually, to tell you the truth, I have no idea why they would want to destroy Kaa-san. I need you to find that out yourself." She expected him to be upset at the lack of information.

Instead, he merely shrugged and muttered. "Right, figures. Honestly, if you had known the 'Why' it would have confirmed my suspicions about this being a set up." She blinked at the sheer bluntness of his speech. SHINRA could feel the mistrust he had for her. Seeing her unease, her brother told her bluntly, "Make no mistake SHINRA, I do not trust you. I will never trust you. Though you were once and will always be my little sister, you are an anomaly unlike anything I have ever seen. You are…as much a wild card as ORT. I cannot plan for you, I cannot manipulate you, I cannot understand you. Therefore, I cannot trust you. But I can work with you, and of course, I will always love you as my sister." He shrugged, "But trust… no one trusts Cthulu, no one would dare trust such a being, nor will I trust you."

"I understand," she responded with a small smile. She couldn't help but admit to him, "It's true, you shouldn't trust me."

"So, you've covered everything except the 'How' and the 'What'. Let's get the more important of the two done first little sister, how? How are they going to do this? It shouldn't be possible for humans to even conceive of killing her, much less finding a way of actually doing it."

"Simple, they're using alien technology guided by an alien mindset." She made it sound so simple. For a moment, he frowned before understanding hit him.

"Alien? Like ORT alien?" Seeing her nodded, he paled as he nodded. "Yes, yes, that makes sense now. It truly makes sense. Humans could never fully understand ALAYA, she's too much for us to comprehend, but something like the TYPES, yes yes, I can see it. More importantly, I can believe it. Crimson Moon, ORT, that one angelic looking girl who showed up that one time…yes yes. If it's on their scale, then anything is possible."

"Basically." SHINRA shrugged. "It's a bit more complicated with that, and it involves a few technicalities way over your head, but essentially, yeah."

Looking at her warily, as if expecting a bullet to the face, he had to ask. "Would it be correct to assume the reason you know about this is due to your 'Special' abilities, the ones that gave me one hell of a mind r*pe?"

She blinked then began laughing, "But I just explained it to you brother, rather briefly, but I just told you about it. Or would you like to hear it again?" Shuddering, Kiritsugu let it drop, one mind f*ck a day was his limit. "So, all that remains is 'What' nii-san, however, I'm not sure by what you mean by 'What' brother"

"_What_ am I facing, _what_ am I supposed to do, _what_ is my ultimate aim, that is what I need to know." He explained patiently. "Once you give me this information, I can perform this…favor I owe you."

"I see, well, as I said, I do not know what, or who is the cause of this. All I can say is expect a large…group or organization, if not a country. No matter how powerful one is, it will take a great deal of resources to kill kaa-san. What you are supposed to do is stop them, permanently. How you accomplish this task is your business. If you can convince them to stop peacefully fine, otherwise…" She left it hanging.

"Understood, if that is all, then I will only need an hour or two. Just left me leave a note for Artemis and Aurora and get my armor, horse, and jet prepped to go." He stood up to leave, but was stopped by her arm on his shoulder. "Yes?"

"I will need more than the Black Knight for this. One man will not be enough for this. Not with this timeframe. You're good, but not that good." She told him. Slowly he turned to her.

"Have a little faith my sister." He asked quietly, "Don't make me bring mine into this."

"I need an army brother, I need something to go forth and show these upstarts that there are things out there, watching, waiting to strike and strike hard on anyone who dares such an affront." She was practically growling. "I need an army brother, and you have one of the finest forces the world has ever known. It's time to cry havoc brother."

"…You do not know what you ask little sister, do you realize what you will do to my men once they finally break the barrier. I've sheltered them from the horrors of the secret world. Only my spooks and lieutenants have any inkling of how fragile the world is. Now, you want me to throw them into the deep end; without any prior experience? They don't know about magic, they don't know about the monsters in the dark."

"It's time brother, you've been holding them back. It's time for them to stop being sheltered and enter the big leagues. I don't need an army of men; I need an army of legends. I need the Dogs of War brother, and you will send them."

"I hate you. I hate you like few other people. I hate you on the level of Mana in fact." He muttered tiredly. "They are not ready."

"They are, if you will only let them be." She countered. "Now go, get them ready and bring them here. I'll arrange for the transfer once they are prepared."

"Eiko?" Kiritsugu asked. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her shake her head. "Reiko then?" His other eyebrow rose at that and he found himself asking hoarsely. "Zelretch?" His mouth was open when he saw her shake her head for a third time.

"Brother, did you think you were the only one I have contracts with?" She waved her hand dismissively. "Leave it, there are many things you had best never pry into. This is another one."

"Fine, I'll drop it, but on the condition you answer on question. Why me? Why my Dogs?" He asked. There was almost a pleading in his voice.

"Currently my resources are limited." She admitted. "You are the only one I have that can pull it off currently. Had this come later, I could have used a dozen different people. Currently you are my only hope. That's just how it goes some times." She shrugged. "Honestly, had it come up a decade later, I might have asked Aleksi instead."

Raising an eyebrow Kiritsugu had to ask. "Aleksi? Why? Last I checked, he's just a freelancer."

"For now," She admitted. "Again, had it come a decade later…" She let it hang. Shaking his head, Kiritsugu walked to the door as he closed it behind him, SHINRA heard him mutter. "And I thought Eiko was annoying when she talked about the future…"

Left in the room, SHINRA turned to look at a teenager with red hair with a hint of white, yet the exact same red eyes as her own. The teen hadn't been there before, yet had...in a certain sense. Humanity is still too...limited to understand certain concepts. Concepts that make up the very core of the two of them.

"Liar." The teen declared flatly frowning at the 'older woman'.

SHINRA Shrugged. "Truth is what we make of it." With that, she vanished. In a moment, the teen did as well leaving the room empty of all life.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Across the world, every Dog of War received the same message.

_Alpha Two Priority: Recall to Terrier Island within two weeks. Prepare for long campaign._

On whatever fields of war or shores of Leave the men and women were shocked. An Alpha Two Priority? Only Alpha One was higher than that. Frankly, only the General rated the Alpha level orders in the single digits to begin with. This was big; no, this was huge. What? Did America declare war on the Dogs?

A few hours later, intelligence agencies across the globe were in frenzy as the Dogs of War put in orders with various arms dealers for enough supplies to fight a war for months. In addition, they were paying three times the going rates for speedy acquisition and delivery. It was clear; the Dogs had a new target. The question was, who?

Coincidentally, a large number of jewels were suddenly bought up in various locations for purposes unknown by various contractors that if anyone actually dug deep enough would work for nothing but front companies.

Also coincidentally, several magi who focused on mineralogy, more specifically prana storage were paid exorbitant fees to pump prana into bullets with jewels at their tips. None of them questioned why a freelancer needed this done; they just made sure that the checks cleared. Once the transfers were confirmed they went to work.

The world was holding its breath, waiting for the hammer to fall on whatever target the Dogs possessed. None of them knew that the blow was not going to land on them, but then again, they didn't know that the blow wouldn't come for them. Everyone was tense, or at least everyone who dealt with the shadowy underworld was tense. Warlord and tyrants raided their treasuries hiring various firms for extra troops, supplies, and machines to fight off their enemies. And then came the rumor, someone, somewhere had started a rumor.

_The Black Knight had hired the Dogs. _

It was only a rumor, but the power of those two names made countries quake. Only once before had that circumstance been confirmed. Only once did the world know for sure that the Black Knight hired the Dogs of War, and they still shuddered at the memory.

The rumor was spreading, spreading like wildfire. It couldn't be stopped, it couldn't be suppressed. Revolutionaries began gaining strength from the hopes that the Black Knight and the Dogs of War would descend on their foes.

Kiritsugu Pendragon Emiya had conceived of the Black Knight becoming a symbol of change, whether for good or ill. He had forged the character in fire and blood on countless battlefields. This was the power of the Black Knight, and the power of his army. With mere rumors, the world was already changing. For better or worse, the world was changing, giving the people the power of choice. Giving them the power to choose their own futures.

And soon, this power would span into a different world. A world lacking in choice, caught in a great geass imposed by fools and madmen...

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"All right Fake, what is going on?" Artemis boomed as she entered the office. She wasn't surprised that he was going over various paperwork. Any deployment of this size was going to create a mountain of it.

"I'd rather we wait until Aurora comes if you don't mind." Kiritsugu asked. Sighing, Artemis grabbed a seat and began tapping her foot in hopes of irritating him enough to get started already. Instead, the leader of the Dogs of War continued to stamp approvals for various purchases and transferring funds as quickly as possible. Time was against him, time was completely against him. This kind of deployment should take months to prepare. Instead, he had less than a month. The amount of paperwork this took was beyond staggering. He was so busy the tapping noise was completely lost to him as he approved the purchase of enough 5.56mm rounds to support his troops for an estimated three to five months. Not enough for the worst case scenarios, but more than enough for them to scavenge/procure/outright steal the equipment the enemy was using.

...Unless they were using some sort of hyper-advanced technology that made ordinary projectiles obsolete. Which is exactly why such a large number of 'special' rounds were being created by various magi with excellent talents but low funds. That would give them plenty of time to eliminate the enemy, strip their equipment and move from there.

Now he had to make sure that all the 'special' rounds were placed in red painted clips. The last thing he needed was for everyone to waste the good stuff. Each one of those bullets cost an average of nine hundred dollars to make.

"Tou-san." Aurora called as she entered the room.

"Ah, Aurora." Kiritsugu replied as he put down the paperwork. "Good, glad you're here. Now that you are bother here, let me explain everything. It all started when I was about...oh, fifteen or sixteen years old. When I was hit by a sudden realization the no matter what I did in life. If...when I entered the Throne of Heroes, I would be forever frozen. Unable to become more once I died. So, I asked the one person I know that possessed the answers how I could become more. From this individual I learned of a loophole." He looked directly at Artemis. "The same loophole another Black Knight has jumped through."

He was greeted by the sight of her eyes widening. "I will not tell you the loophole, but I will tell you this. This knowledge, this insight, it came at a price. Three favors, three irrevocable, non-negotiable favors that I must obey. In life," he looked at Artemis once more. "Or in death." Seeing her frown he concluded his speech with, "One favor has been called in now. One favor, to hunt and kill one who would destroy an aspect of ALAYA."

Holding up his hand he stopped the two of them from interrupting him. "The details are sparse, but it is possible. I have been ordered to muster my army across time and space to an alternate dimension and deal with them as I see fit. I do know, for whatever reason my source possesses, that we have less than three years to accomplish our goal."

"Hold up Fake," Artemis finally broke in. "One more time, someone is trying to kill ALAYA? How?"

"Think of something on the scale of ORT." Kiritsugu offered. "Its the best explanation my source could coherently give."

"Ah, I'll buy that." Artemis nodded. Something on that scale...yeah, anything was possible.

"But why would anyone want to kill her Tou-san?" Artemis asked.

"No clue. My guess? Someone is trying to get into the Root. Thus, they want to kill the guard dog." Kiritsugu hypothesized. After all, ALAYA was always waiting for anyone to try to enter the Root through an unnatural method and destroy the intruder. Kiri had no issue with her, he'd get into the Root naturally.

Thinking on the situation, Artemis noticed a problem. "What about the Dogs? What are you going to do with them. Everyone except the Spooks and a few of the higher ranks don't know about magic."

"Well, I've spent a good deal of time between negotiating for supplies, minimal amounts of sleep, and finalizing the roster for who will be mustering out with us and I have come to only one conclusion. I'm going to have to tell them all." Kiritsugu uttered with a resigned finality. "Of course I'll have to let the Clocktower know that there is another military force for hire that can face the threats of mankind." Sighing deeply. "the Lords are going to blow a storm up from this, but frankly this is probably the most opportune time to do so. The Clocktower and the Church have been spending their resources too deeply trying to 'once and for all stamp out the Dead Apostles'."

Artemis gave a small sound of amusement at that. "Understood. I imagine that you'll be telling them this at the assembly tomorrow?"

"Correct." Kiritsugu nodded. He help up a hand to stop her from getting up. "There is one more thing you should know however." Both Artemis and Aurora waited for him to speak. "The Black Knight will accompany the Dogs of War. The story we will tell them is that we were hired by him for this fight."

"Understood, so who will wear the armor?" Artemis asked. In response Kiritsugu pointed to his daughter.

"Me?" Aurora asked in surprise.

"You are the only choice we have at the moment." Kiri told her. "Artemis and I need to be seen, to sell the illusion-" he didn't make it any further before Aurora glomped him in a joint dislocating hug. "Gah-"

"You won't regret this Tou-san, I'll make you proud." Aurora gushed. This was better than Christmas. The was better than THE Christmas. She was going to wear The armor, there was not a single day she did not go without thinking about that suit and how worthy she had to be to wear it. Yes, he father loved her, protected her, even gave his life for her...though that was a different suit and a different father but still...and now she was going to wear it!

"You have always made me proud Aurora." Kiritsugu told her. "But please let go, my arms have popped out of their sockets again."

"Oh, gomen Tou-san." Aurora leaped back like her father was on fire.

Artemis rolled her eyes, grabbed one of the two arms hanging loose and smashed it back into place. "Way to ruin the mood Fake, can't you let her enjoy the moment?" She ignored the grunt of pain that came from him and popped the other arm back into its socket. "Honestly, its the equivalent of her first dance and you complain about your arms."

"It hurts." Kiri mutters, only to get smacked on the back of the head.

"Suck it up mister 'its just a flesh wound, ignore my blood leaking out of my side.'" Artemis growled. Aurora couldn't help but giggle at the familiar antics of the two of them.

"Right. Aurora, suit up. Artemis will help you get it on." Kiritsugu cut off Artemis' verbal lashing. "Meet me at the mess hall in twenty minutes." with that he shooed the two of them out and went back to his paperwork.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thirty minutes later

"So that's the situation." Kiritsugu finished his ten minute long explanation. "To sum it up, magic is real, we're off to invade another world before they cause a reaction that F*cks up out world, and to top it all off we know this because we were hired by the Black Knight here who will be providing us a way to travel worlds. Any questions?" he expected the silence, he was expecting a mountain of questions to pile up on him.

What he did not expect is that Private Luca standing up throwing his hands in the air and yelling out as loud as he could. "YES! I WIN!" Kiritsugu couldn't help but blink at the random direction this had gone. He glanced at both the 'Black Knight' and Artemis who both shrugged slightly at this.

"Pay up guys, I win!" Luca cried holding out his hands. Every single Dog of War grumbled as a large box was brought forth containing a massive amount of cash. Gleefully, Luca held the box and declared "Ha! The Root favors me today!"

"Private Luca." Kiritsugu broke through the trooper's happy thoughts like a bucket of cold water. "Pray tell, did you bet on what this meeting would be about?"

"No sir." Luca declared with a grin. "I bet on when you would finally get around to giving us the grand reveal about magic. Everyone put in some cash as ante and I picked this week."

"...You knew?" Artemis asked.

"Pwah, of course we did. What? Did you think we bought those excuses when the boss here entered the kitchen and came out with monsters? We've all seen Aurora's tail a time or two." Luca explained cheerfully ignoring the redness appearing on Kiri's and Artemis's face.

"Not to mention Torashotgun has gotta be cursed I tell ya." A trooper in the back of the crowd yelled. Several unlucky men and women nodded recalling how that gun had been loaded with stun round and still had cracked their ribs.

"Man, remember when Artemis breathed fire? For Real?" A third called

"Forget that, remember the boss's siblings?" Major Rebecca, commander of the Third Brigade yelled

"Who'd forget?" A thousand voices cried out.

"Remember all those spontaneous combustion the spooks caused?"

"Good God Yes, I lost my sleeping bag to one of those!"

Hissing out of his teeth Kiritsugu asked. "You mean to tell me, you knew? You all knew? And kept silent about it?" Seeing every single head nodded, Kiri could only sigh, walk up to Luca and reach his hand into the box drawing up and handful of cash. "As punishment for deceiving your General, I fine you all..." Looking at his newly acquired funds. "Enough to get me buzzed. Hopefully, this will all become a nice dream tomorrow."

"So boss, when are you going to let Aurora out of the Armor?" Brigadier Roy, third in command of the Dogs and head of the 1st Brigade asked. Everyone must have blinked at that point, because one moment the boss was up on the podium and the next moment he was holding Roy by his neck.

"You will forget that little tidbit now until the day you die." Kiritsugu hissed. Artemis had drawn a pistol and aimed it at Roy as well. "You will forget the identity of the Black Knight and seal it away forever." Everyone could feel the air turn to ice. "There are some things that must never be known. This is one of them. Clear?" Roy and every single Dog of War nodded their heads in unison.

"Good," Artemis declared putting away her pistol. "That settled, everyone make sure you're packed and ready to roll. We're moving out at first light to an unknown territory. Be armed and ready for whatever we seen once we cross worlds. Second Brigade, your orders are a little different. At dawn, your commanding officer will read the orders placed in his office. As we said before, we need someone to hold down the fort. By random lottery you're it."

A few of the Second looked as though they would argue, but one look in her eyes that had cowed the general countless times and they shut up. It was too early for them to die anyways. With at, everyone dispersed and headed for their assigned areas. There was a lot to do and little time to do it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

One hour before Lights Out

"Do you think we're ready?" Kiri asked his long time partner.

"To fight a war on another dimension? Another Timeline? Who knows Fake. It could be we'll be thrown into a place where the Age of the Gods are still active. We could be going into a land where every man woman and child is prepared to kill for scraps of bread and drops of water. Hell, we could be going to a world where the woman have done all the fighting and the men are useless." Artemis snarked.

"Honestly that last one would be-" Seeing the dangerous gleam in her eyes, he carefully chose his words. "Interesting. History of our world tells that any society where the woman do the fighting is doomed as the toll of war drops the new births dramatically."

"Feh, be glad we women stay out of war for the most part Fake." Artemis snorted. "You'd never beat us."

"I am. Oh, I am very glad you stay out of war." Smiling, he added. "One amazon is one too many at times." he tilted his head to the side dodging a boot thrown at him. "But seriously, what if I'm just leading them to their death?"

"You always were Fake." She retorted. "Every last one of them revers you like the gods that abandoned them in those hellholes we found them in." Seeing him flinch at her words she had to add one last bit. "And bloody good thing they do. Look at them, fifteen thousand kids. Born in a messed up world now have a place for themselves. Sixty thousand more stay in the best run orphanages in the world and will find thier own futures, have a real chance at a normal life. If there was such a thing as a mortal god Fake, you'd be well on your way to becoming one."

"Gods should all go and die." Kiri hissed.

"Hence why I said mortal." Artemis countered. "You're going to die, then you're going to have that great big-** adventure you want once you're dead while I dance a jig on your grave celebrating my freedom."

Looking hurt he had to suggest "Look, if you want to leave I'll-" He stopped as the barrel of her signature custom shotgun was aimed at his face.

"Shut. Up. Fake." She told him. "I have purpose, you will not steal that from me. Take your choices and shove them down your throat. Offer me that cr*p again Fake and I'll blow your face off." With that, she went to her cot and laid down and covered her head with a blanket.

"As you say." He nodded as he went to his own cot. For a time, there was silence, but as he lay there awake, he heard a sound he had heard a hundred thousand times before.

Crying.

Sighing to himself, he let her be and forced himself to relax and focused on sleeping. 'Goodnight partner.' He thought. His last thoughts were a silent prayer that she dream of better times, of times when the Kiritsugu she knew was old and weathered, but not beaten. A Kiritsugu who had taken her from filthy streets, raised her, trained her, and shown her a world she could have never imagined.

The man she truly loved. Not the Fake.

xxxxxxxxxx

**Dogs of War**

Curent Total Numbers: 15,372

Numbers Committed to Code Black: 12,003

Total Number of Brigades: 5

Number of Brigades committed: 4

**1st Brigade (Greyhounds):** The elite of the Dogs of war. If a mission is considered impossible, everyone turns to them to do it. It is considered an honor to be assigned to them. Any Ideal* can be found in this Brigade currently. Of all the Dogs of War, they are the most stable in a fight, most accurate, and most efficient in everything they do. No one else can match the sheer amount of training they put themselves through every day when not in combat. Rumors circulate that they don't go on Leave; rather, they head for a secret training ground to work themselves even harder.

It is said that a single one of them is equal to ten ordinary soldiers alone, and worth a hundred fighting as a unit. They are the 1st, and they will be second to none.

Commanding Officer: Brigadier Roy

Mascot: Jessie, an aging greyhound who once participated in dog races. The Brigade loudly declares that the reason they removed her from the track was because she was just too good for the bookies to make money off of. (Records indicate that 'Jessie', racing name 'Kiwi Sweet', held an average at best win streak, but the Brigade will not hear of it)

Motto: _Ever Forward_

Strengths: Anything you can throw at them.

Weaknesses: Slower responding to tactical withdrawals from battle without a good reason.

**3rd Brigade (Rottweilers)** If the 1st Brigade is the elite of the Dogs, then the 3rd is the bloodline. Unlike other Brigades, the Third does not often engage the enemy. Their job is different. They are in charge of ordinance, supplies, maintenance, medical needs, and internal and external Security. Not to say that they can't fight, for many enemies have made that mistake and died screaming. Each and everyone of them went through the same intensive training as the rest of the Dogs, but they then went through additional training for the needs of the Dogs of War. They are known to be the 'friendliest' of the Dogs, with the notable exception of the Fourth Company, usually found smiling and laughing at jokes, if only to ease the tension of the atmosphere the stressful environment brings out. They have famously time and time again resisted and pushed back assaults on their bases, refusing to let a single enemy attack the wounded and dying behind them. As they are the 'least' mobile, they are also in command of the few artillery pieces the Dogs keep.

Commanding Officer: Colonel Rebecca

Mascot: Akuma, a young Rottweiler. No notable history at this time

Motto: _We've got your back_

Strengths: Strongest of all the Dogs holding positions.

Weaknesses: Weakest of all Dogs attacking

**4th Brigade (St. Bernards) **The 1st may be the elite infantry, but the 4th is the powerhouse of the Dogs. In their possession are the tanks and mechs of the army. Though they lack sufficient funds currently to have more than a handful of each, each and everyone of them has taken the time to learn the ins and outs of driving the armored vehicles in preparation for future funds. Due to their build up, they are the slowest of all divisions to move out. However, once they move, they have been known to steam roll over enemy forces. To make up for the armor shortage, several ingenious troops have crafted war bikes, formerly motorcycles, these rocket launching custom jobs have begun to redefine combat. Though they lack any armor besides body armor, these high speed and high maneuvering vehicles rip apart entire armor divisions in minutes. Their pride and joy are the five M9E Gernsback Arm Slaves which have been retrofitted and customized to stand toe to toe with the current Arms Slave Models. Where they obtained those machines are unknown, but certain agencies are looking.

Commanding Officer: Colonel Cain

Mascot: Currently none. The St. Bernard, Bourbon, passed away recently and no new mascot has been elected yet.

Motto: _No problem too big_

Strength: Superior Firepower

Weaknesses: Jungle Fighting

**5th Brigade (Bulldogs)** 1st and 2nd are infantry to the core, 4th is made of armor heads, but the Fifth dream of flight. It is here that the air cavalry reside. Gunships, air transports, and even a few warplanes. Their pride and joy are their five F-35B Lightning II planes. They still recall with fondness the day that they 'acquired' the five machines from a captured military base. In addition to their small air force, they are all trained and experience paratroopers, willing and able to be dropped at any destination and achieve victory.

Commanding Officer: Colonel Gaung

Mascot: None. After their mascot killed three enemy soldiers attempting to slay the commanding officer and died from his subsequent wounds, the Brigade has opted to immortalize the Jaws and never take up a new mascot.

Motto: _Strike from the Skies_

Strength: Air Combat, long distance insertion

Weakness: Front-line combat

**2nd** **Brigade (Shepards).** Will not be joining this campaign. Will be focused on continued recruitment, maintenance, and various diversionary tactics to maintain appearance. Since their creation They have had a fierce, but friendly rivalry with the 1st Brigade. Though they are not the 'elites' of the Dogs of War, they are tenacious in their own way. Though they have nothing to set them apart from the rest of the Dogs of War, they are and always will be willing and able to take on an army several times their number.

Commanding Officer: Colonel Chandi

Mascot: Hans, a German Shepard trained for combat but mostly spends his time sniffing for bombs or raising moral on his time off.

Motto: _Loyal beyond death_

Strength: Slightly weaker than the 1st Brigade.

Weaknesses: Varies. Constantly seeking to remove any weaknesses to top the First Brigade

Special Units:

**13th Company (Spooks)**: A mysterious unit of the Dogs of War unassigned to any Brigade. These men and woman have been personally trained by the general and his aide. Trained in what is unknown, but given the alternative name for the thirteenth company, it is generally assumed that they specialize in intelligence gathering. Only time will tell what secrets these soldiers possess and the reason why the company has a Major in charge of such a small number of troops.

Commanding Officer: Major Fitz (Note: Joking about his name has lead to several unexplained misfortunes to the perpatrators.)

Mascot: None. No record of one has ever been heard of.

Motto: None. Unknown if they possess any

Strength: Unknown. Have never been known to be fielded on any battleground.

Weaknesses: Unknown.

**Third Brigade Fourth Company (Mad Dogs):** A special company that was created due to the unique make up of the Dogs of War. As every recruit is a former victim/orphan of war, many of them can fall into bouts of mental disorders. Though any soldier that goes through the less 'destructive' bouts of mental instability are pulled back for therapy, some of these men have been found too dangerous to ever be sent anywhere.

To quote the general of the Dogs of War "Some of my men have lived in the abyss all their life. Raised in it, trained in it, fought in it since as long as they remember. They cannot escape it, to disarm them would make them seek new weapons to hold. Any attempts to bring them out of the darkness will be met with violence. Such people would be a danger to themselves and society at large no matter where they go. I cannot release them, they are too dangerous, but no prison, no therapy session could hod them and heal them. So I give them purpose. I order them to guard the bases, the wounded, the sick the dying. So long as I keep them on the defense, they will fight like mother bears. So long as they are not set loose, these men can live with honor, pride, relative peace, and a way to deal with their demons. Its more than they would ever have anywhere else."

Commanding Officer: Captain Ali (Note: Captain Ali has received the most commendations of any Dogs of War, but has steadfastly refused promotion. Instead, his one request was to be put in charge of the Third Brigade Fourth Company. No reason has been found as to why this has occured)

Mascot: None. No record of one has ever been heard of.

Motto: _To the last man, and the last round_

Strengths: Lethal Combat

Weaknesses: Non-lethal combat

In a rare interview one reporter was able to interview one of these 'Mad Dogs' to grasp the true nature of this company.

_Interview between John Howards (J) and Dog of War Helbest (H), a former Kurd orphan found in Saudi Arabia._

_J: So where are you assigned?_

_H: Dogs of War Third Brigade, Fourth Company, Second Platoon, First Squad_

_J: My that's a mouthful._

_H:..._

_J:...So, Third Brigade Fourth Company...there's a rumor going on about you guys._

_H:..._

_J: They...uh, they call you the mad dogs. That you always think of killing._

_H:..._

_J: Any comment on that?_

_H: *Shrugs* It's true_

_J: You always feel the urge to kill?_

_H: Yes_

_J:...um, have you ever gone to see anyone about this?_

_H: I have an appointment every week with an approved therapist._

_J: ...and has that helped?_

_H: Why would it? Killing is all I know._

_J:Why?_

_H: *Shrugs* Since I was born mama and I fought to survive. The bombs, the bullets, the bad men, they kept trying to kill us. So I killed them. Then they killed mama. I killed even more._

_J: Uh-_

_H: Then he came, the boss. He took me in, gave me purpose, gave me something to aim at._

_J: And you still want to kill?_

_H: Yes_

_J: But, haven't you ever wanted to stop._

_H: Why?_

_J: Because its wrong._

_H: They want to kill my family, so I kill them._

_J: But, but haven't you ever wanted-_

_*Interview interrupted by a passing Unnamed Dog of War (U)_

_U: Don't try it. She's a mad dog. She can't help but feel the urge. Last thing we need is her loose out in the civilian world._

_J: Why would you-?_

_U: She'd kill people. She'd kill countless people. With her hands, with sharp objects, with whatever she gets her hands on. Civilians have a name for people like her, murderer. We have another name for her, distorted. _

_J: So why do you have her here?How could you trust her if she's so unstable?_

_U: We're family, and she's been ordered to guard us. She'll fight to her last breath to protect everyone in this camp. No matter what you think, everyone here is family, and family does not kill family. If we keep her here, at the base, we can keep her from killing needlessly. Its the best we or anyone else can do._

_*Unnamed Dog of War leaves. John looks back at Helbest_

_:J: Are you really like that?_

_H: Till the day I die._

***Ideals: **The Elite of the Elite. These rare men are able to enter a battlefield, fight, and not kill anyone. Using electroshock weapons, sticky foam rounds, sedative lined bullets, rubber bullets, sound based equipment, and other non-lethal weapons they fight as effectively as any soldier with standard weapons. As every Dog of War is a former victim of war, orphaned due to the conflicts of man, these individuals are seen as icons amongst the Dogs. To fight without needing to kill is the greatest thing they can aspire to. The leader of the Dogs of War has constantly stated that it is his dream that one day every Dog of War can become an Ideal. To be considered for declaration as an Ideal is a closely kept secret, but once declared, they can be identified by a patch in the shape of a yellow pillar on their shoulder and the new equipment that they carry. It should be noted that a single Ideal has been recorded on taking on five hundred foes with hostages and come out with all hostages alive and the enemy in their entirety disabled.


	77. Code Black Chapter 1

Code Black Chapter 1

_"What did I think of the Black Knight when I first saw him? Crazy. I thought he was just some lunatic on a horse riding off to die. I mean, before we knew what he was capable of, all we saw was just a man in black medieval armor. A man out of his time, facing a Sutherland? I would have bet everything I owned that he was going to die in a second._

_"Gotta admit, seeing him leap up and rip the head off the Knightmare was impressive though."_

_-Shinchiro Tamaki, Retired Phoenix Lieutenant._

_"What was my first reaction upon seeing the Dogs of War? Unlike those films which have me being rescued by one of them and being carried to safety, the truth is the first thing I did was fire at them, then they shot me, then they dragged me away for interrogation. Not exactly romantic."_

_Kallen Kozuki Stadfeld the Unbowed Champion of Phoenix Force._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_ watch?v=RH-zelfuSAw_

_They stood there, tall and proud, each and every one of them. Every soldier, every mechanic, every spook, every pilot, and even the mascots stood at attention, waiting for the last speech before they moved out. Twelve thousand of them would leave this world and possibly never return. The remaining three thousand plus would remain and follow the outlines left behind by their founder and leader. _

_Before them was a podium where Kiritsugu, Artemis, and Aurora in the armor of the Black Knight stood. It was Aurora who was giving them the 101 instructions on interdimensional travel to these Dogs of War in preparation for what would occur._

_"The first thing you need to know is that everything you see once you arrive has just as much potential of being your ally as well as your enemy. Make no assumptions, and make no mistakes. The person aiming a gun at you might be the only hero on the planet or the most corrupt tyrant. Arm your weapons but do not fire unless they do. The basic rule of thumb once you cross the barrier is simple. Run. Duck. Study. Move fast, find a hiding spot, and figure what the situation is in the area." Aurora explained though the armor distorted her voice to an unrecognizable pattern. They knew who she was, but they understood, this was something they would never speak on. For whatever reason their leader had, the Black Knight had to be a mysterious force separate from them, separate from the Dogs of War._

_So they would therefore keep their mouths shut._

_"More importantly," She continued. "Remember, we are not going there to dispose of tyrants. All of you, including your commanders and myself, have enough issues on this planet. We don't need to make problems over there. Your focus, your one reason for crossing this world is simple, find whatever is threatening the existence of mankind both in our world and theirs, deal with it, and pull out. If it comes to a choice where we have to choose between our world and theirs, we will prioritize our world. Whatever reason they have, they threatened our world, and we will not let this stand." With that she stood back and handed the center stage to Kiritsugu_

_"All right, you heard out employer. We've got a standard sabotage or subversion mission. The only thing different about this jaunt is that we're poppin' on over to another world. Big whoop, it just means we can be a little more..." He smiled widely. "reckless." He held up a finger to emphasize his point. "This does not mean we will cause any extraneous deaths, but...destroying the economy, leveling buildings, bombing targets, raiding, all this we can consider as options as needed." He cut the air with his left hand. "Make no mistake, we are going as deeply into hostile territory as ever recorded by __mankind, and no one will ever hear of it if we are successful. It will be lost forever to the history of our world. But! That is not what it means to be a Dog of War!"_

_His voice was rising and his men recognized the part that came next. An oath, a declaration. Quiet at first, but slowly getting louder they pounded their guns or machines with their fists. "We are Dogs of War, the greatest military force the world has ever known! Where others flee, we advance. Where others falter, we pursue. Where other lose, we succeed. Where others die, we thrive! We are the Dogs of War and we are going to show them why!"_

_Loud and strong they pounded their fists in a great, controlled frenzy. Kiritsugu looked into their eyes and felt nothing but pride for them. They had come to him broken wrecks. Scattered and damaged by wars over pointless reasons. Now look at them, the finest soldiers any man could wish to command. Generals all over the world had wept that they didn't have anything that could match the force that was sweeping aside everything they possessed. Dictators and tyrants had raged at these troops even as their countries fell apart all around them._

_"Remember my teachings. Remember your oaths, your ideals, your dreams, your hopes. Remember the lessons of Sun Tsu and Temujin. And above all else-" He raised his fist in the air as each and every one of the Dogs of them opened their mouths and yelled as loud as they could "__Always Keep Moving Forward!__" With that mighty cry they broke ranks and ran to their positions and vehicles. Only the Second Brigade remained in place, waiting for their instructions. Each of them felt resentment that they would not go on with the rest of the troops, but they were disciplined, they were loyal. They would obey._

_Turning to them Kiritsugu gave them a different speech. "To you of the Second, I tell you this. Were it possible, I would take you with me as well, give the First Brigade a run for their money." The Second found themselves smiling at the reference to their rivalry. "As it is, we need you here instead. Colonel Chandi has been given instructions on what I need you to accomplish over the course of time while we're on our extended mission." Holding up his hand, he added. "However, if you do not hear of us in three years, consider us dead, but victorious. After all, if we fail, none of you will be alive either."_

_A blatant lie, though the Branch of ALAYA may die in this new world Kiritsugu and the others were heading to, and therefore lead to the deaths of every human on that planet, it would not affect the humans here. After all, the ALAYA branch here is very much alive and kicking if what he accidentally walked into last month was any indication._

_But this lie had a purpose. If the worst occurred, and everyone on this expedition died, the Lost Expedition would inspire future generations of Dogs. A tale of how far the Dogs were willing to go to save the world. A tale of twelve thousand brave men and women marching forward to their deaths, unafraid, and prepared to give their all to protect everyone. The Dogs here would forever remember their lost brethren. And the teachings of Kiritsugu, the ideal he inspired in them, would live on._

_Kiritsugu saluted the Second Brigade for what might be his last time and headed off to meet SHINRA and whatever it was that would send the Dogs on their way. Colonel Chandi walked in front of her troops and gave them the biggest grin they had ever seen. "All right you pups, you'll never believe this, but we finally have a way of kicking the First Brigade off the top of the roster." Even though none of the troops knew what this special assignment was, they couldn't help but smile as well._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_"Everyone is ready to go Fake." Artemis' voice broke through the microphone in his ear. Kiritsugu grunted his acknowledgment "I'll get the birds in the air, you get the gate open." With that, the ambient noise grew louder as helicopters spun their blades and jet engines burned to life._

_"Will do." Kiritsugu replied absently as he gazed at the two beings that walked towards him. One was a familiar figure, wearing a white gown with red trim and white hair with a few strands of red. He'd recognize her in any form she took however from the sheer power and overwhelming feeling she __gave off. The other figure was nowhere near as powerful, but gave off an alien feeling the like of which he had only felt a few times. This figure was impossible to make out whilst wearing that black robe with a red interlining. The hood covered all features of this being. Whoever, or whatever this person, or creature was, Kiritsugu could not make out. Kiritsugu held out his hand and silently the banner of the Dogs of War was handed to him. Walking forward, away from his men Kiritsugu went to meet them halfway._

_As soon as they stood before him, Kiritsugu nodded to the two of them. "Well met my sister, and well met stranger." He spoke politely. He pointed to this mysterious person and asked. "I take it you are the one responsible for our transportation?" The figure gave a slight nod, still hiding all features._

_"Indeed Brother, this one will send you to where you are needed and return you when finished. My associate tells me that you will be sent very close to someone or something that will be critical for the mission. Do not miss it."_

_"Understood." Kiri replied. "Anything else?" SHINRA looked over to her partner who gave a small nod once more. Nodding in turn SHINRA looked back at her older brother. "Yes, go with your instincts."_

_Kiritsugu blinked at the cryptic message, but shrugged it off. "Very well, then by this banner, I swear on the honor of the Dogs of War that we will deal with those who dare to strike ALAYA."_

_SHINRA nodded at the formality, but it was impossible to tell what this mysterious figure felt beneath that robe. "Very well brother," SHINRA acknowledged. "Go forth and deal with this travesty. Your methods are yours to determine. Peace or war, choose your path, but get the task done." With that, the mysterious figure raised a limb (it was impossible to tell beneath the long sleeved robe if that was an arm, tentacle, or some unheard of appendage mankind could never have conceived). With a sound distinctive to a snap of fingers, a giant violet wall of light appeared. It was so big that the entire Dogs of War could easily run four tanks abreast into while helicopters flew above them._

_Turning to face his men, Kiritsugu waved the banner high in the air, the picture of a white dog on a black field waved in the wind as he did so. "Dogs of War, Move Out!" Kiritsugu ordered. Holding the banner on high, he led the march forward. Of course the first thing that went into this rip in space was The Hippalectryon, it wouldn't do for anyone else to go before the Black Knight. Close behind came the warplanes of all variants, following them came the helicopters, both gunship and transports. Just before Kiri entered the portal, he waited for the lead vehicle, a military specked humvee, to pause. Grabbing the railing on the side he ascended to the top of the vehicle and sat in the gunners seat as the vehicle rolled up. Just before he entered the portal, his last words echoed through the radio._

_"Everyone, don't die." With that, he vanished into the portal, leaving this world for another. As fast as possible, the rest of the Dogs of War drove into the portal. First came the warbikes and humvees, then came the mechs, and finally the tanks and rearguard entered the portal. As soon as the last of them passed through the tear in space, it promptly vanished. Alone on the empty base, SHINRA turned to the figure beside her._

_"It's done." SHINRA replied. "Now it is up to him to complete it. If, he can complete it"_

_For the first time, the figure spoke, revealing a feminine voice. "As he was so fond of saying, have a little faith."_

_"Perhaps," SHINRA replied. "But frankly, I'd rather wait and see."_

_Beneath her hood, the mysterious woman smiled. "True, but then again. I cannot help but have faith in him. I mean, who else could you rely on? Lelouch?" For a moment, they just looked at each other, before they laughed hard and deeply at the joke._

_"In all seriousness though," SHINRA asked after regaining her breath. "Will you do what you vowed so long ago?"_

_"Of course, I intend to join the march myself as soon as this is done." With that, they vanished, leaving the base as empty as ghost town...for a few minutes. Then the Second Brigade came back with their heavy machinery to tear the place down and remove all trace of it from the planet._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_In another world, two teens on a civilian motorcycle drove back from a successful gambling establishment. Even though they had skipped class, they were unconcerned by the consequences. This was neither the first time nor, they figured, their last time._

_"Hey Lelouch," Rivalz Cardemonde asked as he drove the vehicle. "About that first move." For a response, his passenger known by his friend as Lelouch Lamperouge made a 'hmm' sound to acknowledge he had heard. "Why did you start by moving the king piece?" He asked this question because his friend had just won a chess game by substituting for a noble who possessed a less than stellar ability with chess. It had confused Rivalz why his friend would make such a move._

_"If a king won't move, how can he expect his men to follow?" Lelouch asked explaining his reasoning._

_"Hmm, ne, Lelouch," Rivalz asked as he thought about his friend's words. "Do you want to become a company director or something?" Snorting, the boy looked at Rivalz in mild annoyance. "Of course not. Strange dreams will only serve to destroy you." Had he known where his path would lead in another world, he might have taken that phrase to heart. Instead, the boy felt nothing of the words he uttered in boredom as he walked through life. Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted by the honking of a truck behind them that was clearly going well over the speeding limit._

_"What the hell?" Rivalz cried nearly losing control of his bike. Weaving left and right, he kept staying in the way of the truck._

_"Damned idiot," The truck driver raged. "Get outta my way!" He saw an off ramp to the left and aimed for it pushing the blasted kids in the process._

_"Wait! Don't!" The redhead beside the driver cried right as he drove over several yellow cones and a striped wooden bar meant to inform drivers that this was not a way to go. The driver then saw that they were about to smash into a building and swerved as hard as he could. Unfortunately, by swerving, he sent the truck into a drift where it ended up smashing into a different part of the building._

_Pausing at the side of the highway, Rivalz looked down at the accident. "Um, was that our fault?" In a bored tone Lelouch bluntly told his friend "Of course not." He walked up to the railing to look at the truck for a moment, he thought he saw something hovering over the truck, some sort of shimmering light...but-_

_**WRONG**_

_A feeling of pure __**wrongness**__, a feeling unlike he ever experienced came from over the truck. The shimmering was gone, if it ever existed, but something else hovered over the truck. Something alien, something powerful, something that made his instincts scream 'stay the hell away'. Never before had his survival instincts hit him like this, not even during the invasion of Japan. All around him, he could hear nearby civilians shrieking in fear from the __**wrongness**__._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Inside her capsule, a green haired, golden eyed girl opened her mouth and tried to scream. Were she not gagged, she would have succeeded. Even though she was in a strait jacket and breathing powerful sedatives, they did little to hold her back. In pure agony, she nearly broke free from the jacket. __Her head, it burned. Upon her forehead, the mark of her curse glowed bright red and burned like a white hot brand._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Lelouch wanted to help them, wanted to check on the crashed vehicle, but that feeling was suffocating to him. It felt like someone was aiming a gun at him, some nameless horror waiting to pounce. Backing away, Lelouch looked at his friend. "Rivalz, can you get your bike started?"_

_"No good, the energy line got cut." Rivalz told him, also shaking in fear from that sensation pervading the air. Lelouch threw out the idea of helping the people in the truck and went to work on the bike. Whatever was going on over there was none of his business. Best just get out of there, best not to tempt fate and have it gaze upon him._

_Looking at the truck, there was something going on around the truck. A black ripple in the air, like a puddle in the rain. And the ripples were getting bigger, faster, and more frequent. The sheer power in the air awoke the two inside the truck. At point blank range, they were assaulted by the __**wrongness**__._

_In a panic, the driver threw the truck in reverse to break free of the building and switched back into forward gear, gunning the throttle as hard as he could trying to break free. He and his red head passenger felt as though something was scraping the insides of their heads, ripping at their minds, and tearing at their sanity. They were hallucinating as they drove, in their minds, they saw countless beings that looked similar to humans, dressed like ancient Egyptians, with red marks upon their foreheads. These beings opened their eyes as one and seemed to gaze into the very souls of the two in the truck._

_Behind the truck drivers, several military gunships commanded the truck to stop, give up, and be arrested. However, the two of them were too far gone in their mad world to hear them. Fear was driving them, fear was egging them on. Even as bullets skimmed beside them, they noticed it not. Fear had them now, fear and madness. Gripping them with black tendrils, trying to drag them into the deepest depths to be consumed._

_Xxxxxx_

_At the capitol building, one lieutenant read off the report he had just been given and passed it on to the two men behind him."Your Highness, General Bartley, we have a situation."_

_"What is it?" The prince feigned boredom whilst panicking inside._

_"The truck, its covered by some sort of anomaly." The screen in from of them focused on the vehicle revealing a black..thing surrounding the vehicle. "Reports are coming in all over about people seeing ghosts and feelings of pure terror. Several of our men are afraid to get near it."_

_"Spineless curs." The fat general muttered. "Send in the purebloods. They at least have the spine."_

_"Yessir, but you should know sir they are heading straight for the getto."_

_"Then take them out before they get there!" The prince ordered. Everything was falling apart around him._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Jeremiah Gottwaldov was a career soldier, and the leader of the pureblood faction here in Japan. He considered himself a stoic man, one who could keep his cool and an eye for opportunity. Yet, as he was flown above that truck, his instincts told him to keep a distance, to stay away. It galled him that his body was refusing his will. It galled him that his body wanted to stain his honor. He wondered if anyone else felt like he did. If the wavering those gunships were any indication, those pilots also felt this fear. But then, they were merely ordinary men, not nobles, not men who lived and breathed by the tenants of honor and duty._

_Over the radio, a voice broke out. "All units, this is command. By order of his highness Prince Clovis, take down that truck."_

_Gunships unleashed a storm of fire upon the enemy. However, something strange occurred. The bullets that should have nailed the truck hit the distortion...and ceased to exist. That black...barrier ate the bullets and missiles like a child eats candy._

_"Hold your fire." Jeremiah ordered. "You're just wasting bullets."_

_"Yes my lord." The pilots complied._

_"Pilot, I'm heading out." Jeremiah declared. With that, his drop ship let his knightmare frame fall to the ground where it landed with a loud 'thud'. "Villetta, cut off his path to the getto."_

_"Yes my Lord," his reliable subordinate responded. The drop ship moved up ahead of the truck. Thinking that the barrier was impervious to projectiles, Jeremiah swung his blade at the barrier hoping to cut it. Instead, the part of his blade that cut into the barrier vanished. Jeremiah paled at the revelation and saw that Villetta was standing in the way of the truck. Putting two and two together, he quickly ordered. "Villetta, get out of the way!" Hearing the panic in his voice, she jumped aside, almost not in time. A part of her landspinner was hit by the barrier and vanished into the void. She had just missed death by a hair. Staring in shock Villetta could only watch as the truck careened down a road into the getto._

_"What the hell did they steal?" One unnamed soldier asked over the radio forgetting com discipline. Still, the question was a good one. This was supposed to be stolen medical supplies. When the hell did medical supplies turn into an impervious barrier that ate anything it touched? They were loyal soldiers of Britannia, but they weren't stupid. Even as they heard the prince rage over the com, there was nothing anyone could do but follow the truck to where ever it went._

_xxxxxxxxxx_

_They were staring, the countless beings were staring into their souls. The two of them could feel it, if they were found evil, they would die. They would die here and now, judged by beings that were not men yet looked men. Othermen, otherbeings, such names fit them better than men. No matter how they looked, these creatures were not humans. They were something else, and any moment now they would judge the two of them. Judge? What a joke. How could such beings, such perfect creatures, see the two humans as anything but guilty? The otherbeings were like gods compared to the two of them. As Kallen Kozuki and Takeshi Nagata drove forward in blind fear and madness. they saw the crowd part before them. Not for them, the ghosts remained steady no matter how they drove. Instead, they were making way for something coming towards them._

_An army, an army of blackness was coming. Grim-faced and determined the army was coming towards them, and in their eyes was little pity, little compassion. It was an army ready to fight to the death for one reason or another. They were coming. Kallen and Takeshi could only gaze in fear as the army approached. Closer and closer they came while the countless otherbeings stepped aside and let them pass uncontested. As the army neared, Kallen could see the otherbeings close their eyes once the army passed them and returned to silently standing there. Once the last member of the army passed them, the beings returned to their positions. It was so silent that it was unnerving._

_Closer and closer the army came until the army walked right up and past them. Right through them, like ghosts from the stories of old. And just as the army went through them, the vision stopped. The madness left, and Kallen and Takeshi saw that they had just entered the getto._

_Had they looked behind them, they would have seen a large purple hole hovering in the air. Had they looked back, they would have seen ten warplanes lead by a black plane with red wings emerge from the darkness closely followed by gunships and helicopters. But Kallen and Takeshi had bigger things to worry about._

_Specifically the building they were about to ram into in Three-_

_Two._

_One._

_SMASH!_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_"General, the vehicle has stopped a hundred meters inside the getto." The radio officer replied. He adjusted the monitor to show the vehicle embedded into an abandoned skyscraper that was leaning on another one. The vehicle had finally lost that strange barrier. It was ripe for the picking._

_"Send in our troops. I want that truck secured immediately." Clovis demanded._

_"My Lord!" A voice broke through the radio. "Do you see this?" Clovis recognized the voice as Jeremiah's. The monitor switched to show what Gottwald was seeing. The image did not make anyone feel better._

_Muttering quietly the prince whispered "C.C, what else have you hidden?' Clovis had only focused on her immortality. He hadn't imagined that she could pull off something like this. Speaking up to be heard, the prince ordered. "Ignore it, secure that truck immediately."_

_"Yes my-" Jeremiah began. However, his words were distracted as his camera showed ten warplanes emerge from the hole in space. The first was a plane unlike anything they ever seen, black with red wings the size of a bomber but shaped like some sort of fighter. It was the first out of the hole, but it was not the last. Five fighter planes followed quickly, next came two large planes with large dishes on their backs for reasons unknown. The final two planes that emerged were a standard design that could be used as bombers, troop transports, or a supply runners._

_"What the-?" Jeremiah began before the hole unleashed twenty helicopters. Ten of which were unfamiliar, and clearly advanced gunships, while the other ten were clearly troop transports laden with armed men wearing camouflage best suited for forest environments. "Y-your orders my Prince." Jeremiah asked stuttering in surprise. Who wouldn't be surprised? Planes and helicopters appearing out of thin air like a bad science fiction novel, who wouldn't be?_

_"G-get to that truck, now!" The prince cried. The nearby troops and knightmare frames moved forward but ran into a new problem. And if the previous surprises weren't enough, out poured an army in various jeeps, trucks, Humvees, custom motorcycles, five unidentified knightmares that seemed to lack land spinners, and finally tanks. Who used tanks these days? All of them were carrying troops armed to the teeth. Troops that immediately aimed their weapons at the Britannians, but no shots were fired...yet._

_Still, they had their orders, and if these intruders were going to get in the way...Jeremiah raised his rifle and prepared to fire._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Emiya Kiritsugu Pendragon was many things, but despite what Artemis said on her snappish days, he was not an idiot. After being warned that they would be close to something important to their job upon leaving, and spying a truck just ahead of him once he emerged from that...really weird place, a truck radiating the same alien feel as the being who sent them here, Kiritsugu knew exactly what he had to do._

_"Secure that truck now!" Kiri ordered. His driver put the pedal to the metal causing him to zoom forward._

_"Sir," Someone from behind him radioed. "The mech behind us is preparing to fire."_

_"Then freeze him, but don't let him interfere. Our intel informed us that something important is in that truck."_

_"Roger that General, preparing freeze foam rounds." Captain Valor, leader of the Dogs of War's only fighter wing replied. "You heard him flyboys, light 'em up but no killin'."_

_"Roger Roger." They responded._

_"Scrambling their radar." Snake Eye, one of two Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) planes replied. Normally used to detect enemy aircraft and distinguish between friend and foe hundreds of miles away, these two custom planes had also been upgraded with cyberwarfare suits and jamming systems. The enemy below wouldn't even know the enemy was above them._

_"Tapping into their radio frequencies, please stand by." Ghost Eye, the other custom AWACS added._

_Turning harshly, the five fighters angled themselves and aimed at the enemy. They never saw it coming, so focused were they on the army on the ground appearing from the dimensional rift. A hail of bullets came from above nailing the mechs, where the bullets hit, yellow foam that hardened upon impact appeared. The blue mech looked like a badly decorated blueberry cake with yellow icing after everything was said and done._

_Xxxxxxxxxxx_

_"Who uses airplanes anymore?" Kuwell roared as his Knightmare was frozen over, unable to move. Since the Knightmare became the weapon of choice, warplanes had all but vanished. After all, it was impossible to get a missile to hit a Knightmare these days. Nobody bothered with them, it was all about the Knightmares in this day and age._

_"Apparently they do." Villette replied as her own machine was frozen. "But why didn't they kill us?" Instead of lethal rounds, they were merely incapacitated. What should have been a bloodbath for fools who had forgotten basic maneuvers to avoid aircraft fire, had become a mere insult. Frankly, Villette was rather happy she wasn't dead._

_"What are you doing?" Clovis yelled over the radio. "Get that truck now. I don't care what it takes. Get it now!"_

_Xxxxxxxxxx_

_Kallen awoke, feeling her face planted in an airbag. Her neck hurt terribly from the seat belt, but at least she was alive. She turned to ask Takeshi if he was alright, but she stopped. Where Takeshi once saw was a bloodstain. Where he used to sit was a blood covered metal pole that the truck had rammed into. She didn't dare look any harder, if she did, she was sure to lose something irreplaceable in her. "Gomen," She whispered even as tears fell down her cheek. "Gomen, gomen, gomen."_

_"Secure that truck!" An unfamiliar voice roared. Freaked out or not, going into shock or not, Kallen was not going to let some Britannian take the truck Takeshi died for. It was a testament to her current mental damage that she didn't realize the man had spoken unaccented Japanese instead of English. Breaking free of her seatbelt, she rushed over to the back of the truck where she activated her secret weapon, a Knightmare frame. True, it was only a Glasgow, not one of those new Sutherlands, but a Knightmare was still a Knightmare, and Kallen was the Ace of the Japanese Resistance (at least in the Shinjuku branch). Quickly rushing the start up sequence, her machine woke up and broke through the back of the truck-_

_ Only for her to come face to face with the barrels of five unfamiliar Knightmare frames._

_"Do you understand what I'm saying?" One of the machines' loud speakers blared in English_

_"F*ck off and die Britannian!" Kallen roared as she pressed the button to fire a Slash Harken at point blank range which would kill the enemy...if it would actually have fired. There was a whirring noise to signify that something was trying to work, but nothing happened. Must have been damaged from the impact._

_"Oh good, I can understand you, even if you have a foul mouth. Right, let's make this easy-" Kallen sent her machine in to punch the enemy Knightmare, only for it to be grabbed by one of the other four machines. "Oooooor we could do it the hard way." The enemy finished. "Fire." With that, all five machines fired at her red Knightmare's limbs destroying them with contemptuous ease._

_"Damn you Britannians," Kallen roared. Flicking switches, she heard a grinding noise coming from behind her. She quickly began tapping in the code to self destruct when she heard the sound of metal tearing revealing several troops aiming at her. For reason, the ammo clips were painted blue. Kallen snarled and turned to push the self destruct button final authorization when she heard a shot, felt something hit her in the neck, and then fell into the blackness._

_Xxxxxxxxxxx_

_"Target secured, no casualties." Corporal Rowland, one of the ten Ideals of the Dogs of War declared._

_"Good work," Kiritsugu told them. He flicked on his radio and made a series of orders. "Roy, get the First into cover and begin scouting the area. I want a place to tuck tail. Rebecca, have Third Brigade follow First and evacuate the area. Cain, I need you to move the heavies in deep, the area looks mostly abandoned. See if you can find places to hide our big ones. Oh, and have two of our Gernsbacks drag the red mech away, I want it studied. Gaung, have our aircraft get to high altitude and begin scrambling everything within fifty miles. I want this place a dead zone. Have the heli find some spots to land on."_

_"Yes Sir," His officers replied as they began throwing orders to the various subordinates. Kiritsugu looked at the truck and frowned. "Damned things busted up badly. The engine will probably never work." Turning on the com again, he radioed to the nearest tank to hook up to the truck and drag it away. He looked back at the enemy machines still frozen, and the enemy gunships that were watching over the frozen machines like scared guard dogs afraid the wolves would feed on them. Checking his watch, he figured the foam would be good for another fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. More than enough time to kill them, more than enough time to disable them, but the rule of thumb when traveling through worlds is don't get involved unless A: you know the situation, or B: They break the laws of common decency, whichever came first._

_So they pulled back, deeper and deeper into the ruined city. Several spots were found to hide their machines and a few impromptu helipads were made on abandoned skyscrapers. Brigadier Roy quickly ran back to Kiritsugu and saluted. Saluting back, Kiritsugu quickly moved towards a certain vehicle operated by his spooks._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxx_

_ watch?v=1RQypSl1Usg_

_"Ngh," Kallen groaned as she awoke. She tried to sit up, but noticed she was being held down. No matter how she tried to move, she was unable to break free. All around her, she heard echoes, voice whispering words unlike anything she had ever heard. Panic was flooding her system when she heard a voice spoke up._

_"Ah, you're awake. Good" A male voice came from her left. Turning her head, Kallen swore she was gazing into a face wearing a gas mask, but then the image left, revealing a kindly looking old man, probably in his eighties. "Are you all right?" The man asked. Kallen for a moment swore that this Japanese speaking man had spoken to her in English a moment ago, but the thought left her like a floating butterfly. A pretty yellow butterfly, just like that one over there. Once more, the old man asked. "Are you alright?" Kallen snaps her attention from the butterfly and looks over at him and nods._

_"Yes, um, where am I?"_

_"My clinic." He then pointed to the straps on her body "You hurt your neck and back significantly. Sorry, but I need you to stay as you are until I've finished seeing how injured your spine is." Seeing her nod slowly in comprehension, the man opened his mouth, about to say something when the sound of a door opening was heard._

_"How is she doing?" A new voice broke in. In a moment, what Kallen thought was quite possibly the most handsome man in the world enter her vision. With that red hair, eyes as green as a field of grass, and a small strand of hair that refused to stay down, he looked better than anyone Kallen had ever seen. Mentally she cursed herself at the blush she knew she was sporting._

_"She's all ready sir." The first man informed the newcomer.__ 'Ready? For what?'__ Kallen mentally asked._

_"Very well, then I'll take over." The newcomer told the old man. Turning to Kallen he asked her. "Excuse me, but what is your name?" "Kallen, Kallen Kozuki." "Nice to meet you Kallen, my name is Kiritsugu."_

_"You're Japanese?" Kallen asked in surprise. Then again, he was speaking in an unaccented voice. Shrugging the man responded. "Something like that. But this isn't about me, I'm not the injured one. Now, what were you doing? We found you laying down on the ground for some reason."_

_Somewhere, in the depths of her mind, a part of Kallen told her to be suspicious. However, there was this great...need that told her to answer the questions. "I...I was...I was with Takeshi. We...we were...we were stealing a weapon from Britannia. A...a poison gas. Don't...don't let them take it." Her head was hurting badly for some reason._

_The man turned to his right and said something about increasing the dosage, but Kallen kept on talking. "We were doing fine but, Tamaki screwed up again. And...and Takeshi..." Tears were running down her face as the repressed memory floated to the top._

_"He's undergoing surgery." The man suddenly told her, and Kallen suddenly felt better._

_"Really?" She asked hopefully. "That's good."_

_"Something like that." The man reassured her. Though considering his words, they shouldn't have reassured her. "So, what was with the red machine?"_

_"My Knightmare? We stole it a while ago. I, I'm the best in our resistance cell."_

_"Tell me about it." The man urged. Kallen gushed about her machine, she told all about how the landspinners let her blaze across the land at over a hundred mile an hour. She lovingly told about how slash harkens were godsends for logistics. After all, reusable weapons cannot be beaten. She discussed how energy fillers let her run her machine for hours at a time. All through it all the man nodded, asked for more explanation on the Knightmare terms, all of which Kallen loved to talk about._

_"So, you do all this as a resistance cell. Why? Why are you resisting?" The man asked. Kallen couldn't believe why anyone would ask this. Everyone knew all about Britannia's never ending ambition. But this man, this divine being didn't know. He asked about the origins of Britannia, from Eowyn to Washington's Rebellion to Napoleon to the modern day. Kallen quickly skimmed over it all, after all, it was common knowledge. Yet the man seemed surprised, and rather...disappointed(?) about it for some reason._

_"Sir," the old man from earlier broke in. "She won't be able to recover if we continue."_

_"Shut it down, we have what we need." The handsome man told her. Kallen was confused about what was going on. As she looked at the handsome one, she noticed he started to look less and less like the ideal image of a man. He still looked handsome, but now he wasn't divine. And the old man...he was wearing a gas mask. And he wasn't old, he just had gray hair._

_"Wait, what's going on?" Kallen asked suspiciously._

_"Hmm? Oh, we drugged you and used hypnotic suggestion on you." The red head told her bluntly. The haze in Kallen's mind vanished instantly to be replaced with rage and fear. "So, poison gas huh?" The man repeated earning a glare from Kallen._

_"Go to hell Britannian." Kallen spat._

_"Who?" The red head blinked. It was then that Kallen realized that this man was speaking Japanese without any sign of an accent. Still, it was probably just a trick. "Look kid, I understand why your upset, but I needed to know what the hell was in that truck without opening it and find out you planted a bomb or something. Thanks for the heads up."_

_ Before Kallen could retort, the man spun around and walked out. Kallen began cussing with every foul phrase she had ever heard knowing that she was about to be tortured for more information and killed. She flinched as the man wearing the gas mask motioned to four others who had been hiding out of Kallen's range of sight forward. Inwardly she made a prayer to her brother and friends, but rather than being tortured, the men began removing the restraints. Seeing an opportunity, Kallen tried to fight her way out, but the four easily overpowered her and dragged her out of the...van apparently and pulled her some distance away before literally tossing her away._

_She expected to die there, to be shot without hesitation. She did not expect the four of them to turn and run back to the van which drove off with what looked like a convoy of vehicles driving deeper into the ghetto. For a moment, she was surprised by the turn of events, then common sense kicked in and she ran. She quickly figured out where she was and began zigging and zagging and double backing to make sure she wasn't pursued. Finally, she ran to a safe house, knocked the prearranged way and waited. A minute later, the door opened and Kallen dived in. She had to warn Ohgi and the rest about this development._

_She had no idea how far the situation was deteriorating around her._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_"And that's what we've just jumped into." Kiritsugu finished as the presentation ended. "Amazing how history changes from such little things." He deadpanned as he gauged the reactions of the commanders of his forces._

_"Wow, so we found Americans even more arrogant than the ones we knew." Colonel Cain muttered. Cain was a former Cuban. His country had long seen the United States as a duality. A place for a better future and a land of arrogant fat men who did nothing but spit upon their neighbors._

_"So they really are pigs. I thought it was just a derogatory phrase my old lands used to speak of." Guang spoke surprised. As a former Tibetian, he had heard the Chinese overlords speak with venom about the Americans._

_"I'd rather worry about those mechs of theirs. Knightmares was it?" Rebecca asked. As a Russian, she had known about the rival of the country she once came from. However, her attachment to that frozen hell hole was nonexistent. Anything that made those bastards suffer were fine in her book. "The way they are built, I fear we have a problem. Our engineers have been going over them and found several nasty surprises. First of all, they're built with an alloy unlike anything we've ever seen. Four times stronger than titanium and nearly as light. That's how they can roll so quickly. Not to mention the complex joints in the legs. The blasted things can dance around us as they kill us."_

_"My boys had no problems with them Rebecca." Guang countered, refering to his flyboys._

_"From what it looked like, it seemed to be a surprise to them." Roy spoke up. Roy was from Africa, a deep dark forest of Africa. It was there that his brothers were drafted to fight for the wars of Warlords. Heck, Roy had been drafted too, until Kiritsugu and Artemis knocked him unconscious and offered him a choice after he work up. It was a choice he had never regretted. "If we took them by __surprise, it would explain why they didn't keep an eye on the sky. The problem is, once surprise is used, it can't be used again."_

_"They will expect the same tactic." Ali quietly concurred. Ali, commander of the Mad Dogs, the most decorated of the Dogs of War, the man who should have been the third in command of the Dogs of War instead of Roy. A quiet Kurd who had seen hell itself in the deserts of the middle east. A man who had risen above the blood in the Dogs of War, at one time been the sole Ideal amongst the Dogs before he gave up his patch and took up command of the Mad Dogs. When the man spoke, the others listened. Even Kiritsugu. "If we wish to defeat them, we must not let them fight in places of mobility."_

_"That'll be hard." Rebecca replied. " The problem is that even though this is clearly a lesser model than the Britannian ones, they are still unbelievably maneuverable."_

_"Can they take a tank shell?" Cain asked._

_"No, for all they have for advanced alloys, hit them directly with a shell and I would estimate that you would disable, if not destroy the mech. But with their maneuverability, those monsters would just dance around a tank."_

_"Leave that to me." Cain reassured her. "We've developed various methods for tank warfare against high speed targets. I've had the gunners practice on our Arms Slaves and warbikes. We can do it."_

_"Good." Kiritsugu nodded. "Moving on to other matters. Major Fitz, what have you to report?"_

_"Two of my men have just reported in. We've found one of the safehouses for the resistance." Major Fitz, an ex-Egyptian child soldier replied. "In the meantime, several of my men have reported hearing voices in their head that they claim originate from the truck. Female voices."_

_"You sure they're not hallucinating?" Rebecca asked skeptically._

_"We are spooks." Fitz retorted. "We do not 'hallucinate', if they say that they hear voices, then they hear voices." It wasn't known, though it would be soon, by the Dogs that the Spooks were trained Psychics and first generation Magi that Kiritsugu had gathered and trained alongside Artemis and a few hired tutors. They were there for a reason, nothing inhuman would threaten the Dogs so long as the Spooks survived._

_"Any indication of hostility?" Artemis asked over the radio._

_"None." Fitz replied "Just words of fear, boredom, and...pizza of all things."_

_"Well I think I can help with that last thing." Kiri replied in a cheerful tone._

_"HELL NO!" Everyone in the room and on the radio yelled at once. Kiri winched at the response but bowed to the majority. After all...there's plenty of time to cook later..._

_"Very well, then we must move on to the current situation." Kiritsugu became deadly serious once more as he turned to warfare. "To be blunt, we are surrounded. The enemy has boxed us in this place. Still, we have a great defensive position. One that will not fall easily. In addition, Roy here has located three other possible hiding spots in this ruined city. That's the good part. The bad part is we are going to have to have our planes leave and create an emergency landing strip somewhere. They've got enough fuel for another twelve hours of flight but have yet to find any place to land safely and secretly."_

_"Leave that to me." Artemis replied over the radio. "I've got everything prepared. The problem is, you'll lose your radar jamming and comm blackout for a bit."_

_"Works for me, get me an airstrip or at least a flat field to work with." Kiri ordered. "Once we've got a place to land our birds we can work on coordinating air support." Nodding at Guang, Kiri added. "Which is, of course, your job Colonel." Grinning, the former Tibetian acknowledged the power and authority given to him. "In the mean time, here's what I want the rest of you to do."_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_"All units are assembled." A staff member informed General Bartley. We have the entire ghetto surrounded. The enemy aircraft have flown off and the grounds forces have scattered._

_"Lowly insects," Prince Clovis spat. "Listen, I want that truck recovered at all costs. Hold nothing back." Well, that would be nice, but Clovis dared only use his own personal troops for this situation. If the emperor ever found out what Clovis was hiding, he would surely be disowned, discredited, and executed._

_"Send in the honorary Britannians first. They'll soften the enemy up for our Knightmares."_

_"Yessir."_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_"All right you dogs," The Britannian Colonel yelled over the radio. "The terrorists have gone to ground in the ghetto. Bastards, your mission is to find and secure the weapon the terrorists stole. Search every resident of the Elevens in the Shinjuku Ghetto." As he spoke, dozens of Britannias VTOLs (vertical takeoff and landing) transporting troops flew over the ghetto. Sure, the enemy might shoot them down, but the loss of a few dozen Numbers for the location of anti-air batteries were a small price to pay. Gunships escorted the troops while APCs drove through the rubble. "Upon discovery of the target, send back the coordinates. We, the Prince's personal troops will bring the target back"_

_Inside the Ghetto, the already nervous Japanese grew even more terrified by the sheer number of aircraft in the air. The civilians, sensing trouble ran to their houses to hide lest they get caught in between the firefight between the Britannians and the mysterious military force. It would...prove to be a bad move for many._

_"Although you bastards are honorary Britannians, you were originally Elevens, go sniff the animals that have the same scent as you. Show some results if you want the right to bear Arms!" The Colonel ordered over the radio. "Now is the time to show your loyalty to Britannia."_

_"Yes my Lord." The Britannian troops replied._

_From a hiding spot, listening to the intercepted radio signals, Dog of War Brigadier Roy muttered to one of his Captains "Interesting, if that was supposed to be a motivational speech, then I think I can make a good assumption. We've got the upper hand in moral."_

_"Looks like it Sir." The captain "Seriously, that was supposed to be uplifting? How about you show them how it's done."_

_"Sounds like a good idea." Roy acknowledged. Flipping on a open channel so that both forces could hear, Roy began his own speech. "Dogs of War, Prepare for battle! __They have come to stop us, to prevent us from completing our task. Fools, there is no task more righteous, more grand than ours. We have come to save them, and they mean to stop us. They mean to stop us from saving not just our world, but their world as well. Prepare yourselves my brothers and sisters, prepare yourself for what comes ahead. Today is but the first battle of our war, a war that will determine the fate of our world and theirs, and we WILL NOT LOSE!"_

_The resounding cheer echoed through the ruins of the ghetto as men and women cheered and howled upon the speech. No words were uttered, no coherent sounds we made. Only raw emotion as ever single Dog of War cried out. Unfortunately, over half of Roy's speech failed to be understood by the Britannian's. Turns out, when one creates an army from orphans around the world, they end up learning words from across the globe and using them. Thus, Roy ended up making his great speech with words from over twenty different languages as he had been taught back at boot camp._

_Ah well, they'd understand soon enough._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_The sky was clear save for the ugly machines flying in the sky. Gazing up at the clear blue and cloudless day, Kiritsugu inhaled deeply, tasting if, feeling it upon his flesh. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought of the family he left behind, the friends he had to leave, the tens of thousands of children he supported in his orphanages, and he thought of himself. As he breathed in, he tasted the rot in the air, the despair, the corrosion in this place. This city, this ruined land, it was a travesty. One that Kiritsugu had seen many times back home. This place was unhealthy, it was a scar upon the land and the human psyche. Whoever ruled this place was a fool and an incompetent, places like this need to be reclaimed and repaired as quickly as possible lest the rot spread._

_Opening his eyes Kiritsugu began walking towards the key to this expedition. Whatever lay inside that truck would bring answers to questions he possessed. That red head girl he interrogated claimed that it was poison gas. Perhaps there was gas there, but Kiritsugu believed differently. Gas would almost never give any hint to what could threaten Gaia. Not to mention his army was not equipped to analyze such a dangerous compound. But they would not take any chances, an isolation tent was being erected to prevent any possible toxin form leaving the vehicle. Kiri calmly walked up to the tent and put on a biohazard suit just in case._

_Unlike what many people would expect, Kiritsugu did not need to command his Dogs of War like a worried mother hen. His men were well trained, well versed in the correct methods of warfare, and could adapt on the fly. They had long fought without Kiri holding their hands, and they would continue to do so long after he was dead. Thus, the son of Emiya Shirou was free to investigate what lay inside the truck and remove it if possible._

_Two of his spooks saluted as Kiri opened the first door on the tent. Sealing it behind him, he opened the inner flap and passed before it to was sealed behind him. Walking into the darkness, he went to the open door of the truck the red machine had burst from. Shaking his head at the blatant disregard that girl had on the safety of everyone just to go out an fight an unidentified opponent he entered the vehicle to behold...a sphere? What a strange device, yet from within it came an alien feeling. It wasn't malicious, nor hostile in the feel, merely different to the point of bizarre._

_Spotting what looked like a window in the container, Kiritsugu gazed through it to behold...a woman? Yes, that was clearly a woman, or at least something that had the same figure as one. She was bound and gagged and breathing what looked like green gas. Poison? Structurally Analyzing the canister, Kiritsugu confirmed that it was merely a sedative. No toxins detected at all. Spying a pad which probably opened the container, Kiritsugu went to work. It was a simple task for one who had broken into the most fortified location in the world (the family kitchen) on a weekly to biweekly basis. A minute later, he cracked the security panel and unlocked the canister._

_Green gas escaped from the sphere as it opened, allowing him to reach inside the container and force it open. The woman began to fall, but was easily caught in his arms. Holding her like a groom his bride, Kiritsugu turned and began to leave the vehicle and return to the inside. As he carried her, he noticed that her eyes opened for a mere moment. He honestly thought those golden eyes were attractive, even if that green hair was strange. Perhaps an effect of the gas? Either way, Kiritsugu had what he came for. The isolation tent would need to be removed and the truck could be left as bait for the enemy._

_"Mmmh," The girl moaned quietly. Carefully, Kiritsugu removed the gag from the girl in case she spoke, but instead, she went back to sleep._

_He had no idea what the consequences of this meeting would entail, but in the future, he would find that it wasn't an...unpleasant experience when everything was said and done. But that is in the future, for now, he had a war to win._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_**possible omake for the next chapter **__(I just randomly thought of it and had to write it down)_

_Desperate, Suzaku fired his Slash Harkens at the building. He knew he'd regret killing them, but he had no choice. They had chosen to rebel. With a mighty roar his waist and wrist mounted weapons blazed forward and smashed into the building._

_For a moment, there was silence. Then, a voice rose up form the building._

_"Oh my God, he killed Kenny!" A male voice broke out in an overly dramatic fashion._

_"That bastard! Let's get him!" Another voice roared. And suddenly, from behind Suzaku a new barrage of missiles were launched._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_**Rejected scene for the next chapter**__._

_"We have you surrounded, drop your weapons and you can still stand for trial." A helicopter blared at the entrenched Third Brigade._

_Snorting in anger, Rebecca commanded her troops. "Dogs of War, unleash the joke!" As one, they all pulled out a slip of paper and began to read__. "Wenn ist das Nunnstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!" For a moment, there was silence then the laughter began. In a moment, the Britannian forces would behold with horror the power of the funniest joke in the world._


	78. Code Black Chapter 2

**Code Black Chapter 2**

_"Some people have asked me, what would it have been like if I had never met the Black Knight and the Dogs of War. My answer is always the same, we would have __died. In the Shinjuku ghetto, we would have died nameless and forgotten and Britannia would still be conquering the world. There is no one who could have done what they have done, of this I am sure." - Kaname Ohgi – Former Commander of Phoenix Force_

_"They__ told us a hundred tales of the Black Knight. How he had always been there, watching, intervening as needed. The Black Knight, they said, has been around in one form or another for thousands of years. The name changed, the armor changed, but the purpose wa__s always the same. The Black Knight, whether that thing was an immortal or not is immaterial. What the Black Knight did was drive fear into the hearts of every ruler in the world, good and bad. The Knight took unshakable empires and rocked them to the core__. They say that the Black Knight here is a fake, a fraud, a copy of the one that we knew so well. I disagree, I think the Black Knight is not a person, but an idea._

_And Ideas never fully go away." - Diethard Ried – Former Commander of Phoenix Force's Publi__c Relations Division._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_They came, like a swarm of insects ready to feed, like a host of demons descending on the world. The infantry of Britannia were coming. Quickly, they moved through the ghetto, looking for the missing truck. They had heard the enemy's speech over open broadcast, but only understood maybe a fifth of what was being said. However, regardless of what it contained, every trooper on the ground heard the cheers. The declaration that Britannia was in for a fight._

_A__s for Trooper 404, known by a few as Kururugi Suzaku, this filled him with distaste. Blasted terrorists! Why did they keep fighting and bringing death? Their way would lead to nothing but death piled on by more __death. Checking his corners, Suzaku crossed a__ street that was relatively clear of rubble and put his back to a wall. Seeing what looked like the entrance to a tunnel, he hurried into its maw. Gazing inside, he was surprised by what he saw. The truck, his target, was sitting just inside the entrance, not even concealed. He quickly activated the transmitter on his chest. "This is 404, sending priority image."_

_For a moment, there was silence, then his radio picked up a transmission form command. "Good work private. Secure the area but do not go near the vehicle. Leave tha__t to the Prince's personal troops."_

_"Yes, my lord." Suzaku replied._

_Vrrrrrrrrrrr Screeeech wrrrrr schraaaaaaaaaw__!_

_Hearing a strange sound Suzaku ran to the entrance and out onto the road. Turning his head, he had just enough time to see a yellow vehicle swerve violently around the corner and now was just…_

_…__About…_

_…__To…_

_…__Hit him…_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_ watch?v=0iwiRlpL7H4_

_"What! The truck is empty!" General Bartley asked, fear clearly present in his voice._

_"That is correct general." The lieutenant of the Prince's personal forces replied. "There is some sort of container in there." He said making the general feel slightly relieved until he finished his sentence, "But it's already been opened and emptied."_

_"Did anyone see what happened to the contents! Anyone!" Bartley demanded._

_"No one is reporting anything sir, though...it's strange." The Lt. muttered._

_"Out with is soldier!" The General barked._

_"We can't seem to find the soldier that __reported the location either." The officer reported. "It's like he vanished."_

_"Empty?" The Prince asked, fear permeating his mind and clearly not at all caring about the missing soldier. C.C. was everything. If she was missing…taken, then everything had just turned out for the worst. It was clear that someone now knew about his immortal prisoner. Someone such as her was dangerous, no, disastrous to be in any hands other than his own. If his father found out, disinheritance would be the least of his problems. His father would disown the entire la Britannia branch. Controlling his voice, Clovis made his decision. "It appears that we must move this to the next phase."_

_"But, your highness, we can still-" General Bartley tried to argue._

_"If they have taken what was in t__he container, then we cannot hope to keep this secret any other way." Clovis seethed. "I__f information of this travesty gets o__utside I'll be disinherited, my mother will be disinherited, and we will all be executed__,__ General." Pointing his finger at Bartley, __the Prince gave his command. "You are to tell the motherland that this is a military exercise to purge the region. As the Third Prince of Britannia, I order you to annihilate the Shinjuku Ghetto!"_

_Across the command center, soldiers began issuing orders that the ghetto would be destroyed, sparing no man, woman, or child. It was time for a purge. Clovis, in the meantime, signaled Bartley to come close where he whispered, "Order my personal troops to keep an eye out for a wom__an who will not stay dead or has green hair." _

_"Yes your highness." The General replied feeling a little sick at what was happening inside that ghetto. From the mobile command Center, from the trains, from various dropships, Knightmares were deployed while soldiers and APCs rolled out and began firing on anything that moved...a__ll while the Dogs of War watched from their positions._

_They watched and saw the horrors that mirrored the ones they had lived through as children. They looked on as they saw the tragedies that had shattered their worlds. They watched as they witnessed the horrors mankind inflicted on itself. They gazed upon all this...and hated. As one, thousands of soldiers asked permission to open fire._

_The response was direct and to the point from Kiritsugu himself. "Kill 'Em"_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_A mother and child clung together as they saw the Britannian soldier prepare to fire. The man had casually shot her husband and her husband's brother with the casual ease of swatting flies. And now, he was going to kill her and her daughte__r with the same casual air. "Please, we didn't do anything." She begged the man coated with splashes of blood from her husband__.__ "We're just trying to-"_

_BANG!_

_The mother flinched and tried to cover her daughter...and suddenly noticed that the shot had __**not**__ come from the soldier. It had come from somewhere else… and nailed the Britannian in the head. She watched in __numbness as soldiers wearing camouflage patterned uniforms ran up and began stripping the body of his gun, ammo, and grenades before running off with four other men of the same colors. Through it all, she could only sit there in shock and wondered if she had died...or had just met an avenging demon._

_x_

_"This area's clear," a Britannian soldier declared as he stood in the small room with three freshly shot bodies. Rather than getting a response from his men, there was only silence. Strange. The rest of his comrades should have been checked in to confirm they heard. Instead, nothing. Irritated, the trooper walked out of the room…_

_Only to be shot in the head by a silenced round._

_"Third Floor Clear." The Dog of War reported__,__ getting a series of click noises on his radio. Speedily, he stripped the body of equipment and moved on as fast as possible. Mentally, he knew he needed to leave a cache as the five extra rifles and ammo were weighing him down. He quickly moved to the stairs, dropped the excess baggage by the steps and moved up to begin hunting anew_

_x_

_Two Knightmares rolled down the street searching for anything that moved. They didn't notice the deact__ivated minefield they ran over__…__that suddenly turned on as they rolled over it. The explosion could be seen from a good distance away, and soon enough two more Knightmares quickly came to the scene and rolled into the same minefield that had quickly deactiv__ated after the explosion...only to turn on again as the two new mechs entered the trap. It would work once more before the fourth group wised up to the possibility of a trap._

_Didn't help those two for long._

_X_

_"Enemy infantry at four five two point seven by__ three zero one point five." A Dog of War directed. "Request Beehive Round. Fire for Effect." From their hidden positions at a separate location, the hidden Dogs configured their guns at the directed location._

_"Beehive incoming," The gunner replied. He pul__led the trigger and felt his machine pull back a bit from the explosion. The Britannian troopers had never heard of a Beehive round or considered what flechette rounds were, but they found out very quickly as a hundred of their troops died under the rain o__f metal darts. _

_X_

_Brittanian VTOLs had always been aware of their vulnerability since the creation of the Knightmare. What once had been a glorious position had been turned into a glorified taxi system. Most of the pilots were nothing more than common born, lesser trained men to allow those of higher birth to be freed up for more prestigious positions. In other words, the rich brats stop__ped flying so that they could play knights and generals._

_Poorly trained, ill equipped, and completely green flying vehicles the__ lot of them...perfect prey for the Dogs of War attack helicopters and their crew. Each of the pilots were veterans of dozens of missions __of every type possible, clocking hundreds of combat flight hours and thousands of hours of practicing __for war. The las__t thing many Britannian pilots thought as they died was__ 'Who the hell uses helicopters anymore?'_

_The attacks were brief but deadly. Coming out of nowhere, the Dogs of War zipped behind buildings, flew through narrow corridors and seemingly vanished in the __air, only to end up behind the enemy VTOLs hiding their exact location though the echoes in the buildings. And just when Brittanian reinforcements arrived, the gunships vanished. The sounds of their propellers ceased. Britannian pilots were completely stum__ped and circled the area, trying to locate the enemy, only to find out that other areas were now under attack by the unknown enemy aircraft._

_The cycle repeats anew._

_x_

_Sutherlands are known throughout the world as the greatest Knightmares to pi__lot. Unlike other models, the Sutherland was made with the purpose of hunting down any other Knightmares. All other models had become obsolete with the creation and mass production of the Sutherland. Well, there was the Gloucester and supposedly new prototype Knightmare, but that didn't concern these two particular knights as they rolled through the ruined city._

_Neither of them knew what a M9E Gernsback was, but if they had seen it bef__ore, they probably would have scoffed. The Gernsback was bigger, heavier, and lacked landspinners. Yet, looks are deceiving with the Gernsback. It is a testament of the Whispereds' technological genius that these Arms Slaves can clock two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour, and leap up forty five meters and had an operating time of over a hundred hours without refueling. But the Dogs of War infinitely more preferred a single, special, feature of the Gernsback: __optical camouflage__. It wasn't perfect, and it was useless in a firefight as the flash of the gunfire would give away its position, but it was great to use for an ambush._

_Like the one the two Gernsbacks were about to do to the two Sutherlands that just passed them._

_X_

_Colonel Cain, commander of the Second Brigade of the Dogs of War, sometimes known as a prodigy of armored units, was not impressed with the technology of his enem__ies. Yes, these enemy mechs could fly on the ground if used correctly. Yes these enemy mechs were meant to be tank killers. Yes these enemy machines would be hell to fight in a fair fight. However, the idea of a fair fight never entered the mind of Cain._

_There were a number of reasons why tanks were still being produced even with the creation of walking mechs. One reason, a favored tactic of many tank commanders in fact, was to use tanks in a special way against mechs._

_Blind siding. One on__ one, Arms Slaves always won against tanks...if they saw the tank first. On the other hand, if a tank could spot and fire upon a mech before he was spotted, the mech was doomed._

_"Incoming walkers, two of them." the spotter reported. "Ten seconds until they're__ in the trap."_

_Looking at his watch, a nice but not that expensive pocket watch, Cain gave an order to his five tanks hidden behind rubble, "On my mark," _

_The thing about most walkers is that they rely on radar and heat signatures. Visual confirmation of tanks__ is a hit and miss success rate. Either you see the tank aiming at you or you don't, hence why radar and heat signatures are required to 'see' the enemy before he sees you._

_The great thing about tanks, the engine can be turned off and the machine can still__ fire. It's a pain in the neck at times and the gun cannot rotate, but it can still fire. Unseen, not moving, and not giving off any significant heat, the tanks were in the perfect position to attack._

_And those two stupid mechs were about to find out why t__anks are still kickass._

_"Fire."_

_x_

_Carefully scanning the area, the Britannian Troopers moved through the streets. Three nearby squads had vanished, no sounds of a fight, no hints of trouble on the radio, just...silence._

_"How the hell are the terrorists doi__ng this?" One private asked his sergeant._

_"This is their land, they know the terrain." The NCO replied as he checked the corner. Seeing that it was clear, he signaled his men forward. They quickly moved under a building with a cause way. Funny thing__.__H__ad t__hey looked up as they went under it, they would have seen a large round object falling towards them from above__…_

_X_

_"This is trooper 972!" the sound of a panicked voice broke through the radio._

_"We hear you 972," the com officer on the other__ end replied "What is your status? Your squad missed the check in time."_

_"I'm, I'm the last one." The man reported, fear lacing his voice. "The others, some-something took them. Came up and slit their throats. A-a shadow. O-oh __G__od, I- I think I see it."_

_"We've locked onto __your signal and are sending reinforcements now." The officer tried to calm the man who was clearly on the verge of hysteria. The com officer expected a response, a plea, anything. Instead, only silence._

_When reinforcements arrived in the area, they found t__rooper 972 leaning against a wall with his throat cut and his equipment stolen._

_"This is Sergeant Smith," The NCO of the squad called in. "972 is KIA and-"_

_"Sarg, Theodore is gone!" A trooper yelled._

_"Say that again soldier," The Sergeant ordered._

_"Theodore and...oh god, where's Jenkins!" The trooper repeated._

_"Command we are under attack, I repeat, we are __under attack__!" The__ Sergeant roared in his radio. He turned to check on his squad, but saw that he was suddenly alone. "Command," he spoke quietly, "We're all dead." He felt something sharp enter the back of his neck and he knew no more forever._

_New reinforcements, consisting of five squads, two APCs and two Knightmares converged on the area to find only the Sergeant's body, stripped of everything and a __small note on his chest imbedded with a knife. Carefully picking it up, the commanding officer read the note which had only two words written in English on it._

_**You're next.**_

_X_

_Not everyone was unlucky. One Britannian squad ran into a single man in camouflage. The Brittanians demanded he__ surrender, never understanding what that yellow pillar patch on the shoulder meant nor questioning w__hy the ammo clips were painted blue. All they knew was that man moved ungodly fast. In __a moment, every trooper there felt the prick of a dark in their exposed flesh, and a second later, they were out like light bulbs._

_Ideals never kill, no matter the situation, no matter how much they hated the enemy, no matter how much they would smile if the enemy died. That is why they are Ide__als, they are the ones that make the great sacrifices and ensure the world will be better in the future._

_Xxxxxxxx_

_In a medical vehicle, away from the front, one Trooper 404, known to some as Kururugi Suzaku, awoke to a strange noise._

_"Too Bad!" A male voice decl__ared in a happy tone causing the boy to awaken. "You missed your chance to go to Heaven Priv__ate Kururugi__!"_

_"Where...where am I?" Suzaku asked looking around confused._

_"Hmm?" The man with light purplish hair, white lab coat, and glasses blinked. "Oh, w__e're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto."_

_ From behind the man came a woman with blue hair and blue eyes in an orange uniform. "We're near Prince Clovis so this is considered the safest area."_

_"If by safe you mean safe as long as none of those jets r__eturn." Lloyd snarked._

_"That's...true," Cecile acknowledged, "But they flew off. Considering how long they remained, we can probably assume that they were low on fuel. If we reason that those jets seemed faster than the ones Brittanian last produced, we can also assume it will take another one to two hours before they can return."_

_"An interesting hypothesis," Lloyd replied intrigued by the analysis. "However, what's to say that they will follow what we know. From the reports, they seem highly a__dvanced so it is possible-"_

_"Excuse me," Suzaku broke in between the scientific debate, "But what am I doing here?"_

_Cecile immediately began bowing, her head moving rapidly as she apologized "I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry. It was my fault, I was just taking a shortcut and__ cut that corner so fast I didn't see you."_

_"It was impressive how you dodged though," Lloyd informed the boy. "If only you hadn't hit your head on a rock evading, you would have been fine, though the helmet mitigated the damage greatly. Still...hmmm, fast reflexes, good instincts, physically fit...Say Private Kururugi, have you any experience in a Knightmare Frame?" He had a calculating look in his eyes as he asked. Bes__ide him, Cecile looked at Lloyd in surprise, but began nodding with a slight smile as she saw where this was going._

_"No way, a person born an Eleven will never be able to become a knight" Suzaku dismissed as he made to stand up._

_"And if you could?" The male scientist asked__,__ holding up a key._

_A few minutes later, Lloyd roared out loudly, "Congr__atulations! Behold a Knightmare Frame unlike any other! Lancelot!"_

_"Good luck" Cecile encouraged the boy. They still had to test him on how compatible he was for the prototype Knightmare Frame, but she had faith. Still, the expression on his face was price__less at the moment. He looked so adorable the way he stood there, his mouth hanging open like a fish out of water and eyes as big as saucers._

_"Your world will change once you ride my beautiful creation." Lloyd gushed as he gazed upon his masterpiece._

_"Whet__her you want it too or not," Cecile warned the boy. It looked like her warning was going unheard of though as the boy was showing signs of shock, and not the kind..._

_xxxxxxxx_

_She watched a tank slaughter Japanese civilians in hate. Her hate for the Britann__ians had hit a point she didn't even know was possible. Kallen Kozuki swore once more she would kill every Britannian for this atrocity. Oh, she wished she had a Knightmare, she wished she could kill them all with her Glasglow, but those damned bastards ha__d destroyed it, drugged her, and then threw her out when they were done._

_She aimed a rocket launcher at the Brittanians, intending to make them bleed for what they did__—o__nly to be interrupted as a missile came from another direction and nailed the tank in the back__,__ obliterating it in an instant. Kallen blinked at the deve__lopment, then looked to where the missile had come from. Had another cell member attacked before her?_

_No, because it was then that she saw them, in the shadows, those strange men in camouflage. Why? Why had they attacked Brittanian vehicles? As she watched, Brittanian troops were cut down like wheat and VTOLs were blown out of t__he sky. Quick, efficient, and deadly all in one, those strange men and women quickly cleared the area. For a bit of time, they remained in their hiding spots. Then, at some unknown signal, they charged out into the open and swarmed the bodies, stripping them of every piece of equipment and vanishing back to the shadows._

_"Who the hell are those guys?" Tamaki questioned aloud__,__ uttering the same phrase going through her own mind. Kallen didn't know, but she was going to find out. She got out of her cover and began following the mysterious people. Perhaps, just perhaps, they were actually allies who were just careful. She had to hope__. S__he had to believe an__yone that killed Brittanians without hesitation like that were on their side._

_If not, then what were they?_

_Unseen by Kallen and the rest of the resistance, several snipers kept an eye on the group._

_"One of the resistance fighters has broken from the__ group and is trailing your position Sergeant." One of the snipers warned. "It looks like a few of the others are following the girl's lead. Orders?"_

_"Leave them for now, keep your eyes on them, but do not fire unless they do first." The Lieutenant ordered. "We've done nothing to aggravate them and for the moment, we're probably their only ally."_

_"Understood, but they will be out of sight in a moment. Request permission to move to new location for better angle."_

_"Negative, stay where you are, we'll be funneli__ng more enemies into your corridor in a moment."_

_"Yessir."_

_xxxxxx_

_How could this be? How could he be losing men so quickly? The fight had only been going on for twenty minutes and already half his men and machines were KIA (killed in action) or MIA (missin__g in action). It was unheard of for anyone to do this against Britannian. Not even Tohdoh had done so much in so little time. What was stranger was that there were no wounded in action, only KIA or MIA. No one should be able to do this. No one…_

_And there h__ad been almost no confirmed sightings of the enemy. It was like fighting shadows._

_General Bartley just didn't understand how this was happening. No__…no! there was one explanation. Brittanian soldiers were the finest in the world. The only ones who could defe__at Brittanians so soundly __were other Brittanians. Yes! That was an explanation that made much more sense. Someone, some other noble, either another Prince or Princess, or a wealthy Lord knew about Code R and had brought in elite troops to Area Eleven._

_Possibly even the Emperor himself._

_More and more reports of dead soldiers, destroyed Knightmares, and downed machines flooded into the command center by the moment, and the General was helpless to stop it despite his best efforts._

_Xxxxxxxx_

_He was afr__aid, oh God he was afraid. All around him, his brothers in arms had suddenly caught on fire or were electrocuted by lightning or eaten by the ground. It didn't make sense! It didn't make sense at all. It was as if nature itself was trying to kill him._

_So he had run, fled the area, trying to stay alive, all the while feeling fear. He had run into a building and threw himself into a closet and hid. Twice, he had heard the sound of fellow Brittanian troops in the area, and twice he had heard screams of those men shortly thereafter. He kept silent, knowing if he made a sound, he would die._

_So he sat there, waiting in fear as he heard the sound of another patrol come nearby and soon met their own grisly fate._

_Had the man actually gone out of the closet and left the room, he would have found a tape recorder repeating a track made from several squads that were already long defeated. Said tape recorder was painted blue, telling the Dogs that an Ideal had been here and was dealing with the enemy in a non-lethal way._

_Sometimes, not even a show is required to defeat a man. Sometimes the only thing needed to defeat a man is his own base fears._

_X_

_"Anfang" One spook uttered as he unleashed a flame on the enemy. While they burned, the spook realized that she was glad she was wearing a gas mask so it would filter out the smell of burning flesh. As a mercy, she pulled ou__t her pistol and shot one man in the head so that his pain would end. Seeing the major's signal, she double timed it to a nearby door and wrote a few runes on it, causing the door to lock as soundly as a bank vault and just as strong. The enemy inside would not be leaving any time soon through that door. And considering that they only had a small window to crawl out of here in the fifth floor, there was a good chance that the enemy would not be leaving for a very, very long time._

_Either way, she had more__ work to do._

_X_

_Captain Ali had his hands full with the Mad Dogs. Five times, the enemy had entered the territory the Mad Dogs were assigned to hold. Five times the enemy had been cut do__wn. Three of those times were quite literal with the phrase 'cut down' via hatchets, machetes, knives, and bayonets. His men were getting antsy, the blood was getting into their heads and making them want more. Hopefully the enemy would get the point with __the gruesome bodies left outside the area. He had already warned Rebecca to keep the rest of Third Brigade away from them. The mad Dogs were loyal, but there are times when it's best not to sit like a hunk of meat in front of a dog._

_This was now._

_"More enemies on the way__from the south east." A scout repor__ted. "This time they've brought four of those mechs, an APC, and a hundred men."_

_"Understood, remain in cover." Ali responded stoically. "Colonel," he called Rebecca._

_"Here Captain, what do__ you need?"_

_"Full Barrage at six five three at eleven six point two. We've got mechs, machines, and men en route."_

_"Understood. Full Barrage incoming." Rebecca replied._

_In a moment, the sky fell upon the enemy, destroying the machines and leaving the surviving men vulnerable. The Mad Dogs needed no further direction. Ali merely closed his eyes as the screams echoed throughout the area while the Mad Dogs butchered the enemy. Really, they needed to stop coming over here, it was not making his day any easier._

_X_

_Knightmares are supposed to be the most maneuverable warmachines on the planet. Some pilots like to claim that they can turn on a dime in a knightmare (they can, but only when they are not moving in a__ny other direction). So it comes as a great surprise when an innovation of the Dogs of War out maneuvered Knightmares with complete ease. Warbikes._

_Able to zip in and out of buildings, smaller__,__ and harder to hit than any vehicle a Knightmare had aimed at befor__e, these c__ustom motorcycles sacrificed armor for speed. The hellions unleashed a bloody toll upon tanks and APCs with their mounted missile launchers while evading the Knightmares and even downing a few of them in the right situations._

_Hitting fast and hard like__ the Mongol hordes, the warbikes destroyed the slower vehicles with ease and vanished into narrow spaces before finding new targets to strike or heading back to refuel and reload before getting back into the fight._

_x_

_Kiritsugu sat there calmly listening to the situation. New pieces of information were constantly flowing into his ad hoc command c__enter. Before him sat a table that was constantly updating itself of the terrain as his men traversed. A useful device, Whispered tech probably. Didn't matter, what did matter is that he was able to see where his men were and where the enemy was moving._

_An__d currently the enemy was moving helter__-__skelter. Truly, losing so many men in less than half an hour had to be a new one for them. Kiritsugu, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. His men were used to fighting outnumbered. Today, they had the numbers, a rar__e treat to be sure. Since they had the superior numbers, training, and probably experience, they could fight to their heart's content. Of course, enemy reinforcements would eventually come, but for now, the Dogs of War had the advantage and were pressing t__he advantage for everything they could squeeze._

_Honestly, the Dogs just needed to buy some time until the evacuation routes could be secured. Already two viable routes via abandoned subways had been found. Kiritsugu had just ordered the tanks and trucks to__ fall back into the tunnels. Soon the infantry could pull out._

_As he sat there, watching the patterns of his enemy, he had the green haired woman laying on his lap. Some might have thought it adorable, were it not for the fact that he was aiming a pistol a__t her at all times. _

_As he gazed upon the map he noticed something strange. Activating his radio, he switched to the right frequency._

_"Roy, there's something come up on your right. On the rail tracks." Kiritsugu observed._

_"On it," Brigadier Roy replied. "Ye__ah, it's a train, looks like its carrying a lot of stuff in covered cars."_

_"At this point, they have to be fresh supplies or troops." Kiritsugu mused. "Deal with it, the routine way."_

_"Yessir." Roy replied smugly._

_Xxxx_

_"Where are the reinforcements?" Clovi__s demanded._

_"The pilots are here highnes__s, and the __Knightmares will be arriving soon." Bartley informed the Prince._

_"Hurry up, we're losing men too quickly__!__" The blonde prince ordered. "If word of this gets out, it won't matter if we recover the contents__.__ I'll__ be disowned for incompetence."_

_"But your highness, the only way to get the knightmares here any faster is to transfer them through the ghetto. The enemy could-"_

_"Did you not understand me Gen__eral! I want those Knightmares now!"_

_"My Lord! The supply train has just been attacked!" A co__m officer yelled._

_"What!" Bartley and Clovis yelled at once._

_Xxxxx_

_"General," Roy called over the radio. "I'm gonna need some of the gearheads of the Fourth, We just took a train with ten of the enemy mechs inside, and they left__ the keys."_

_"...I'm sorry Brigadier, could you repeat that. I think I heard you just say the enemies are retarded." Kiritsugu asked in disbelief._

_"That about sums it up sir. Permission to call in some of Cain's boys?"_

_"Granted, call whoever you need__.__ I wan__t those machines and I want them moved ASAP. Have your men secure the area. Do not let the enemy destroy our prize unless it becomes clearly too costly to hold."_

_"Yes sir." Roy replied. He then called up Cain, the man was probably going to kiss him when th__is was over and done. Well...hopefully it wouldn't get that bad, but Cain was going to have a field day, that's for sure._

_X_

_"I'm gonna kiss him, I swear I'm gonna kiss him and do a lap dance if he's telling the truth." Cain muttered as he salivated over the news. Ten brand spankin' new mechs. It was a dream of everyone in the Fourth Brigade that everyone has their own machine. And soon they would have ten more in their arsenal. "Diver__t two of our Gernsbacks to secure the area. Have our warbikes throw the enemy into further chaos, and then send Charlette's squad to pick up the mechs. They've been kept in reserve and are nearest those machines."_

_"Yessir," His com officer replied. Giving the orders, the officer turned to Colonel Cain, "Will you really kiss Roy sir? I __mean, he is married and all."_

_"It's a figure of speech," Cain dismissed, "And besides, I bet Rebecca will do that for me...after she finishes beating him up for increasing her workload in maintenance." Nodding in understanding, the two of then went back to__ the business of war._

_xxx_

_Jeremiah Gottwald was furious. A good quarter of his men had been defeated, if not outright killed by these terrorist scum. Now, he himself was busy fighting one of the terrorist's Knightmare Frames __alongside Villete and Kuwell. A__nd yet they couldn't destroy that one unit. For a knightmare that lacked Landspinners, it was incredibly fast on its feet, able to jump high, crouch low to the ground behind cover, and all manner of cowardly tricks._

_The Sutherland was supposed to be the greatest of Knightmare frames, but that one gray machine was clearly tormenting them. Leading t__hem into so many traps, minefields, and ambushes that only their superior skill allowed them to survive. Jeremiah had gone after the rogue Knightmare with six men, only Villete and Kuwell had made it so far with him. The rest had to eject to survive__...except for Louise, who hadn't been able to even react when the mines blew up his Knightmare._

_Jeremiah swore that he would kill that bastard if it was the last thing he did._

_Me__anwhile Captain Ruth piloting the Gernsback nicknamed 'Ra' was having the time of her life leading these men on a merry chase. A chase that should end when Warrant Officers Jacob and Francine finished up the last mech on their end and came over to help her__ finish off these three._

_Frankly though, she hoped they'd take their time. This was fun._

_O__ops, wait…there they were, ri__ght behind the three enemy machines with their guns raised_…

_Half a minute later, Jeremiah would scream his hate at the enemy as he and his__ two companions were forced to eject__,__ lest they die with vengeance unfulfilled._

_Xxx_

_"Do we have anything we can send to that train?" Clovis demanded. "Anything else at all?"_

_"Besides the few men we can spare, we have nothing." Bartley reported. "Our forces __have all suddenly come under siege from all sides. None of them have been able to safely break away or through the enemy."_

_"There has to be something, something at all we can spare." Clovis argued in despair. If the enemy got those machines, then this batt__le would get infinitely worse._

_"Hello!" A far too cheerful voice called. A video popped up on the tactical map revealing Llyod Asplund._

_"What is it?" Bartley demanded__,__ irritated at being interrupted even as a disaster fell around them. "We're in the middle __of a combat operation."_

_"Well, I was thinking that this was the time to make use of the Mobile Weapon from the Special Envoy." Lloyd explained__,__ unconcerned by the anger in the General's face and voice._

_"I don't have time for this!" Prince Clovis yelled at t__he Earl._

_"We just lost Grimson's Knightmare Squad!" A com officer yelled._

_"Dammit, that was one of the few Knightmare units we could spare!" Bartley raged._

_"Move Quincy and Lazarus squad to join up with Orion squad and have them break though at contact poi__nt sigma." Clovis ordered._

_"But your highness, we'll lose our encirclement if we do that." Bartley argued._

_"Fill the blank with the forces we have stationed here," Clovis retorted. "The enemy is over there and I will not let them have one Knightmare so lon__g as I live. Add Lerus squad to the group. We'll break through!"_

_ x_

_"General," The co__m officer called to Kiritsugu. "The enemy has consolidated three squads of four of their mechs each and are converging towards the Fourth Company of the Third Brigade."_

_"What support do th__ey have?" Kiritsugu asked focusing on the map, seemingly not noticing that a golden eye had opened slightly to gaze up at him from his lap._

_"At the moment, a few dozen men left over from the last aborted assault and two APCs."_

_Considering the b__attle layout, Kiritsugu nodded and made his decision. "Order the Mad Dogs to hold their fire. Let the enemy pass through unmolested. They're heading straight for a trap. Have the Third Brigade clean up the survivors."_

_x_

_Twelve knightmares passed the gruesome markers lining the area a few infantry were calling the 'Butcher's Yard'. Twelve pilots feeling secure in numbers and armor rolled past the burned out ruins of tanks and APCs. Beside those twelve mechs, three dozen infantry rode inside or outside their armored carriers watching for an attack. They h__ad seen, and a few even survived the attack and they knew, for all the cockiness of the pilots, the infantry knew they were in dangerous territory. The question was, where the attack would come from._

_Moving forward they went as fast as t__hey could, ready to engage an enemy that did no__t appear, confident that their opposition had fled at the sight of the superior machines, the Knightmare Pilots prepared to fight an entrenched enemy that was trying to steal the Knightmares._

_Instead, they had nothing, no resistance. The knights were confident of their victory. The infantry made sure the safeties on their rifles were off. Over a bridge they went to secure their victory. Over a bridge they went to win the battle._

_Over the bridge they went t__o die a pointless death as the bombs went off._

_Xxxxx_

_Clovis watched in horror as the IFF on __his forces vanished in an instant. That was supposed to be a success, even if the enemy put up a resistance, his men were supposed to break through. Instead, they had been killed off, accomplishing noth__ing. Stepping back in fear, he could only ask quietly, "Who is this? Who am I fighting against? This person is better than Tohdoh." __'What can I do, what can I use? Is there nothing I can do to undo this defeat, nothing at-'__ He remembered, it was annoying, and his brother would end up hearing of this, but Clovis had no choice. Over half his personal troops were gone in the span of an hour. Over half of the only men that were completely loyal to him were gone forever. If he had to make a deal with the devil so be it! "Lloyd!" Clovis yelled suddenly to the still live communicator._

_"Oh? Yes?" The erratic Earl asked._

_"Can we win if we use your toy?" Clovis asked. Inwardly, he prayed that the lone Seventh generation Knightmare could turn __the tide of battle. It just went to show about how well Clovis understood battle when he thought a single unit could overturn a defeat this badly._

_"Your highness," Lloyd scolded lightly like a parent to a young child asking an inappropriate question "Pleas__e call it the Lancelot." Frankly Clovis didn't care if it was called Queen Elizabeth if it did the job._

_X_

_"Right, pack it up boys and girls, we've got what we came for." Brigadier Roy yelled to his troops. He watched with a feral smile as the ten capture__d mechs rolled out of the boxcars and into the Ghetto __towards the evacuation tunnels along with s__everal trucks loaded with the supplies from the train and __whatever the Dogs had scavenged. Though it was true that the Dogs of War now possessed the machines and could get them moving, there was no way that anyone could expect the pilots to do anything more basic than cruise until they had enough time to practice. Only an amateur could expect a man to get into a machine and instantly figure out how it works. Honestly it had taken several minutes before the pilots could figure out how to get the mechs to move at all. They were just not combat ready with these mechs._

_"Sir, corporal Zack here of the Fifth Brigade, we have an incoming hostile, ETA three minutes. It's a big, white mech and it's moving at speeds unlike anything we've ever seen in any of the other enemy units."_

_"Doesn't matter, we're already gone." Roy informed the soldier. "But thanks for the heads up." Roy took one last look at the empty train that had housed the enemy mechs and strange power packs and smiled. Let them look upon the success of the Dogs. Nothing remained in that train except for a couple of surprises._

_X_

_Suzaku had expected that his first fight in a Knightmare would be full of daring escapes at the last moment, bullets flying all around him, and deadly duels at close range. Yes, he had been a soldier, but he had never actually seen combat. Today was his first mission. Of course, his instructors had drilled it into his head that combat was never what they wrote in fiction, but consider__ing how the rest of the army was doing, he figured that he would see combat today. Even though he pushed his machine to the limit (of what he could do) zipping through the ruined city, he surprisingly reached at the train without a single shot fired at him. Arriving at his desired target, Suzaku found out why they hadn't been bothered to fight him._

_The train had been emptied; completely and totally emptied._

_Suzaku flinched as he figured what his commanders would say for failing. Still__, he was loyal and he would do his duty._

_One screaming session later, Suzaku was off to assist the battle anyway he could. Yet, time and time again, by the time he arrived at his destination, the enemy had buggered off._

_X_

_"Evacuation is almost complete Gen__eral" The com officer reported. "The only exceptions are the Fifth brigade's air Calvary, and they are merely awaiting your signal for the break out."_

_"They're fueled up and ready to go?" Kiritsugu asked for confirmation._

_"Yessir, they've all hidden and tu__rned off their engines for now."_

_"Wait until we can get our birds back__,__ then have them fly off." Kiri ordered. "Everyone else, pack up__.__W__e're done here." He prepared to stand but then remembered the burden on his lap. "I know you're awake," He told he blunt__ly. _

_Slowly, with the deliberate grace of a cat, the green haired woman stood up. Looking at her now, Kiritsugu could only say one thing. "Wow, Artemis had a cousin, who knew?"_

_That got everyone blinking. Then the various Dogs looked at the woman and studie__d her face and they found themselves nodding. The two woman had the same facial structure and funny enough, a reverse eye hair color scheme. This woman had green hair and yellow eyes while Artemis had green eyes and yellow hair...though Artemis always kept__ her hair short. Really, this was the first time that anyone had __seen another person that looked like Artemis. They had figured she was a last branch of a race of humans that had long died out. To find another one here was...strange to say the least._

_"Huh?__" The green haired woman finally spoke by the weird comment._

_"You'll understand soon enough." Kiri dismissed her confusion casually. "Now we must be off."_

_Raising an eyebrow, the woman asked. "Oh, and why should I go with you?"_

_"One," Kiritsugu began __listing off, "I saved you from that capsule. Two: you have no idea where you are and though you could go wandering off on your own__.__ I have no doubt your enemies, who by the way have an army outside, are looking for you. Three: I'm sure you would like to ge__t out of the straight jacket. And finally, Four: if you don't go with me I'll drag you along, literally."_

_For a moment, there was a hint of a smirk. "Really now. Somehow I doubt that." Waving a hand dismissively, she told him bluntly. She was about to __berate him more when her stomach rumbled_

_"I guess that will be reason number five," Kiritsugu added "I'll get you something to eat. Anything you want in particular?"_

_"Pizza." Came the immediate response._

_"Any type?" He asked in good humor as the woman walk__ed beside him, strutting the whole way._

_"Pepperoni."_

_"Works for me." He shrugged as he hopped into the driver's seat of a truck while the woman went into the passenger seat. Behind the two of them there was a mass shake of heads._

_"My god, she really is Art__emis's long lost cousin." One soldier responded "She's got the same bloody walk as Artemis when out of a combat zone."_

_"I know, I say they were sister__s__ even. Long lost sisters." A second soldier replied. "I mean, did you see that bored look? Artemis had tha__t exact same look while watching over us in bootcamp."_

_"Oh god, what'll happen when the two of them meet?" A third asked__,__ shuddering. The rest of them paused then shuddered as well. Though they had only heard a single sentence and two additio__nal words from that woman, they could hear that same sharp tongue. Any minute now she'd be calling the General 'Fake' too and verbally lashing at any failures with that wicked tongue. In the minds of the nearby Dogs of War, this did not bode well for their future, one Artemis was powerful enough, imagine two..._

_As they drove down the tunnel, Kiritsugu gave one last command quietly on a line that was separate from the Dogs of war. "We are__ clear, cut off the head."_

_x_

_High in the sky, out of range of sight and cloaked from Radar a certain black jet with red wings flew. It was a plane beyond what any other, across battlefields on both this world and Earth, were ever capable of aspiring to be. There was no copy, no rival, no successor of its kind. There would not be for over half a century on Earth. _

_In its lofty perch, it took aim at t__he command vehicle that had been clearly broadcasting orders. Orders that Artemis had intercepted with the advanced technology beyond what even the Dogs of War were equipped with. It was through the efforts of this secret back up that Kiri had known exactly what the enemy was doing from the minute their orders were sent out._

_And now the battle was over, time to clean up the last remnants. Locking on target, Artemis prepared to dro__p several bombs on the enemy command post._

_X_

_"Get out." Clovis told them in a tired voice and frustrated voice. "Everyone out, now." The officers in the room got up and filed out of the command center. Bartley looked as though he would argue, but seeing th__e expression on the prince's face, he nodded and filed out. Honestly, the portly General needed some air. A quick step outside would be good for him. Soon Prince Clovis was alone, and alone and finally allowed to yell, to scream, to curse._

_The enemy had left. There was no denying that. Somehow, in some fashion, the enemy had escaped. No more men were missing, though considering over seventy five percent of his personal troop__s had died, that wasn't much of a comfort. Dammit, this was a disaster, one he could not cover up. Even if C.C. had been recovered, there was no way Clovis could fully cover up this disaster, this monumental defeat. _

_His propaganda team had already spun that the terrorists had unleashed a poison gas killing eve__ryone in the ghetto. That might have worked had Clovis taken minimal losses. Instead, fifty Knightmare frames destroyed, ten stolen, thousands of men dead, tanks and APCs lost by the dozens. No one would accept any excuse Clovis made. Gas wouldn't destroy so many vehicles. Today had been another Miracle of Itsukushima, only far worse. As far as Clovis could tell, not a single confirmed enemy killed was reported. Several claims, but no confirmed kills. Not even Tohdoh could fight a battle without losses._

_For now, Clovis needed to think, and think hard. Alone, no distractions of any sort. He needed time to think, rest, and recuperate._

_In less than a minute, Clovis wouldn't need any of that._

_On the radio, Bartley's voice suddenly roared, "Your highness!__ Prince Clovis! Get Out of there! Get Out of there now!"_

_X_

_Bartley walked out of the command center a tired man. He made his way to the nearby medical station to check on the wounded and the dead. As a General who had all but retired, he could feel nothing__ but exhaustion as the sheer scale of the losses today hit him with._

_He made it almost all the way to the medical station when he heard a loud pitched whine. Confused__,__ he looked around trying to locate the sound, trying to remember that sound._

_Then it hit h__im, that sound, that dangerous sound belonged only to one thing. Knowing he was too portly and old to run and do any good, he grabbed his communicator and began screaming__,__ "Your highness! Prince Clovis! Get Out of there! Get Out of there now!"_

_The Prince di__dn't even have time to grab the radio nine inches from his hand when the bombs fell perfectly on the command center. The first indication that he knew a bomb and fallen was when the metal casing smashed into his head a moment and a half before the first bo__mb exploded. A few microseconds later, the rest of the bombs impacted and exploded__,__ annihilating the command center._

_Bartley was thrown from the explosion into the back of a military grade ambulance__,__ breaking his left leg and arm on impact and was showered w__ith shrapnel on his right side. It would only be due to his immediate proximity to a medical vehicle, which opened its doors two seconds after the explosion and the medical crew immediately saw that their general was dying, that allowed the now crippled Ge__neral to survive._

_Prince Clovis on the other hand had been reduced to ashes in an instant. It would be but the first Royal casualty of what would be popularly called years later as the Dog's War._

_Xxxxx_

_"You coming or what kid, We're not going to wait forev__er." A voice yelled as Kallen tried to watch the mysterious army from the shadows. Unfortunately, considering how one of them was right behind her, it was clear that she had been seen. Right now, she felt vulnerable. The resistance had broken up to evacuat__e the survivors of the ghetto and left Kallen alone. Alone and without back up._

_Kallen flinched, expecting a fight, she reached for her knife. Instead of making any moves, the black skinned man asked again, "You coming or what? It's not exactly safe here" __Surprised, Kallen had to ask._

_"Who are you?"_

_"Dogs of War." The man said walking past her heading for the last trucks that stood ready to leave. "Look, either come with us or don't__.__It __makes no difference to me."_

_"Wait__!__" Kallen yelled picking up the pace. She __knew it was crazy, but her instincts told her to hurry or she would regret this._

_It didn't occur to her that the yellow pillar patch on the shoulder of this man meant something or that his ammo clips were blue. All Kallen knew was that this man had no inte__ntion of hurting her._

_Ever._

_As she hopped into the humvee next to the man, she noticed that the driver in front of her was looking back at her._

_"Watch the road Jessica, not the girl. Besides, she's too young anyways." Another woman, this one sitting in the__ passenger's seat called the driver. Ignoring her partner, Jessica looked at the dark skin man that let the girl in._

_"You know what you're doing Rowland?" Jessica asked._

_"She's with the resistance. More importantly, she was the one that survived the truck __crash." Rowland told the driver. Kallen felt fear trickle down her back. She made as if to leave._

_"Ah, sorry bout that kiddo," Jessica apologized. "Hope the knockout dart wasn't too much."_

_"Wait," Kallen asked suspiciously. "You did that?"_

_Jessica shook her head. "Nope, Rowland over there did." _

_"Look, we need to go." The unnamed soldier interrupted. Looking back at Kallen__,__ the woman stared directly in Kallen's eyes. "Are you coming along or are you staying? Five seconds to decide or we decide for you. Five, __four…"_

_"Wait," Kallen asked, "Are you going to do anything to me?"_

_Snorting the three of them shook their heads._

_"Kid, no one will do anything to you unless you provoke us. Two seconds left."_

_"I'll stay!...Provided you let me go home afterwards."_

_"Fine, we__ swear on our honor as Ideals, let's roll." The unnamed soldier shrugged. Kallen didn't know if being an Ideal was a big thing, but the name gave a sort of hint as to what it meant._

_Jessie put the pedal to the metal and gunned the vehicle forward into the __tunnels._

_Really, Kallen had no idea what the significance of the yellow pillar patches on the three soldier's shoulders meant. But she would soon enough._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxx_

_In the ensuing panic, helicopters of both transport and attack variations took off and ma__de their way out of the Ghetto. A few VTOLs tried to chase after them, but a black and red blur destroyed them for daring to attack. It quickly became apparent that no one could stop them. At least none of the Prince's personal units could._

_By the time any__one got around to informing the regular army of Britannia of what had gone on in the Ghetto, the enemy was long gone and nowhere to be seen._

_Xxxxxxxx_


	79. Code Black Chapter 3

**Code Black Chapter 3**

_"Britannian historians want looks back on the battle of the Shinjuku Ghetto as a modern miracle of sorts. Over ten thousand Britannian soldiers were deployed that day, and in less than an hour almost eight thousand of them were dead without inflicting a single known fatality on the enemy. The historians are wrong, that sudden decimation of an army, that complete defeat was not a miracle. Clovis's troops may have been well armed, but the troops were green, untested, drunk on blood from butchering civilians, and their officers were politically appointed flops. Facing the Dogs of War without any intelligence on them, facing the Dogs of War after they had been given time to prepare, the only miracle is that so many of Clovis's troops survived at all. I suspect they survived only because the Dogs had other places to be at the time." - Cornellia Li Brittania - former General of Brittania_

_"Healthy human minds don't wake up in the morning and think that this their last day on Earth. My men are not healthy, they're sick to the bone, to the meat, to the soul. But despite the nightmares, the horrors, the scars, they continue going forward. Because, of all the nightmares that torment them in their waking and sleeping moments, they have chosen this one to live in, to fight in, to die in. The healthy human mind doesn't try to think that this is their last day on Earth, but men do, my Mad Dogs. Word of advice, stay out of their way." - Captain Ali leader of the Third Brigade Fourth Company (Mad Dogs)_

xxxxxxx

As ever, the scouts had done their job perfectly. Fleeing through the abandoned tunnels, the Dogs had been able to traverse over fifty miles underground. Interestingly, the entrance to the tunnels was covered by military grade camouflage. Noting the anomaly, the vanguard had carefully removed the canvas from the exit and then spread out over the area, watching for any witnesses. So far, the coast was clear, which gave Kiritsugu time to ensure that everyone made it out of the tunnel and that the entrance covered back up again with the canvas. No sense in wasting a perfectly good passageway to a major city. You never know when it might be needed again.

Seeing that everyone had made it out safe and sound, Kiritsugu quietly had the word spread that the next check point was fifty miles to the north. Scouts were deployed first to path-find the safest way for the convoy to move. While they went to work, Kiritsugu went to deal with the two potential problems in his army. Escorting the green haired...he'd call her a woman, but the alien feel 'she' gave off left a dubious feeling to him. Anyways, he escorted her towards a medical vehicle. On the way there, they met up with Rowland, Jessica, and Lindsey, three of the ten living Ideals in the Dogs of war, escorting a familiar red head.

"Ah! You!" The red head accused, pointing at him.

"I could say the same thing," Kiritsugu replied, slightly amazed that he would meet the girl so soon. He mentally made a note to look up the interrogation team to see if they had put a subliminal command in her. Beside him, the green haired woman looked on with what was probably a bored expression.

"So," Kiritsugu asked curiously, "Why are you here?"

Pointing at Rowland, Kallen declared, "He invited me." Kiritsugu gave his subordinate a curious glance and raised a single eyebrow.

She had been following us for thirty minutes sir. The Lieutenants told us not to fire on her. It seemed best to just bring her along rather than let her bumble around and spring something." Rowland responded to the unspoken question. Kallen felt an eyebrow twitch at the implication that she bumbled in any manner.

Considering the statement, Kiri nodded once before shrugging. "Well, I'm dragging another one along as well while we're on the subject," He said pointing over at the supposed relative of Artemis, getting a raised eyebrow from the three Ideals, "So I guess one more won't hurt. The Black Knight can have the final say on her. Still, regulations are regulations. Jessica, Lindsey, both of you are to do it, use one of the med evac vehicles as needed. Take however many women you deem necessary."

"For what? Torture?" Kallen asked nervously.

"Strip search."

Kallen visibly blanched

"I have no idea if you have any bugs on you or not, but I'll be damned before I risk my army for you." Kiritsugu clarified with a completely serious expression. Turning to the yet to be named green haired woman he added, "And besides the possibility of you two being bugged, I'm going to have a medical team check you over." Nodding once, the green woman began walking towards the group, but was stopped momentarily

"One more thing," Kiritsugu added, "Your name please."

"_Sea two_" the woman said. Unfortunately for her, or maybe not, when she spoke, she was referring to initials, but what she phonically spoke was a letter and a number, not two letter 'Cs'. Thus, in the mind of everyone there, it sounded like her name was C.2., not C.C.

Blinking, Kiritsugu shrugged, "All right. C2 it is, though it's gotta be pretty depressing to have a serial number for a name."

C.C. blinked, not understanding what the man was referring to, and thus paved the way for a very interesting misunderstanding which would be dealt with at a later date. Shaking her head at the man's seeming strangeness, she followed the three other women into a medical vehicle where she was joined by a female doctor and two other escorts before the door shut, leaving them in private.

Walking away from the vehicle, Kiritsugu lamented to Rowland, "It's such a shame that her name isn't C4, can you imagine the easy lines we could use?"

"Like what sir?" Rowland asked

"That girl is Dy-no-mite." Kiri quipped.

"Oooooooooohhhh god, that's terrible." Rowland flinched.

"Get a load of those boom booms," the normally stoic and serious man continued, tormenting his subordinate. They both knew full well that the terrible jokes were a light reminder of that one time Rowland got drunk and tried to pick up a woman at a bar. "They blow my mind," Kiritsugu kept going.

"Please, stop sir, I beg of you."

"Fine fine, I guess I'll blow out." Kiri agreed, waving off with one last bad joke. Left there shaking his head, Rowland tried his best not to think of the green haired woman and the way she swayed as she walked.

"Good thing he didn't get to ** jokes." a nearby soldier muttered.

"Perverts," A nearby woman declared aloud.

"Hey!" Another woman suddenly spoke up, "Who wants to bet on what Artemis will do once she hears of the boss's attempts at humor!"

An instant frenzy took up the area. Most people put their money on either shotgun or kick to the balls, a few put in that she'd tie him to the back of a truck again.

Xxxx

It was during the embarrassing strip search, but thankfully done by females who showed absolutely no interest in her body other than potential places to hide bugs. The same could not be said of C2, who looked Kallen over like she was a prime-cut piece of meat.

Anyways, it was during this strip search that Kallen noticed that the vehicle was on the move. That instantly made it apparent that one of the reasons for this search was to have a viable reason to keep her in the dark about where they were going.

It made sense. It was even, in fact, a smart move in her opinion.

Putting on a set of clothes provided for her, which were a little big but not enough to be a problem, Kallen took a seat on a metal table/bed that was clearly meant to be used for medical emergencies. Looking back over towards the other 'prisoner,' Kallen noticed that the woman was being given a longer inspection. Why that 'C2' woman needed a medical exam puzzled her, but it wasn't her place to know. Instead, she kicked her heels and began to feel boredom setting in quickly. In all probability, this was going to be a long ride, but more and more, Kallen was sure that she would be allowed to go home after this. The way these people acted, it wasn't like they really wanted anything from her. They merely distrusted her, which was fine. She didn't really trust them either.

"Bored kid?" Jessica asked, snapping Kallen out of her thoughts.

"Eh? No, no. Not really," she replied politely.

"Right…Sure thing kid." Jessica responded skeptically. "Whatever. When you feel like admitting it, we'll deal you in." With that, the woman pulled out a deck of cards from her pocket and parceled them out to a few of the others inside the vehicle. It should be noted, however, that not one of those playing the game left their backs exposed to the potential hostile, nor were their hands far from various instruments that could be used as weapons as needed.

Blushing slightly, Kallen moved closer to the players. Strangely, rather than money, the players had pulled out pebbles and a few rocks to use. It was interesting, clearly the smaller pebbles were worth the least while the rocks were worth the most. "Um, can I play?" Kallen asked.

"You ever played poker kid?" one of the new soldiers that had been brought in for security asked.

"Not really," Kallen admitted. She had been busy acting as a student while living a double life as a resistance fighter.

"Right, we'll play five card draw then. No point throwing you into the deep waters" a third card player added. The cards were quickly shuffled by Jessica while Kallen was given some of the pebbles and rocks for her own.

"Good advice kid," The second card player told Kallen, "Always keep three things with you at all times, no matter the situation. A deck of cards—" She pulled out her own deck while the third player showed Kallen her own. "—Something to bet with—" The soldier pointed to the pebbles. "—and something to fight with. Keep those three things with you at all times and you'll never go wrong."

Nodding her head, Kallen picked up her cards and studied them. She was given a quick rundown of the rules and the worth of various hands while everyone put in a pebble to buy into the game. It didn't take long for her to realize that she had three of a kind already in her hand.

"Word of advice, kid" Jessica broke in, seeing Kallen's obvious glee, "Work on your poker face."

With that, the game began.

Kallen was soundly beaten within a few hands. But it was an interesting experience, passing time with them. The way they all carefully viewed their cards and tried their best to bet or out bluff each other over worthless rocks was fun. And through it all, they kept giving her advice and made her feel, if not welcome, at least accepted. After one player cleared out the others of their pebbles, the tokens were distributed to everyone and the game resumed.

And while Kallen played, yellow eyes watched with slight curiosity.

Xxxx

Carefully moving through back roads and thin woodland scouted and patrolled by warbikes and humvees, the convoy moved from checkpoint to checkpoint. What would take a civilian a few hours, it took almost the entire day to move a little under two hundred and fifty miles. But it was safe, it was secret, and therefore, it was worth more than gold and bullets to the Dogs of War. Finally, after brutal hours of enforced silence, they came upon their destination: an isolated and long abandoned airfield.

It was unbelievably short and narrow for an airfield, probably having laid unused for decades since now every aircraft in the sky was no longer solely powered by propellers. It was a testament of the Dogs skills that they could even manage to land their crafts on this forgotten strip.

"Impressive," Kiritsugu complemented the crews waiting for them. "This had to be a pain to land in."

"You have no idea sir. You really don't" One of the pilots, specifically the pilot of 'Big Bertha' emphasized. "We almost had to stall out our engines when we were setting down here. Big Mama's got an engine problem and land gear issues from that little adventure alone."

"Is she fixable?" Kiritsugu asked, concerned. He doubted anyone in this world built Lockheed C-5 Galaxies.

"Yessir, but she'll be out of commission for at least a week."

"Do what you have to, unfortunately, though it's nice and secure, we won't be able to get any of the big birds up until we can purchase or raid the right equipment to expand the field." Mentally calculating, he figured that, at a minimum, four filled concrete trucks, a bulldozer, a dump truck, and a few other miscellaneous machines. "How did you guys find this place anyways?"

"Snake Eye spotted it. Says it was pure luck he noticed the strange opening in the forest." There was a great respect in the voice of the pilot. Honestly, this strip was nearly invisible due to how small it was.

"So, in your opinion, what do you think of this place?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Honestly Sir? I swear this is a smuggler's strip. That or some nitwits in the military decided at some point that it would be a good idea to have a secret emergency airstrip and then proceeded to forget all about it. I'm for the former though Sir. This strip lacks any military finesse in it. No lights for night landing, no dotted lines, heck, not even a small radio station."

"Hmm, smugglers." Kiri muttered. "Must have been well funded at one point, or popular when they made this. Still, from the signs of the area and the lack of tracks of any vehicles, I'd say the group no longer does business here." Shrugging, Kiritsugu could only enjoy the small windfall. Looking around, he didn't see any sign of the helicopters, unlike the planes which were all moved to the side and covered with camouflage nets.

"Colonel Guang," Kiri called up, "Where's the air cavalry?"

"About a quarter mile to the north in a couple of natural clearings." The commander of the fifth Brigade replied.

"Sir," a com officer broke in, "The Black Knight has given the signal. The Hippalectryon is coming for a landing."

"Damn," a nearby pilot muttered, "Can't imagine how anyone can land that thing on this strip."

Spotting it just over the treetops Kiritsugu smiled, "How about coming in backwards?"

"...What?" Was the collective question, just before the legendary jet came in for a landing. Indeed, it was going in backwards, bleeding speed at a phenomenal rate by having the engines facing the front. Any other plane would have stalled out and crashed before getting this far. Instead, the black and red jet seemed to calmly lower its wheels even as its speed dropped. Before it was even three quarters of the way across the landing strip, it was barely moving past thirty miles per hour. In almost a blink in the eye, the engines shut off and the whole thing came to a halt.

" ...Okay, **that **was impressive." one pilot declared.

"Wait till you see how it can take off." Kiritsugu muttered so low no one was able to hear him. Vertical takeoff and landing was impossible for the mighty machine, but due to a certain tech that hadn't been invented yet, the Hippalectryon could get up in the air from a piece of flat land no bigger than three hundred meters. Truly, the Original Black Knight hired the best of the best when this plane was designed. "Right!" Kiritsugu suddenly yelled. "Enough sightseeing! Get to work you sloths!"

Broken out of their shock, the troops began setting up camp in the forest. They had to be extra careful in making sure their camp was invisible as this was a small, heavily populated island nation. Several teams were busy making sure all tracks left by their machines were covered and lost. Not the easiest thing to do with large heavy vehicles with treads, but the Dogs were good at what they did.

In a mad bustle of activity that seemed to resemble controlled chaos, the Dogs moved to various trucks and pulled out tents, equipment, tools, clothing, and everything else that went into a temporary base camp. Several trucks, however, were left alone as they contained equipment that would not be unpacked until a more permanent one could be erected. Men passed loads together in great chains, quickly emptying vehicles of their loads.

Seeing that all was in readiness, Kiritsugu nodded at the sight and walked towards the medical vehicle while two familiar figures moved to join him after exiting their machine.

Xxxx

Kallen noticed the vehicle stopped again and hadn't really thought of it. Several times already the machine had been stopped and shut off, possibly to throw off her sense of direction and timing some more. At first, she figured that this was another of those stops and had concentrated on her poker game. Then came the ungodly loud noise that rebounded through the vehicle.

"Well, that's our cue," Jessica said holding out her hands for the other players to return her cards. Once the cards were back and quickly put back in a pocket, the players grabbed a handful of pebbles and rocks and put them in small pockets. It was then that Kallen noticed that they had left her pile of pebbles for her to pick up. It was kinda touching, even if it was only rocks. It felt like the three of them had come to accept Kallen as much as possible with an outsider.

Just as she pocketed her share of the pebbles, the large door at the back of the vehicle opened giving, Kallen a sight unlike anything she expected. Well, actually one of the three people standing there wasn't that surprising. After all, that man was clearly the leader of the Dogs of War, so it made sense he was there. It was the other two that took Kallen by surprise.

The first was a blond woman with green eyes who looked remarkably similar to the green haired woman who had spent the trip sleeping. That blond woman gave off an air very different from the green haired one however. The blond didn't look bored. She looked disdainful, like she was offended by something. However, Kallen wasn't getting the feeling that she was the target of the disdain. There was one other thing that caught Kallen's attention, however, was that that woman had an aura of power. Like a person that could kill with her pinky or something. Dangerous…that's a good description for that woman. 'Lethal' would work too though.

The second person, on the other hand, must have been the definition of the phrase 'a blast from the past'. After all, who went around in a suit of medieval armor anymore? Not even the Brittanians were that backwards. Yet, here was one such person, wearing a full suit of black armor complete with two swords and a shield strapped on. The strange part is that Kallen couldn't tell if this person was male or female. Initially, Kallen thought it had to be a guy, but there was something...strange about how this person carried him/herself, something that said that this person could also be female.

*Swang*

Though right now Kallen had bigger issues to think about, specifically the blade held under her neck.** "You have no purpose here,"** the armor clad figure spoke, the voice of this mysterious being was so distorted that she once again could not tell if it was a man, woman, child, or elder speaking. **"Why have you come child?"** The sheer power this figure radiated while talking was enough to send shivers up and down her spine. She needed to come up with an answer, preferably one that sounded better than 'It felt right.'

xxxxx

C.C. was having a most surprising day. First, she had found Marriane's son...for a brief moment. Then her head had suddenly felt like it would explode with pain from the cursed mark. When she had awoken from the pain, she had found herself in the arms of an unfamiliar man. A man who had qualities that C.C. had thought lost to mankind for centuries. If C.C. had to describe what the man felt like, it would be a true king. Charles tried to be one, but compared to this man, Charles was merely a pretender. Such a shame that it was a mercenary that possessed these qualities.

Surprises continued to bombard C.C. with the intelligence of the doctor that had treated her, even if it was unnecessary. The doctor had only placed a hand on a needle and must have seen the slight shiver C.C. had been unable to suppress. In that instant, the Doctor immediately tucked away all sharp instruments. Honestly, C.C. was grateful, though she would never admit it. Needles were going to be a problem for her for a while. Now, two more surprises appeared before the immortal witch. The first one she noticed was the person who clearly hadn't gotten the memo that plate mail is no longer fashionable. Really, C.C. had thought she had seen the last of the old knights centuries ago. Clearly some people cling too hard to tradition.

Then C.C. gazed upon the other newcomer and faced something she had thought she would never see outside of a mirror. Her face...well, someone with the same facial structure as her; and then the universe decided to flip the hair and eye combination. Still, C.C. recognized her face when she saw it and couldn't help but smile at the irony the universe threw at her. Yet, the amusement died in an instant as soon as C.C. and this new woman gazed into each other's eyes.

How do you describe something that attracts you like nothing else, yet repulses you just as much at the same time? Not like how an accident makes one want to gaze upon the damage even as one is repulsed by it. No, this was something more, something much much more personal. C.C. was so drawn in that she didn't even notice the black clad knight put a sword on Kallen. She only watched as the woman mouth one word, one disgust filled silent word before turning and walking away.

xxxxx

Okay, Kallen was now confused. One moment, there was a sword on her neck, the next moment, the blond woman mouthed something and turned and walked off. This clearly took everyone aback for a moment before the sword was retracted.

The leader of the mercenaries took one look at the woman than turned back to the knight. "Well Black Knight, this is your decision. You're the one that hired us after all."

Nodding, the Black Knight turned to Kallen. **"What say you? Why have you followed us?" **

Again, Kallen found her tongue was caught. This being before her, Kallen's instincts were screaming 'Not human, Not human!' For a moment, she could only gulp as she gathered her thoughts and then said the first thing that came to her.

"Why wouldn't I?" At first, she was surprised by what she said, but seeing that it was true, Kallen plodded on. "They crushed the damned Brittanians with ease. No one has ever done that, not even Tohdoh of Miracles. No one has truly given Brittania a true defeat in over a hundred years, especially since the creation of Knightmares."

"Knightmares?"

Kallen blinked, how could anyone not know what a Knightmare was? Well...the fact that this person was wearing armor might have something to do with it. "The giant robots." Kallen clarified. Seeing the Knight nod and motion for her to continue, she finished up her thoughts, looking directly at the leader of the Dogs of War. "Look, the Brittanians have crushed everyone that tries to fight them. The most anyone can do is hold them off. Yet you all appear and turned the tables in an instant. How could I not follow? We need you, Japan needs you. They stole our land, stole our name, and called us Numbers. We're willing to accept an alliance with whoever's out there that will help us defeat our enemies and reclaim our homeland."

"No." The man said bluntly. "Not our job, we've already got a contract."

Kallen felt her shoulders slump in defeat. "Of course, of course you damned mercenaries won't do anything. Why did I think you would be any different?"

"Because had we not been under contract we might have?" The man replied with a weak grin.

**"You are mine Dog,"** The Knight reprimanded

"Indeed Black Knight, and we are with you until the mission is over." Looking at Kallen, the man shrugged.

**"If that is all, then go back. This is not your war. This is not our war."** With that, the Knight turned and walked away.

"Right, you heard the boss," the red head general declared "send her home, blindfolded. Last thing we need is for her to know where we're camped."

Kallen would have raged, or possibly wept, but before she had time, those very soldiers that had played poker with her for hours grabbed her, and put a blindfold over her and quickly hustled her into some sort of vehicle. During the ride, Kallen tried time and time again to talk to those she had viewed as good acquaintances, however, Jessica calmly told her that orders were orders and please be silent lest they have to gag her as well. Hours later, though nowhere near as long as the ride towards the camp, they would calmly park in the Ghetto and told her to hop out. Once out of the vehicle, she pulled off the blindfold just in time to see the jeep drive off into the night.

This would end Kallen's first meeting with the Dogs of War, but it would be far from the last.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Watching this with her flat expression, C.C. saw them take the girl away and drove off into the forest. Her 'savior' shook his head and muttered. "Well, the message is sent. Let's hope they'll listen. Last thing I need is to get involved in a war that's not my problem."

**"You don't mean that,"** The Knight responded.

"No? I have twelve thousand soldiers, from what we've gathered Brittania has an army in the millions. We're good, but not that good." Kiritsugu said bluntly.

**"If they're like what you faced today-"** There was a distinct belittling in the distorted voice.

"We caught them on the back foot, won't happen again. All in all, this fight today was a waste. We barely made up for the equipment lost. Sure, we've got some new mechs, but we've used up a ton of mines, fuel, and ammo in the process."

For a moment there was silence between the two, then the Knight turned to completely face the General **"And yet you smile."**

The smile that had grown on his face vanished. "Another time my old enemy." He looked C.C. in the eye and motioned for her to follow him. Without waiting to see if she had or not, the two of them headed off. C.C. flicked a glance at the remaining troops in the vehicle, yet none of them made a single move to drag her along.

_"A rare man this one."_ Marianne whispered in her mind.

Thinking of every piece of conversation she had with him, the way his troops looked upon him as though he were a savior, the stance he always possessed that was prepared to kill at a moment's notice, there was no uncertainty to that comment. "Truly, a rare man indeed." C.C. agreed. Whether that was a good thing or not was still up in the air however. C.C. then began walking, following the strange pair towards the strangest looking machine she had ever seen. It looked somewhat similar to a jet, but with only the same resemblance that an ape has with a human. C.C. was no mechanical enthusiast, though Marianne had made sure that she could pilot any Knightmare within what Marianne called 'acceptable levels'. Still, even she could see that this machine was as much a piece of art as it was dangerous. It looked so smooth, yet it looked like it would cut her apart at the same time.

_"...I am forced to admit, I want to fly that." _Marianne spoke once more in C.C.'s head as she gazed though the immortal witch's eyes. C.C. rolled her eyes at the comment, refusing to dignify that with a response. "_I swear C.C., I am going to capture that plane one day and take it out for a spin." _

At this C.C. shook her head at the whims of the woman who was once so deadly she was known as 'The Flash'. What most people forgot about the woman was that she was bisexual, loved anything fast, and was as bloodthirsty as they come at times.

"_You forgot to add 'the envy of the courts'"_

C.C., as ever, sighed as she was forced to listen to the woman who couldn't keep a simple contract. Honestly, 'The Soul' was by far the most annoying Geass C.C. had ever bestowed.

_"Now really dear, it's not my fault V.V. couldn't control his temper and jealousy."_ Marianne retorted._ "Still, you are going to offer him a code are you not?"_ C.C. didn't need to reply to that inquiry. _"Of course you will. A man such as him would undoubtedly have a powerful code." _there was a mixture of glee and curiosity in the nearly dead woman's voice._ "I wonder how it will compare to Char-"_

Without noticing too much C.C. had walked up the lowered ramp of the jet. Once inside however, C.C. clutched her head from a spike of pain as Marianne's voice was suddenly and inexplicably cut off. No, 'cut off' was too gentle of a phrase. 'Ripped out' would be much closer to what C.C. felt. The pain got stronger and stronger before C.C. passed out from the agony.

xxxxxxxxxx

Waking up in darkness, C.C. slowly sat up from what felt like a couch she was sitting on. Turning her head, C.C. found herself staring into two glowing green orbs that resembled snake eyes from a moment.

"She's awake Father." A female voice emanated from the orbs. Once the voice had spoken up, the lights in the room turned on. C.C. was able to get a good look at the person sitting opposite of her. It was a young woman, probably in her early twenties, with bright green eyes that were most definitely not snake like, long red hair, and wearing a simple blue dress.

"So I see Aurora." a familiar male voice responded. In came that commander of the soldiers, and apparently this girl's father...unless he had one of those fetishes...Surprisingly, C.C. noticed he was carrying what looked like...

Yes, yes it was. The ambrosia of mankind, the ultimate food in the universe, PIZZA!

"As promised," The man spoke, placing the food in front of C.C. who had to work from drooling at the first meal she had eaten in days. "One pizza."

"Artemis made it father, didn't she?" Aurora asked looking disappointed for some reason that C.C. failed to understand.

"Yeah, she said 'Over my dead body' and made it while waiting for our guest to show up."

C.C. was slightly curious as to the meaning of the conversation, however, there was something more important than that at the moment, PIZZA! For a time, she contented herself by eating the delectable food of the gods. She noticed that the father and daughter pair were watching her with mild interest but said nothing until C.C. had finished every last slice. Once that was done, the man said one word.

"Alaya." C.C. could only blink in confusion at the strange word.

"Arayashiki" The man once again spoke something utterly incomprehensible to her, as if he was expecting an answer. She was about to ask him what he was talking about when he said a third word, one she recognized.

"Akasha"

As far as she knew, she didn't form any reaction, but the man suddenly suddenly leaned forward after speaking that word. "So, you know of Akasha. Good, I had feared I sent away the wrong person. Please tell me, what do you know? Where is the weapon? Where is the convergence? Where will the attack come from?"

C.C. was a bit confused at this sudden train of thought. "What makes you think I know any of this?"

"You know the word, and from the expression, you know the power between the word." The man replied seriously. "Now please stop evading. I am not exaggerating when I say the fate of this world and my own lie upon what you tell me, your knowledge."

The immortal witch was not an idiot. Eight hundred years of living had forced her to keep her wits sharp and honed her mind on anything that she could use. So when she heard the man say 'this world' she realized something. "You're not from this world, are you?"

"I could say the same thing to you." The man replied. She blinked at that but her responded before she could. "A regular human might not notice, but I am a magus. I know what an alien, a creature outside of Gaia's influence feels like."

"I'M HUMAN!" C.C. yelled, bad memories converged on her in an instant.

"...oh," he replied quietly, "I'm sorry. I just...sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"To assume is to make an '*ss' out of 'u' and 'me'." Aurora repeated the child rhyme her father had taught her to warn of making exactly these mistakes.

"Indeed, and I am quite the donkey today." The man nodded. Honestly, this was a first for C.C. No one, no one had ever apologized for calling her something other than human.

"Today Fake? More like always." came a scoff of a familiar female voice. In walked Artemis, who gave the immortal nothing more than a single glance before grabbing the plate that had once held the pizza and quickly walked out.

"Does Nee-san hate C2?" Aurora asked her father, confused by the cold shoulder displayed.

"Who knows," Kiritsugu shrugged, "Perhaps she doesn't like her finally meeting a long lost cousin."

"...I doubt we're related." C.C. shrugged.

"Considering we're from a different time lines, Yes. Very unlikely." he agreed. "Be we've gotten off track." looking her in the eye he said seriously. "Look, you've got secrets, I've got secrets. I'll reveal some of mine in exchange for information from you. Deal?"

"Perhaps." the golden eyed woman replied.

"Yes or no," The man retorted.

"Perhaps I do not have the information you need." She countered.

"If you do not, then I am either asking the wrong question, or you honestly do not know. Either way, it makes no difference. You will either help me, or not."

"And what will happen to me if I refuse to answer?" She asked knowing full well what he, like all other men would do.

"I kick you off, send you away, and get on with my job." The man replied surprising her. Seeing she was surprised, he explained. "I'm not a petty man, I waste my grudges on much larger or more personal problems. If you won't help, I can't force you. But please, work with me as best you can. I know you've probably endured a lot for your short lifespan, but please, try to trust me."

Touched by actually being treated with a modicum of real respect and humanity for what seemed like the first time in centuries, she could only say one thing. "All right, I will answer your questions." She might omit some information if she had to, but she would actually try to live up with her contract. She always had before, even if her contractors hadn't.

"Very well, then as a sign of our partnership, I will have one of my closest secrets revealed." The man declared and prepared to utter something that was suitably dramatic, only for a sharp female voice to break in over the inner com.

"He still sleeps with a stuffed lion in his bed." Artemis declared.

"Oh, and that picture of 'Him' under your pillow is real healthy." He retorted.

"Better than those lame band posters in your room. I mean really, bagpipes?"

"Don't diss the pipes, it's much better than that heavy metal cr*p you listen to."

"You wouldn't know heavy metal if it-"

Aurora calmly took a hold of C.C. and began dragging her away from the usual arguments. Once they left the room, she firmly shut the hatch, cutting off the verbal war which was now moving onto threats and would soon lead to either one heck of a sparring match—daggers and blades allowed—or some sort of competition. "Sorry about that." Aurora told her embarrassed. "Honestly, once they step outside of here they're much better, but in here, no restraints."

"Like an old marri-" C.C. began before Aurora firmly placed a hand over her mouth.

"Shhhhhhh," the demigod whispered frantically. "If you value your life, you won't speak about that while they're in that mood. No one is safe, not even the King of Uruk, not even his twin sister." Seeing how something blond with bloodshot eyes wasn't flying at them with shotgun in hand, Aurora felt it was safe to clarify. "Yes, everyone knows what they look like. They're not. I've been trying since I was ten to get them together. I've worked with the greatest and most talented people I know to try to get it somewhere. It's failed. Drop it." There was real fear in that voice, fear that C.C. picked up on and kept her mouth shut

Aurora continued to escort C.C. to her room where she sat down on her cot. "Sorry about the size, but this thing already defies physics enough as it is." Once her guest had sat down beside her, Aurora turned to her and suddenly her eyes were no longer the shape humans possessed. "Let me cut to the chase. I know you are not human, no matter what lies you tell yourself."

With that, her legs vanished and were replaced by a great long red scaled tail that encircled the room several times, stacking upon itself and forming a wall around the two of them. Her skin was no longer the color of human flesh, but a deep dark blue. Upon her head were two small horns that wrapped around the front of her head and formed a circlet. "Whatever you think yourself, I am not fooled. I know what someone who has lived centuries feels like. After all, I am going to be like you soon enough. After all, my 'Mother," She spat the word out of her mouth with disgust, "is an immortal too."

The woman who had once been declared a witch and burned at the stake in the hundred years war could only stare in genuine fear as she faced a creature she had thought only lived in legends. Her childhood memories instantly smashed into her as she remembered hearing about trolls and demons and black magic. Things that, even in her long lifespan, she had never seen. She had scoffed when that man declared himself a magus, she had thought he was naïve and clueless when he talked of her short lifespan.

But now...faced with a demon, C.C. could only stare in fear at those green snake eyes that stared at her like a predator marking its prey.

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Aurora, are you terrifying our guest?" Kiritsugu's voice broke through the door.

"No Father," Aurora replied sweetly as her form suddenly reverted to that of a human. "Just showing her a secret. A secret for a secret, that was the deal right?"

"Very well," her father relented "but if she comes out screaming, I'll have to send Artemis in."

"Haiiiii" She responded as his presence left the door. Turning back to C.C., Aurora reverted to her true form. "So, now you know I am not human. Time to tell a secret of your own. What do you know of Akasha?"

For a time, C.C. was shaken, staring at the demon before her. Yet, seeing as the creature made no move to harm her, she quickly recovered herself. "Akasha, aether, heaven, a mythical place beyond this world."

This caused the creature to blink in surprise. "Mythical? It is as real as you and me, if not even more real. Is that really all you know of it?"

"That's all." C.C. replied. Which was true, she did know there was a structure called the Sword of Akasha, but that was a different question. The creature opposite form her seemed to wilt.

"A dead end? Dunno, Tou-san would be better at this." Standing up, if such a thing was possible with a tail instead of legs, Aurora went to the door, opened it, and slithered out...only to shriek and come running back in, slamming the door behind her.

"Au-ro-a," Artemis spoke sweetly. "Open the door."

Fear written on her face, Aurora turned to an air vent in the ceiling, popped off the cover and tried to squirm in...only to find that she was too large to wiggle down it.

"Aurora," Artemis' voice turned stern. "Open the door and stop trying to escape. You have ten seconds. Ten…Nine…Eight"

The count stopped with Aurora reluctantly opening the door, her head hung low. Gazing at C.C. for a moment, Artemis said one word, "Out."

Making good on her escape, C.C. fled the room while hearing Aurora cry out, "No Onee-san! Please no, not that anything but- When do you get that? Please no, not the blood not the-!" A loud boom echoed behind C.C. as the door was shut.

"Sorry about that, my daughter is young. Much younger than she appears to be actually." Kiritsugu apologized as he came from behind a corner. Looking at her, he asked, "First time seeing a demigod?"

"Demigod?" C.C. asked.

"Yes, Aurora is a demigod. Her mother is a goddess, I'm mortal. Hence, Demigod. First time seeing one?"

"I thought they were just stories, delusions, metapors." C.C. replied shaken like never before. "They're real? The Gods are real?"

"They were," Kiritsugu replied, "Now they're dead...with a few exceptions. The only ones I know of are the Echidna, Aurora's mother, and The Oracle." Leaning in close to her he whispered, "And between you and me, their power is probably vastly diminished. It should have killed me back then to even stand in their presence were they at the height of their power." Waving his hand dismissively, "But enough about me, how are you holding up?"

"You're mortal," She asked, "Human?"

He shrugged, "Difficult question, but yes, I guess you could call me human. My mother is on a fine line between human and not. But I guess I am human. Doomed to age and die and all that." He paused before he nodded, "Tell you what. Let me get you something to drink. Seeing the supernatural for the first time is never easy. Trust me. Even trained Magi still get shaken when they meet Aurora in her true form." With that, he led her to his room where he had stashed his collection of drinks.

Meanwhile, in Aurora's room, Artemis was hugging a grinning Aurora. "You did good Aurora, absolutely perfect."

"Arigato nee-san," Aurora said, pleased with herself.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A bottle of vodka was gone, and yet, neither of them were anything beyond buzzed. One had built up a natural resistance while the other was afflicted with a curse of immortality which had a nasty side effect of neutralizing any poisons, including alcohol. "And that's how Aurora was conceived." Kiritsugu finished up. "Not exactly romantic, but in hindsight, I can say that's fairly par for the course with gods. At least she didn't kill me afterwords." He drained his shot glass in a single gulp. "Well, I've answered your question. Guess it's my turn now...hmm, what do you want?"

C.C. blinked at that. "What?"

"What do you want? You must have something you desire." he replied. "It's clear that you're a private person. Fine, you're not the only one in the world. However, I need you, I need your alliance. For whatever reason, you are a key component of my mission. For that, I must ask you, what do you want?"

Mentally, she began calculating this. There was something that this man…this being form another world, a world of magic and gods, needed from her. It was clear he didn't know what it was, nor how she would provide it. But she did, or at least she thought she did. "I have but one true wish, if you agree to make my one wish come true, I shall grant you the Power of the King. Accept this contract, and you must accept my condition. While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other: a different providence, a different time, a different life. The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"

For a moment he was silent, and then he began to chuckle, a humorless and ironic chuckle. "The Power of Kings!" he asked. "Why would I want what I already possess?" With that, he raised a hand and, using two fingers, wrapped around that lone strand of hair that constantly remained erect and yanked.

The air grew stifling, and the light seemed to dim in his presence. His hair changed from the color of fire to the color of blood. His skin paled significantly while his green eyes turned yellow. From his back burst hundreds, if not thousands of vines that wrapped under him and behind him forming a throne for him to sit upon. "**Gaze upon me child and bask in what a King truly is. I am the White King, the Prince of War and the Harbinger of Chaos. You claim you can grant me the power of a King? That is redundant, I AM a King! The Power is already Mine, it has always been MINE!**" His voice was one of command, when one heard it, one had to listen. His presence was both awe inspiring and yet terrifying at the same time.

C.C. had thought that Aurora was surprising, but this…this was mind shattering. The Power of Kings, that was what Geass was, she had been told. Now, she could see it was a pale imitation of what a true king was. Never before had she felt this, never before had she felt a person who made her body want to kneel. And yet, the bombardment ended just as quickly as it came. His throne rotted and disintegrated, his skin returned to normal, his eyes became green, his hair was back to the color of fire, and that aura was no more.

"Apologies for that." Kiritsugu told her, "But that was rather...personal. But, you mentioned you had one true wish. What is it, though I do not need your power, that you wish for?"

Disappointed and...sadly(?), C.C. stood up, "Unfortunately, if you do not form a contract with me, my wish cannot come true." She grabbed the handle and tried to twist it to open the door, instead, the handle suddenly turned red hot forcing her to let go. The door suddenly went aglow with hundreds of runes from before even C.C.'s time.

"Sit." Kiritsugu commanded. She turned to him and glared, but he was unaffected by her eyes. "You say I need to form a contract with you to grant your wish. That implies that your wish requires your specific power to accomplish it. You loudly declare you are human. Yet, you are an immortal from what my daughter tell me, or at least are centuries old. Finally, you claim your power is the Power of Kings. Putting it together, I can come up with three results to this riddle. First, your power will bind me to you, possibly to control me." She continued to glare at him.

"It won't work if that was your plan. I am now and forever immune to possession spells due to something unique to me. Second possibility, you wish to have a Master to serve. Plausible, I know several beings of great power that wish for nothing more than to serve something else. Still, you seem too independent to me to believe that and it throws out the declaration of humanity, that only leaves-"

Looking at her carefully, he declared, "You want to stop being immortal." He seemed highly amused by that. "You know, I cannot count the number of magi that would literally kill to be immortal. Fools. Immortals die all the time. I've killed a number of them myself." He knew he had her now. she had looked so surprised by his deduction. And when he declared he had killed immortals, she had a glimmer of something he could only call hope in her eyes. "So, essentially, you wish to die. Maybe not right away, but you are tired of being immortal. Seeing those you knew, loved, called friend, and even hated all vanish to the sands of time."

"Correct" She wouldn't deny it. "If you accepted my contract, I would grant you immortality."

"It's tempting," He admitted. "More tempting than you can imagine. Living even a few extra centuries or millennia would speed up so many things in life. And my daughter," Grief entered his voice at this, "My daughter would not have to be alone." He looked at her directly. "You think you're cursed? Imagine having a daughter you know will outlast your bones. Imagine having a child you know will be damned with the curse of immortality, doomed to watch me grow old and senile while she remains as she is. That…that is something that haunts my days and nights."

"So, will you accept my contract then?" C.C. asked, hopeful. Here was a man who knew what he was getting into, who truly understood what immortality was, and yet he looked as though he might accept it. Not for himself, but so his daughter would not be alone. She could sympathize with Aurora, wandering centuries, alone, never able to truly be with anyone. If she gave her Code to this man, he could escape the curse of loneliness she had endured her though her long life.

"Will I accept? Of course not." he retorted. "When a man is born, he knows instinctively that he will die soon. It is only because of death that our lives have meaning. That is what makes a man burn so brightly. He's trying to make the most of his short time. If I fled my fate, I would spit upon everything I have done, everything everyone has ever done."

"Then our business is concluded" She told him firmly and looked back at the handle only to see that it was still red hot.

"Hardly. You wish to die? I can grant that, just not now. Work with me C2, and I will help you be free." She looked back at him, surprised. There was no boasting in his words, only a promise. "You are not the first immortal I will have killed, not even the twentieth. Ally with me, and I will find a way."

"Others have promised that before." She told him.

"How many of them were true magic users? How many have demigods for daughters? How many of them have killed that which is said to be immortal?" He asked.

Smirking, she could only say, "None."

"How many times have you tried to die only to fail?"

"...many times."

"They say insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I am your best chance then C2, work with me and I will grant your true wish. I swear it." he declared.

"Very well, then I accept your contract. As long as you are in this world, I will be your ally and confident. I will never betray your trust so long as you plan to keep your end of the bargain."

"Then the contract is complete." Kiritsugu said, filling up his shot glass and hers. "To a fruitful partnership." She knocked her glass with him and together they drained their glasses in one gulp. Once their glasses were empty, Kiritsugu brought her to her 'room,' a small compartment with nothing more than a cot, but considering it was as large as the rest were sleeping in, there was no insult intended. It was what it was.

"Oh," Kiritsugu said as he turned to leave "Would you be interested in joining me and Aurora tomorrow?"

"With what?" C.C. asked.

"Raising funds, don't worry, it'll be amusing, I promise."

"I'll think about it." C.C. replied before she laid down and went to sleep, more hopeful than she had been in a long…long time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Rejected Idea (But I wanted to do this anyways. Note: This is not and will not ever be canon, or considered again)

"So, will you still accept the power I offer you?" She asked him after draining her glass.

"Heh, the Power of Kings, you'll need to change the name. One part of me rejects it because it is a knight, the other part rejects it because he is a king." Kiritsugu mulled, "Still, power is power, one never knows when it might be a good idea."

"Then I bestow upon you the power of Geass." C.C. declared.

In his mind, Kiritsugu felt something foreign enter, like a painting from an unauthorized artist being put up amongst the mural of his mind. And then, he felt his eye twitch and knowledge flowed through his head. For a moment, he swore he saw a civilization of people, all with the same mark as C2 on their heads. Then he understood his power...and he frowned.

"This," He said in disappointment, "Is the most useless power I have ever heard of." C.C. blinked at the declaration. Moving to the door, he kicked it open and yelled, "Artemis! Aurora!" Both came running to stand before him.

"Yes Father/Fake?"

"**Be Free!**" Kiritsugu declared looking at them in the eye. For a moment, their eyes had red rings around them, then Artemis kicked him in the balls while Aurora glomped her father so hard it dislocated his shoulder.

Kiritsugu had been granted the power of '_Choice, and Sin_' a geass ability that affected anyone that heard his voice or looked him in the eye. What it did was simple, it showed those who were affected, every choice available to them and the consequences of their choice.

In other words, it gave people the ability to see what they could do at that very moment and what they could get away with. As powers go, it would be the most useless thing ever, and would cause Kiritsugu nothing but grief for accepting it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Well another chapter down.


	80. Code Black Chapter 4

**Code Black Chapter 4**

_"Sun Tzu said 'Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.' Well the general does that all right, and we are more than willing to follow him into hell time and time again." - Rebecca, Colonel in command of the Dogs of War 3rd Brigade_

_"The General has some sort of plan for the world. I can't really explain it, but it is there. We don't always go for the countries with the worst dictators and tyrants, and even when we do, the way we do it seems strange at times. Still, for whatever reason he has, I'll keep following his orders. Maybe it will make more sense when I'm old and gray." - Colonel Chandi Colonel of the Dogs of War 2nd Brigade._

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Before the day had even dawned, the expedition army was bustling like an ant hive. Scouts constantly checked the area while close range patrols watched for anything that slipped past the outer perimeter. Several engineers were demodifying the warbikes, making them look like civilian models. Custom civilian models mind you, as they were still too unique looking to pass for standard models. Still, if they traveled in pairs, which was the plan, no one would think anything of it.

A special team geared up and drove off in a humvee heading for a nearby city to begin preparations for the general later in the day.

Meanwhile, several computers were being pulled out and set up while being attached to various cracking equipment. Information is key for any war, and the Dogs were sorely behind everything on this world. With their expensive technology, they piggybacked to various civilian satellites and began surfing the web. The first thing on the list was gather the basic history of the place. This was going to be the 'easiest' part of their job as history, particularly old history, tends not to be classified. There are exceptions of course, but for the most part, anything over a hundred years in the past tends to be fairly declassified. The closer to the present one went, the more information is covered up. Still, the information they found was staggering.

"...Napoleon won?" A tech screeched. "How! The man couldn't sail a ship to save his life!"

"What are you talking about?" Another tech asked as the other man passed on the information. Reading it for a moment he made a slight grunt, "Huh, so Nelson muffed up the Battle of Trafalgar. No...wait...Nelson, Nelson, Nelson...no Admiral Nelson. Well that explains a lot." With that, he went back to the current international relationships.

"Honestly, I find it much more interesting how Benjamin Franklin sold out the colonies." A third tech spoke up as he read the information he found. "It seems so out of character for the man who wrote a book on common sense and worked so hard for the colonies to throw it away for a title."

"Bah, anyone can be bought" a nearby soldier commented. "You just need the right tool."

"Speaking of right tools," One cracker spoke up, "Is it just me or are their firewalls rather...weak?"

"...Now that you mention it..." Several spoke up. Really, it was rather easy to crack through securities. Then again, they hadn't really gone that deep into the net.

"Right, time to see how strong they are," One of the head crackers declared. A few minutes of typing and a quick look into the backrooms of sites and the Dogs had found the hidden rooms where the crackers no time, they challenged each other to their computing limits. Ten minutes later, the Dogs could only stare as the revelation hit them.

The people of this world were decades behind the Dogs at cyberwarfare.

"...My god, It's like they've never heard of MBItech." One of the crackers gazed in stupor as he finished ripping through code that looked like it had been written by someone forty years ago. He was then immediately hit on the head as someone pointed out that "Duh, of course they haven't"

"...We 're gonna need to tell the boss about this." The commanding officer spoke quietly. "This is going to be big for us."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Do we have everything we need?" Kiritsugu asked. Artemis handed him a three folders which had the basic forged identity supplies. Kiritsugu looked at them and passed over the ones marked to Aurora and C2. He then opened his and began reading his profile. He raised an eyebrow as he gazed at the information.

"The Baron of Sanctity? Where the heck is-?" He flipped over the pages to see that the city of Sanctity was exactly where the city of Salvador, Brazil was, only Sanctity was apparently a moderate sized city of no importance, unlike Salvador. Shaking his head, he went back and began memorizing his character. The good news was he knew Salvador like the palm of his hand after those three incidents in Brazil so he would have an easy time describing the area... Apparently Aurora was going to be his daughter (big surprise) Dawn, while C2 would be their bodyguard Sarah.

Then he came to the age of his character and blinked. Looking up he could only tell his longtime partner sadly, "You're evil. Baron Flameheart? I thought we both agreed not to think about Selnia"

"It's just a name, ignore it." She told him, but there was a hint of sadness in the voice as well as she remembered Gwen. "He fit the requirements. It's best to use someone that exists for these things. Besides, they'll underestimate you." Artemis continued on, regaining the strength in her voice, "So suck it up and deal with it Fake. I spent all night breaking in and altering the data on the mainframes."

Kiritsugu sighed tiredly, but nodded as he headed for the medical cabinet. "Thanks, it must have been ** you. I'll make it up to you later." Just as botox causes muscles to contract, there are drugs that make muscles slack and can cause someone who injects it in the face suddenly develop wrinkles. After all, everyone would be suspicious of an eighty two year old man that didn't have a wrinkle on his face. Looking at the needle, he could only prepare himself for the poison he was injecting into his face and hands. This was going to hurt...

C.C wasn't sure whether she should be impressed by the work that woman, Artemis, put in this identity, or insulted at how little a role she had. C.C. could easily pull off her role by being silent and staring at a wall. Her paperwork was a tenth the size of the others. Aurora was busy flipping papers while reciting her history making sure she had it accurately down. Spotting Artemis moving towards her, or more particularly, the bedrooms behind her, C.C. took the opportunity to talk to her. "You seem to be familiar with this routine."

"Your point?" Artemis replied preparing to shove the woman who dared stand between her and a cot aside. The immortal shrugged at that but did not move, would not move. "Out of my way." Artemis put an arm on C2 and shoved hard enough for her to slam against the nearby wall. As she walked into her room, everyone could hear her mutter, "I have no time for a-" The door shut before they could hear her finish.

"My," C2 spoke coolly, "Someone is grumpy."

"It's not her, it's you." clarified Kiritsugu. C.C. turned to look at the man and retort only to see that something was wrong. He was staring at her with eyes far too wide, yet seemed to see through her completely at the same time. It reminded the immortal of people in a trance-like state...or heavily drugged as the empty needle in his hand might have something to do with that. "You remind her of herself, and not just on looks." Kiritsugu continued. "A doll, a puppet, a hollow creature. You are everything she was before I found her."

"...You didn't find her was the other one." Aurora broke in lightly hitting her father on the head to help him along.

His eyes, returning to normal, blinked for a moment before he spoke, "Huh? Oh, right...bloody resonance."

"What was that?" the 'immortal witch' asked.

"Nothing, leave it, ignore it. It is nothing." The man replied hastily, not so much for her as for himself. Sensing this, C.C. let him be as Kiritsugu began dyeing his hair. "It's nothing, it's not me, it's not me." He kept muttering quietly for a bit until his nerves returned. Honestly, the idea had been sound, but the side effects were downright terrifying at times. There had been days that he had literally not existed in his , he had acted completely within the mindset of another. As if his own persona had been erased for those days. Shaking off the last bits of fear, he went back to work putting in special contacts that made his eyes look foggy and a bit of makeup to make his face look paler.

Aurora had the easiest time, she merely modified her body a bit to have raven black hair, and a slightly larger bust. For a touch of perfection, she inflated her lower cheeks slightly and gave a test walk swishing her hips as she moved. Turning her head, she noticed something and had to comment. "Did you smell something good to eat C2? You're drooling a bit."

Kiritsugu began cackling while C.C. hastily wiped her mouth. "No Dawn," Kiritsugu told his daughter as he looked at C.C., "She just saw a forbidden fruit." C.C. frowned slightly at the light warning but Kiritsugu ignored her and turned to his daughter, "And remember, she's Sarah, not this C2 or whatever."

"Of course my Lord Father." Aurora curtsied, falling into the role she was to play. "Forgive me. I will do everything I can to uphold the Flameheart name."

Nodding, Kiritsugu went into a storage compartment and pulled out a wheelchair, a green canister of air, and an air mask. Someone once told him, damned if he could remember who, that to play a part, you must become the part. Well, in Kiritsugu's case, playing the role of an old Noble was as simple as breathing and remembering something he had never actually done himself, but remained in his mind. To most people that would mean he had no chance of pulling off the role, but in his case...

The resonance was a powerful tool for all its inherent side effects, which is why he and his other self had risked everything on it.

Seeing that he had everything ready, he quickly went to get changed while Aurora searched her room to find the right dress after she tossed C.C. a black suit that screamed "Bodyguard", complete with black sunglasses. Rolling her eyes at this, C.C. quickly put it on and waited. The first one out was Aurora, who immediately made C.C. start drooling once more seeing the non-human in a fire red dress with long red gloves that covered most of her arm and wore a sapphire necklace and earrings. Her long raven black hair was left free allowing it to accent her every movement. Yet, when C.C. looked into those eyes, for a moment, they became slitted like the eyes of snakes before they returned to normal. A quick reminder of what that girl really was.

"Right…" came an old and wizened voice. In rolled Kiritsugu, who looked like an old man who needed an oxygen line to survive. He looked impeccable with that old tuxedo, though that black blanket on his lap did decrease a bit of prestige in the look. But then C.C. looked into his eyes and saw what she could only describe as power. Those eyes seemed to look right into her even with the fogginess in his eyes. Then he relaxed his face and let the wrinkles fall and the aura of power was gone

"**I see you are ready to go.**" A voice laden with power commented. Coming from a room that had been locked came a familiar figure clad in black.

"A-all in th-the n-name of-" Kiritsugu stuttered with a wizened voice.

**"Drop the stutter,"** The Knight commanded**. "No one will respect you. Don't throw away your partner's work."**

"Damn Straight!" Artemis' voice came from her bedroom in the opposite direction.

"Will do," Kiri replied still speaking like an old man, but one that still demanded respect for his age.

**"Your men have prepared your vehicle,"** The Knight added as he/she walked off towards a different room. **"Gather what you need but don't compromise my mission."**

"Do recall that I have done this before," Kiritsugu reprimanded in his normal voice. "Stop telling me how to breathe already." The Black Knight stood there for a moment, then walked down a hallway leading to the depths of the plane.

"You don't think I bought that did you?" C.C. asked

"Bought what?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Please, it's obvious that Artemis is the Black Knight." She told him. For a reply, Kiritsugu simply pointed right behind her.

"I'm what?" Artemis asked standing over the shoulder of the 'immortal witch'. C.C. flicked her head back and forth, seeing the Black Knight still walking down a hallway while Artemis standing right by her. Ignoring C2, Artemis tossed a tiny plastic gun to Kiritsugu who caught it easily and hid it in a concealed hiding spot in the wheelchair. With that, Artemis turned and went back to bed.

"..." C.C. could only stand there in dumb silence

"Right, if you're ready we need to go, the day is young and we have a bit of a trip to travel." Kiritsugu told her. "First stop, the bank."

With that, Aurora walked up behind her father and rolled him down another hallway. C.C. fell in step behind them and followed them out of the mysterious black jet. Back in the iconic machine of the Black Knight, the suit of armor fell to the ground like a puppet that had had its strings cut. Sighing to herself, Artemis quickly put it away and made ready to talk to the Dogs about today's missions. Honestly she could really use a nap, but she Reinforced herself and continued on. So much to do, so little time and all that...

xxxxxxx

As she walked down the ramp, C.C. momentarily staggered as she was mentally assaulted by Marianne screeching in her mind. Had this been a physical attack rather than a mental, it would have felt like someone tackling C.C. at Mach 2._ "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" _the frenzied woman screamed in her head. The immortal witch had to forcibly kick her out for a moment lest she collapse and draw all sorts of attention. After the moment passed, Marianne was back, but this time acted with much more decorum and actually waited for C.C. to speak up.

"Things have become interesting," C.C. replied. She kept her face blank as Aurora turned to look at her for a moment before shrugging and kept pushing her father forward.

_"Interesting? Like how you vanished?" _Marianne asked._ "I was about to think someone had finally granted you your wish."_ C.C. was curious by what Marianne meant by vanished, but now wasn't exactly the time._ "Fine, fine, I'll wait."_ Marianne sighed, seeing how C.C. kept tailing the pair ahead. Seeing through C.C.'s eyes, Marianne noticed how the woman in front strutted and failed to suppress an approving growl as Aurora swayed back and forth. C.C. on the other hand, shivered at the memory of the eyes and tail. "_My, what a catch C.C. Were you planning on cheating on me? I approve. I want details of what kind she is in bed."_

The three of them, plus one annoying spirit in the head, were headed for a humvee that was idling on the runway. Standing in front of it were two soldiers that stood at attention for their general. "Sir, we apologize, but the vehicle we raided would not be able to make it here. We will drive you to it whenever you're ready."

"Good work." Kiritsugu told his men and quickly stood up, loosing all signs of an old man and easily hopped into the war machine with Aurora quickly joining him. The two soldiers went to work folding up the wheelchair and placed it in the back. C.C. jumped in the last seat and had to wait for less than ten seconds before the vehicle rolled into the forest.

The drive was silent until they broke through the forest and came to rest beside a black stretch limousine. From there, the three of them switched to the luxury vehicle. Kiritsugu and Aurora sat in the passenger compartment where they quizzed each other on their roles while C.C. got in the driver's seat and drove off. Honestly, she wasn't sure she should be annoyed that they didn't think to ask if she could drive, or if she should be happy to working with people with actual brains and figured that anyone living as long as her had to learn at some point. Eh, she'd find a way to get back at them later. Perhaps the old crawl into his bed and wait for him to wake up and cause a massive misunderstanding and hopefully a light beating.

After all, it always worked before, what would be different about this one?

Xxxxxxxxxxx

…

…

…

"Remind me why we're heading back towards Tokyo again?" C.C. asked irritated at the long drive.

"All war is deception," Kiritsugu quoted, "When you are far, make your enemy think you are near, when you are near, make them think you are far."

"In other words," Aurora explained. "We're keeping ourselves as far away from our operations as possible when things go FUBAR. So please stop the Sun Tzu,Father. You're supposed to be an old guard noble who has very little time left to live. Sun Tsu should be some jumped up ape as far as you're concerned"

"Back in my day," Kiritsugu blurted out "We used to-"

"Not the Yorkshire routine Father, but that." Aurora begged him desperately. The last time he had played that routine, three other old men had picked up on it and tried to outdo each other. If there was a hell, it was there having to listen to them for four hours straight. It was funny the first two minutes then it became stale, then dead, then zombified.

"Fine, I'll be the indulgent old grandfather figure." Kiritsugu sighed, "Honestly Dawn, you're just like you're aunt. Keep stealing my fun and everything."

"If it keeps you on the right father, I'll keep it up until the end." Aurora flicked. In the driver's seat, C.C. felt both jealousy and pity at the same time. In the depths of her soul, the depths of her mind, the memory of her that woman haunted C.C.. That woman whom C.C. had loved as a mother and was betrayed by her, given this damned pointless existence. She was jealous of the openness of Aurora and her father, the acknowledgment of everything they were and making the most of their time together. At the same time, C.C. pitied the girl, another immortal doomed to the path of loneliness. She didn't say anything though, rather opting to focus on driving.

Marianne on the other hand was laughing a storm. _"Oh my, I can't believe that old man is really the same young commander. My, I wonder what caused him to become such a good actor."_

The answer was obvious to anyone that had ever lived with Kiritsugu for so long. He got so good at disguises, cracking locks, infiltrating buildings, and various other stealthy techniques for one reason alone, a reason he had honed his skills since childhood. All to break into the most secure location in the world, the Emiya Kitchen, which he succeeded at least twice a month, if not once a week at times.

_"So tell me, is she really his daughter?"_ Marianne asked.

"Yes," C.C. replied.

_"Mmm, a father daughter tryst, delectable."_ The legendary pilot moaned, _"C.C., promise me you'll let me watch when you bed them."_

"No"

_"Please,"_ Marianne begged, _"I'll make it up to you with all the pizza you could want."_

"Not happening."

_"Fine, but I want details."_

"Not going to happen." C.C. told her. Though Aurora did look delightful now, there was no way she was going to sleep in the same room as that creature. C.C. had been called a witch, but that was false. She knew no more about magic than anyone else. Aurora had been a nightmare reborn when she showed her other form, like a creature from those old stories rising up to feast on the unwary.

And the girl was a demigod to boot. No, not going to happen no matter how good looking Aurora was. Not to mention, C.C. doubted there was a force in the universe that could get Kiritsugu to look or even think of his daughter in any sexual way.

Ever.

Rubbing her head over hearing the dead woman beg like a child denied a treat, C.C. accelerated a little faster, hoping to get this over with soon. Honestly, whatever they did to keep Marianne out on that jet, C.C. wished they would do it right now. Marianne was quite possibly the most perverted person the immortal witch had ever met,and that was saying something. Of course, had she asked the passengers in the back, the two of them might have been able to top her with a few names. So while Kiri and Aurora finalized their roles, C.C. kept driving and wishing Marianne would just move onto something else until the three of them (plus one dead woman) arrived at the Tokyo Settlement.

Xxxxxxxxxx

After passing through a checkpoint with little hassle other than handing over the fake ID declaring that Baron Flameheart and his daughter were nobles from the backwater Area Six (South America) on vacation, the three of them drove towards the main branch of Area Eleven Central Bank. Parking in the lot, C.C. got out, opened the trunk, pulled out the wheelchair and oxygen tank, and set it all up like a fairly proper attendant/bodyguard. Aurora hopped out next and 'helped' her father into his chair. As C.C. closed the door to the car, she distinctly heard Aurora mutter, "Now let's hope it's not like every other time father goes to the bank."

"It's only happened twelve times." Kiritsugu argued quietly.

Rolling her eyes, Aurora leaned over to C.C. and whispered, "Be ready for anything, father has notoriously bad luck with banks."

"That's because I usually use them in hostile counties." Kiritsugu hissed.

"Which we are," Aurora countered as she walked beside her father with C.C. pushing the wheelchair. ""How much more hostile do you want?"

The green haired witch was rather confused by the cryptic byplay but was piqued at the same time by the ominous tones. Still, it looked fine to her, an overly done bank built almost like a cathedral and waving Britannian flags like they were going out of style. The three of them were greeted by a well-dressed man wearing a badge saying manager.

"Welcome to Area Eleven's Main Central Bank. How may I help you my Lord and Lady?" The man asked them.

"I wish to open an account here." Kiritsugu spoke quietly yet powerfully at the same time. His fogged eyes were barely open as he spoke, yet they seemed to gaze right into the heart of the man before him. First he'd open a bank, throw in a bunch of fake data that would last for a few months before someone picked up on that the money was fake, meanwhile he'd 'mingle' with the other lords of the land for information.

"Of course my Lord, we would be most grateful to help." The man replied cheerfully. He didn't know what rank the man was, but if those clothes and that limo they came in were any indication, they were rather wealthy. The two of them would be good business for the bank.

Too bad those eight men running into the bank with bandannas over their faces and pulling out guns from various packages they were holding did not.

"Every time," Aurora breathed as she shook her head. "I swear father, you're cursed."

"Yes Dawn, I am, remember?" Kiritsugu lightly scolded. C.C. wondered about that statement, but quickly went down on the ground when facing an assault rifle. Not that it would have done much other than hurt and possibly tip off someone that she couldn't die.

"You! Old Man! Get down on the ground now!" one bank robber yelled at Kiritsugu, who had not gotten down unlike everyone else in the building. Even as the bank robbers rushed around moving rather professionally for thieves, Kiritsugu just sat there in his wheelchair looking rather stupid. "Are you deaf old man? Get DOWN!"

"Is it bed time already?" Kiritsugu confusingly questioned right before he was tossed out of his chair and shoved to the ground.

"Just for that I'm taking your women." The bank robber hissed. Pointing to C.C. and Aurora he ordered "You two, get up and walk where I tell you, you make any sudden movements and I'll waste you." Calmly both immortals stood up and walked into the depths of the bank. Laying where he was, Kiritsugu Reinforced his hearing.

"What are you doing?" One of the robbers yelled

"Hostages. Pretty girl here has a stupid rich father. This'll teach him for messing with us."

"He's in his eighties, what were you expecting?" Aurora asked him calmly. A slapping sound was heard, followed immediately with a male voice whimpering in pain from the stupid move.

"Dammit, fine, we could use the extra insurance. Let's get this over with and gather the funds for the resistance." one of the robbers conceded. Kiritsugu had to repress a smile._ 'Sure, bring the one of the deadliest women in the world with you, what could possibly go wrong?'_

In less than ten minutes, the police arrived and surrounded the bank. However, judging from the noise, Kiritsugu figured that the robbers we already in the vault stealing everything that wasn't nailed down and from what they were saying it sounded like they had an extraction plan. Honestly, he was almost impressed by the efficiency of the group. These men were no were far too disciplined, far too proper to be thieves. He heard an explosion in the depths followed quickly by a sudden surge of Prana in the air for a moment before everything was silent. Soon, police entered finding no resistance on their way in and secured the area only to find the robbers were gone, the money taken, and no civilians were found dead.

One policeman helped him up back into his wheelchair and assured him everything would be okay, right up until Kiritsugu asked him about his daughter and 'Sarah' his bodyguard. Then it became a whole new kettle of fish...

For about three minutes.

'Sarah' was found in the bank vault alone, tied up and gagged, while 'Dawn' was found in a part of the underground of the bank with a massive hole leading to the sewers. 'Dawn' was putting on a brave face through the whole thing while 'Sarah' looked unharmed and unruffled by the experience. The police shook their heads and had to assume that this was a success on the robbers' part. Kiritsugu on the other hand saw Aurora give him a wink before the Police pulled her aside. He waited a few minutes for the girl to be questioned by the police, but they had no real reason to keep her any longer and let Baron Flameheart's daughter go. The first thing that they did was wheel Kiritsugu out of the building and back into the limo.

"Drive," Kiritsugu order. C.C. calmly moved their vehicle out of the parking lot and back onto the main road. Behind her, she heard the sound of vomiting. For a brief moment, C.C. was sure that it was just nerves being released, until heavy thuds echoed on the floor. C.C. looked in the mirror to see several bags on the floor that were most definitely not there a minute ago.

"So, decided to have a midday snack?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Yes," Aurora replied, "And made quite a bit of money in the process."

Kiritsugu had been working on getting Aurora not eating humans since she had first come home with mixed success. She still ate them, but only when she deemed it for a good cause. Besides, humans were, as she put it, 'too stringy.' Well, at least she wasn;t killing humans by the thousands like she had before the other one sacrificed himself.

"Right, then forget the banks, let's find a big casino. We need to launder some of this money." Kiritsugu said as he opened a bag and grabbed a briefcase full of funds. "Weird, why would a bank put money in a briefcase?" Kiritsugu wondered as he checked the funds. He structurally analyzed the funds but found no tracking markers or paints on them. "...Something is very wrong here. Banks do not put clean money in briefcases." Shrugging, he could only make a note of the discrepancy and make a call later to have the Dogs check out the bank's underside.

"A casino, correct?" C.C. asked.

"Yes, a nice big luxurious one is preferable." Kiritsugu replied as he looked through the bags and found two more suitcases filled with neatly stacked funds. He couldn't help but frown at the fact that not a single bill had a tracking paint or code or anything on them. One was an anomaly, three was a pattern. He pulled out a phone provided by the troops to send a message, one that needed to be passed on quickly. Though it had a small risk, Kiritsugu needed this to be done quickly before the trail was lost. Dialing a number, he was met with a message.

"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is not listed at the moment, please hang up and try again."

"This is Lizard, come in Amazon." Kiritsugu spoke on the phone ignoring the message.

"Amazon here, go ahead Lizard." A human voice suddenly picked up.

"We were just in a six eighteen and were able to intercept and procure the packages." Kiritsugu reported on the robbery "An anomaly was found in the packages, three suitcases, all perfectly filled, no signs of hurry to fill them, and no marked parts. The Target is Area Eleven Main Central Bank."

"Copy that, Area Eleven Main Central Bank." The operator reported, "We'll begin immediately, Amazon out." The phone hung up.

"Right, let's do this." Kiritsugu said grabbing two of the suitcases while shoving the third into a bag. "Find me that casino please," Kiritsugu called. "Its time for Baron Flameheart to make his entrance to society." With that, he and his daughter quickly but quietly chanted spells on the bags making them unnoticeable. A man could sit right next to the sacks and not notice them unless they could sense magic, in which case the bags would be equivalent to hanging neon signs with noisemakers going off.

xxx

Starlight Casino, while not the largest casino in Tokyo, was free of being exclusive unlike places like Babel Tower. Starlight Casino had over a hundred ways for men to gamble their money, from slot machines, to dice games, to card games, to name a few. It would make a good first stop and social starting point for Baron Flameheart. As entrances go, it wasn't flashy. He had C.C. drive up to the complementary chauffeuring service where she once again pulled out his wheelchair and air tank for him to sit on. Calmly, Baron William Flameheart, his unmarried daughter Dawn, and their bodyguard/assistant Sarah entered the casino. Several workers eyed the two suitcases being carried by 'Sarah' while 'Dawn' pushed her father forward to one of the money exchange desks.

"Good morning," One of the attendants spoke, "How may I help you?" Kiritsugu merely gestured to C2, who placed the two briefcases on the counter and opened them. The attendant was stunned for a moment before stammering, "You wish to exchange all this for chips? Right away my Lord!" With that, they took the money and quickly counted it which came up with a nice round half a million pounds. The manager of this floor was quickly brought over as a gesture of respect (and greed) to the customers (or suckers as the casino workers thought).

"My Lord," The manager greased, "The lower levels are fine for the common folk, but a high roller such as yourself belongs with greater company than this. Please take this," He said handing over a pass card. "This will allow you access to our top floor."

"Is it equipped with concentrated Oxygen?" Dawn asked, not bothering to point to the mask on his face and the tank on the back of the wheelchair. "My father will require that if we are to stay for an extended time."

"I'm sure we can come up with an arrangement my Lady." The manager spoke neutrally, which meant they didn't.

Baron Flameheart inhaled deeply for emphasis. "No need," he spoke quietly, "It just means we will only stay for four hours at most. Sarah, do be a dear and keep an eye on the clock. Four hours, no later."

"Yes my Lord," C.C. replied neutrally as she held onto a case filled with betting chips.

*Inhale*"Charming dear, her family has work for mine for generations. *Inhale* I remember-" He spoke as Aurora pushed him on towards the elevator, "-her grandfather. *Inhale* Good man. Took a bullet for me one time. *Inhale* Knighted him for that. Very proud that day. *Inhale* Good man Charlie.-"

"It was Sebastian father, Charlie was his son." Dawn corrected, being overheard by many workers at once, who would report to the owner that the man wasn't all there in the head.

*Inhale* "...Oh." Baron Flameheart muttered. "My mistake." Dawn was silent as they got in the elevator, swiped the card through the reader, and pressed the button for the upper level.

C.C. was glad she was wearing sunglasses because she wanted to gag at the play they were dishing out, even if it was believable...to a point. _"My, seeing those two makes me wish we could trade places,"_ Marianne commented. _"They're so lively." _Why did she enjoy having Marianne with her every waking moment of her life? Damned if she knew why at times like these.

Arriving at the top floor of the casino, Kiritsugu looked around slowly taking in the sights. Standard games for the most part. Cards, dice, wheels, flashers, spinners, and...was that a bunch of chess sets? Yes, yes those were. Hmm, well he'd check that out later. For now, he needed to begin the operation. "Go on Dawn, have some fun. We're on vacation after all" He motioned to C.C. who opened the trunk and gave her a hundred thousand pounds worth of chips to enjoy herself.

"Thank you father," 'Dawn' replied before heading for various games of chance. Kiritsugu on the other hand had C2 take him straight for the poker table.

"Good evening old chap." One of the players. "Haven't seen you here before."

Inhaling deeply, and audibly, Kiritsugu introduced himself, "Baron Flameheart, Lord of Sanctity in Area Six." With that, he had C2 place his considerable amount of chips on the table and rolled himself up to the table. Said table was a bit high for his comfort, but he ignored that in favor of waiting for the dealer to pass out the cards. Looking at them, he kept his face bank even as he calculated the odds. Watching them, he noticed the players around him had slight ticks. Minor things that gave them away. Not to mention a little Structural Analysis on the table told him exactly what each of them had and what the next cards on the table would be.

Hey, it wasn't cheating if no one had made a rule about it.

At first, Kiritsugu lost. A hundred thousand pounds vanished in a few games. Then he made it back, then he made more, then more, then more, then he ended up back at his original amount. Then he started raking in the cash rapidly. Just over an hour of playing and he had almost doubled his money.

At a nearby table, two nobles gossiped about how Baron Victor had just lost a factory to an explosion. Probably those damned terrorists again. Two ladies nearby spoke about how the prices on various dresses kept going up due to shipping problems. Damned terrorists. A husband and wife were vocally upset how some lord's party was canceled due to the turbulent times.

Then 'Dawn' came over and asked for some for more money, which he handed over another hundred thousand for her to spend without a comment as he listened in and spoke to his fellow players. All through his time, he made idle chat to the lords... up to a point. The players around him saw him as a country hick coming for a good time, and while he was losing, they had no problems talking to him and speaking about how everyone's luck has been down lately due to the locals. When his luck was back and forth, they gave occasional words, but focused on the game. When they were losing horribly, he was lucky to get two words. Then again, Kiritsugu wasn't exactly coming off as the best conversationalist.

To his opponents, though this old man was a good listener, but he clearly had a hard time talking. When one of the lot asked him in a roundabout way if he was sick, Kiritsugu replied with only on word. "Cancer."

Of course, they all gave their sympathies. "Tough luck old boy," "Yes, rotten luck that." "Yes, quite horrible" Kiritsugu gave only one response to their empty words, "Eighty two, *Inhale deeply* bound to happen eventually."

"So tell me," Vicount Gallent a man who Kiri had been letting win fairly often for the past twenty minutes asked curiously, "What brings you over here then?"

*Inhale* "Doctors gave me six months." Kiritsugu wheezed even as he saw that there was no way to win this round and quickly folded before he lost anything beyond the pay in. *Inhale*"Been saving for decades for a last grand trip with my wife. *Inhale* She passed away last year." His voice was thick with grief "Decided to go ahead and enjoy on last trip with my daughter." He pointed over at his daughter who was losing at the roulette table fairly badly. *Inhale* "Everything is ready for her back home. Just, *Inhale* wanted to have a little time with her before the end. *Inhale* My wife loved this place in her youth. *Inhale* Loved the cherry trees. Sorry to have missed them."

"You seem to be having quite a bit of bad luck lately." Vicount Gallent sympathized.

"Why?" Kiritsugu asked, "Loved my wife. *Inhale* Love my daughter. Had a good life, plan on going out with a smile."

"Fair enough," Gallent conceded. "Though frankly if you keep winning like this I have no doubt that you'll be smiling before this day is done."

Seeing that he had now doubled his money at the table, Kiritsugu knew it was time to do something else. *Inhale* "Perhaps, but I think I've pulled everything I can from here. Time to try out something else. *Inhale* Sarah, please to be a dear and gather everything. I think it's time for some dice games."

"Yes my Lord." C.C. replied as she placed his chips back in the suitcase given by the casino.

"Enjoy your stay here Baron, though I fear you've come at a bad time. Blasted terrorists killed Prince Clovis yesterday." the Vicount called out as Kiritsugu was wheeled away.

And so it went, he lost money, he made money, he ended up back where he started, but every time he left a table, he came out with more and more money. And none of the twits could feel the magic he was using. He made the most at card games, but he was great at dice too, placing a spell on the dice instantly loading them however he wanted.

Roulette was always harder to cheat at, but that was what Aurora was for. She had spent the time memorizing the speed of the wheels and the bounce of the balls so she could fairly accurately determine the spot the ball landed on. It wasn't a hundred percent accurate, but considering she could react faster than any human and perceive speeds much greater than any normal eye could ever hope, there was little worry. After losing about three hundred thousand pounds, she was ready. She hit those tables with every bit of data she had collected and started making everything back quickly, all while chatting with the lords and ladies about little nothings. Several lords tried hitting on her, but she reported that she was happily engaged already. A few still tried to get her to join them for a dalliance, but for some reason, they all started to develop problems ranging from itching, to coughs, to blisters on the feet, and for one very persistent man, suddenly having to run to the bathroom to empty his stomach.

The ladies all wanted to talk about the latest fashions. Aurora merely described some of the clothes her Great Aunt Udele (Uzume) had made in her spare time for her and became a bit of a revolutionary of the fashion in the casino. Several would make quick calls with their tailors and make demands for those same outfits, in different colors of course. It would be an unbearable shame to come in wearing the same outfit as someone else or ever admit where they came up with the fashion idea.

Three hours of gambling had netted the trio almost two and a half million pounds plus the half a million they had come in with. Normally, this would be the cause of ire from the establishment, but the distinct breathing problem of this new Baron was getting louder and raspier. Twice he had lost by falling asleep at the table and had to be shaken awake by the stoic bodyguard/assistant. Still, the owner of the establishment wasn't pleased by the development. Dawn, on the other hand, had stayed at the roulette table the whole time. Though she had made six hundred thousand pounds, she had lost three hundred thousand playing, thus she wasn't raising any eyebrows. Yet.

Still, just to make sure these weren't con-men, the owner began researching about this Baron Flameheart. What the owner didn't know was that there was a standing order with a certain mercenary group to redirect any inquiries about a Baron Flameheart in this country to a falsified cache of information that replaced everything about the real Baron with Kiritsugu's profile. Thus, when the owner looked up the data, the search engine took a little longer than normal, but it did get him what he needed and no matter how he looked, nothing suspicious came up. The 'Baron' was an old man who stayed back in Sanctity taking care of his land except when he went on vacation.

Sighing in defeat, the owner had to conceded that there was nothing wrong and that this was just a man having a lucky day. Another thing he didn't know was that he had just opened his files for the Dogs to dig into, including but not limited to his accounts, his contacts, his personal life, his favors, his debts, and everything else that could ruin the man.

Thus, when the final hour came and The Lord Baron had to leave for health reasons, he left with three and a half million dollars. Most of it had to be routed to what was really a blank account number that had been hastily set up while he was away. But, just as he came in, the Baron came back out with his two original briefcases of money plus the card holding three million more.

Honestly, Kiritsugu could have lost every penny and still found this to be a profitable day. The things the people spoke of, it was amazing how many secret were spoken with a bit of alcohol and flashy objects.

Their sweet little nothings had told him far more than they realized. The Prince was dead from the terrorists yesterday. More like dead from the Dog's hands, and considering it was supposed to be a closed casket funeral, that meant the bugger had probably died in an explosion. There was talk of terrorists destroying so and so's factories and robbing shipments, meaning there was a highly active resistance group. Add in the bank robberies today and you had a highly active, well trained, professional rogue army. In his mind, dominoes were lining up. He needed information on whatever was trying to kill ALAYA. It was vital that he gather as much as possible as quickly as possible.

If he wanted to find the enemy in time, he would have to get to both the top and the bottom. Now, how to do it? Lord Flameheart wasn't meant for a long term disguise, just a few days to set up blank accounts and local gossip. But perhaps...perhaps he would hold onto the mantle a little longer. The persona had been set up possessing only six months to live, give or take, perhaps he would have to be a Lord for a while longer. But how was he to get information from the bottom? The only real contact he had with the Resistance is with that red headed girl and she-

Kiritsugu looked over at Aurora as she took a seat next to him in the car. "My beloved daughter, how good is your nose?" He asked.

"Much better than yours ever could be," Aurora replied automatically. "Why do you ask?"

"I'll tell you later," He replied, "But first, I think I need to buy a country house and then bring over some of our other servants. The weather looks nice, but I think a storm is due soon and I'd rather we have competent people on hand."

"Of course," Aurora replied, "We'll find a realtor right away father."

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Drinking deeply form her coffee cup, Artemis sat down at the conference table. "Alright, give me the update. Brigadier Roy, you first"

"The area is secure for the moment. My scouts are combing the forest for any hostiles, but we haven't found anything of real note within ten miles of the camp. We've found a few weapon and ammo caches consisting of modern equipment within eight miles of the camp, but we've left them there in case of traps and can be used as potential bait if we need to. All patrols rotate every four hours to keep their eyes fresh. Other than that, I have nothing to report."

"Colonel Rebecca," Artemis asked, "What have you to say?"

"The camp is set for rapid abandonment at any time. Food, water, and ammo we have in excess. We can operate without purchasing food and water for months and we have enough ammo to engage in between five and seven heavy engagements. Medical supplies are fully stocked, and all injured are declared fit for duty once more. However, I need to speak at length about what the crackers have found throughout the day."

Artemis held up a hand to forestall her, "Is it urgent?"

"Fairly but we can hold it off." Rebecca admitted

"Then before we get to that, let's have Cain and Guang give their reports. Cain, you first"

"Some of the boys have been practicing with the captured mechs. Captain Ruth tells me that compared to Gernsback, these machines have a completely different driving style. Apparently, they drive a lot like motorcycles. As it is, several of my warbike drivers are having an easy time learning how to drive these machines. Those used to tanks on the other hand are having a difficult time adjusting. All Gernsback pilots are saying that they just need a few more hours and then they believe they can make these machines fly."

"They're called Knightmare Frames," Rebecca told him, "Apparently RPI-13 Sutherland models. Not the greatest machines they have available, but definitely near the top. They're the main workhorse of the Britannians."

"Knightmares huh, kinda catchy." Cain mused.

"Downright dangerous apparently. Ten years ago they crushed the armored and infantry divisions of Japan." Rebecca read off her report from the crackers. "To date, there have been no notable defeats of Knightmare divisions save for what is known as the Miracle of Itsukushima. Frankly, from the data I gathered, it was more like a mutual defeat than any real victory. Thus, no one has every truly defeated a Knightmare division before"

"Until we came along," Guang snorted. "If Colonel Cain is done, I'll get to my report." Seeing his comrade pass the baton, "Guang cleared his throat. "I'll be as brief as possible. Both of our Lockheed C-5 Galaxies are no-go's for the time being. We've found additional problems with both Big Mama and Big Bertha. Big Bertha will take another two days to fix while Big Mama will take at least a week."

"I can spare my mechanics if you need them," Rebecca offered.

"Much obliged," Guang nodded, "If that is the case, Big Bertha should be ready by tomorrow if we work in shifts, but Big Mama will still need several days of work on her. More importantly, the Fifth Brigade has an upcoming problem of fuel. Our Air Cavalry used up almost ten percent of our fuel supplies in yesterday's engagement. We can at best fight nine more times like yesterday before our birds are disabled. I can double the mission numbers if we ground half our birds, but that is only delaying the problem. We need a reliable fuel supply as soon as possible if we want to keep using the air cavalry."

"Understood, how are the helicopters?" Artemis asked.

"Not bad, a few dings and dents, but no major damage." Guang reported. "Whoever we were facing, they really needed to work on their pilots. My men report that it was like facing rookies who hadn't put in even a hundred flight hours."

"Understood, then if none of the rest of you have anything, Rebecca you have the floor." Artemis said. "Now what is it that you're crackers have found."

"A lot, and much of it is disturbing." Rebecca told her. "What we just did yesterday was kick a massive hornets nest. Apparently we faced the Third Prince of Britannia, which as you know rules about a third of the world's landmass. This will not be something swept under the rug, they will bring in someone actually competent to deal with us.

"Anything is more competent than those guys we faced." Cain snorted.

"Those were house guards." Rebecca told him bluntly. "The Prince was using his own personal troops and a political faction called the 'Purebloods' to fight us."

"Wait, you mean to tell me we fought against jumped up policemen with some fancy kit and politicians?" Roy asked. Looking up he mused, "No wonder why it was so easy."

"Don't expect it again," Rebecca warned. "Britannia is on a major conquering streak. They will not risk losing the land producing between sixty and eighty percent of Sakuradite."

"Sakurawhat?" Artemis asked.

"Some sort of wonder mineral found only on this planet." Rebecca explained. "It's been nicknamed the Philosophers Stone."

"...Really," Artemis spoke doubtfully, "Have someone get me the specifics on Sakuradite, a sample, and the schematics for a Sakuradite engine." Quietly she spat, "Philosopher's Stone, feh, yeah right." as if this world had that mythological artifact just scattered to be mined with ease.

"Right, but that's what I really need to get across General." Rebecca spoke, getting the meeting back on track. "What I want to stress is that our technology is superior to theirs."

"Not those Knightmares," Cain argued, "In the right hands, those machines are death incarnate for us."

"Perhaps, but that's not what I meant," Rebecca replied. "What I mean is, their cyberprotection might as well not exist for us. As we speak, several of my men are ripping through the securest files on this planet with ease. Let me reiterate, their cybersecurity, their cyberwarfare is at a distinct disadvantage with ours. Hand-helds alone can crack most of their files."

"Makes sense to me," Artemis nodded, knowing full well why cyberwarfare and security was so high, abnormally high in fact for the times back in their world. "MBI doesn't exist. Trust me, I checked."

"Understood," Rebecca acknowledged. "The problem is, our MBIpads, phones, computers, and the like are all ungody powerful compared to theirs. No matter what tech they have, we can beat them with cyberwarfare."

"Sorry, but I'm going to argue against that," Cain broke in, "You have no idea what these Knightmares can do. Trust me, we're still trying to find the limits. And they are complete immune to long range cracking. The most we can do is standard jamming procedures. Sure, we can probably get the drop on them a few times, but they'll adapt."

"Not to mention I have yet to meet any infantry that would be completely incapacitated by the internet." Roy added.

"Same with warplanes." Guang gave his two cents. "It's not a game breaking ability Rebecca."

"I see where you are going though," Artemis mused as she recalled how easily she had gathered her own data for the Fake and Aurora, "You want a standing order to destroy any technology about to fall in enemy hands. Considering that we do that all the time, I'll grant that request. Anything else?"

"A few things," Rebecca added, "First, General Kiritsugu was at a bank robbery."

"What is with him and banks?" Artemis asked was the thirteenth time this happened.

"Anyways," Rebecca continued, "He was able to steal the cash from the robbers without being noticed. Yet, when he went through the money, he found three briefcases full of unmarked notes, all neatly stacked."

"A transfer?" Roy asked.

"No, the banks would have left at least one set of bills with marks in case of theft." Artemis countered. "I see why he wanted that checked out. So?"

"We've broken in and found several transactions that just vanish. No leads in the bank whatsoever." Rebecca reported "That bank is either filthy or has government contracts. So far we haven't been able to get any solid leads, but we'll keep working on it."

"And?" Artemis asked knowing there had to be something else.

"The last thing was found is very strange." the Colonel reported crytpically. "The timeline is weird."

"What do you mean the timeline?" Guang asked confused by the strange tangent this conversation was taking.

"You have to understand. The calendar of this world should be fifty five years off due to a certain hero repelling and preventing Rome from invading Britain. The year should be 1963, yet is it 2018. And here's where it gets very strange. The events of our world and this world almost perfectly match up till about three hundred years ago before things diverge. Year for year we have very distinct correlations, even with the fifty five year discrepancy. As best as we can tell, there is fifty five years in this world's history that are just plain missing and I have no idea where."

"Or their calendar sucks." Guang sniped.

Rebecca rolled her eyes, right up until they saw how pale Artemis had become. "General?" The only other female in this meeting asked. Artemis did not respond for a moment before shakily responding.

"Ignore that for now, it means little to our current situation presently. Roy, I want you to find us several fall back positions all over the place. Rebecca, follow up on the lead Kiritsugu threw you. In addition use our technological advantage to the fullest. Find out every dirty little secret you can, focus on any top secret projects requiring massive funding and who is going to be assigned to this place next. I want to know the instant they decide who to send and then I want to know everything from their personal history to how many pairs of shoes that person owns to whatever demons he or she possesses. Cain, increase the training on those 'Knightmares' I want us to be the best pilots on this planet by the end of the week. Guang, coordinate with the others to find those fuel supplies you need. And someone find me some damned Sakuradite!"

"Yes Ma'am!" The four leaders yelled as they scattered, each of them noting how General Artemis had called General Kiritsugu by name rather than her nickname 'Fake'. The last time she had made that slip, everything had hit the fan fast and hard. This was a serious matter whether Artemis acknowledged or not. But they had their orders, and they would carry them out.

Left alone, Artemis placed a head on the table and wished the Fake had brought a few of the Clan with him regardless of his personal preferences. Reiko or Eiko would be better to deal with messed up timelines. Artemis was just a soldier and a third rate Magus who had been trained from childhood to take over for the Real Black Knight. This was way out of her league, way out of most anyone's league. If fifty five years were missing, that would indicate a problem with the Gaia of this world to go along with the possible assassination attempt with ALAYA.

For now, she'd focus on what she could do about ALAYA rather than some distant past issue that came and went. In all probability, this was nothing more than a quirk of this world, one of the infinite ways this timeline was different, and therefore irreleva- oh, who was she kidding? With her luck, this was a vital piece in whatever it was that was trying to kill ALAYA.

For a moment she wondered if she had been hanging around that Ky-something or other guy for too long. Then she figured it was probably more due to the Fake, that or…HER. But thinking about HER summoned HER, so Artemis turned her mind away from HER and thought about a nice soft bed to sleep in.

"General," A random soldier called out. Artemis thought it might be Jack then looked up and saw it was the other Jak, "What is it?"

"Message from General Kiritsugu, 'Bought base, bring friends. Set up as tertiary headquarters. Over.'" Jak replied.

"Understood, have Roy and Guang Deploy as they see fit. Dismissed."

"Ma'am" Jak then jogged off to catch the two commanders before they vanished.

"Bloody Hell, I'm tired." Artemis mourned.

"General," Corporal Rowland of the Ideals called. "I have some Sakuradite you requested."

Sighing, she figured she might as well get a Structural Analysis out of the way. "Bring it here," she called. Before her was placed a small brick.

"Engineers brought it out of the engine of one of the enemy mechs. Apparently they're used to power the machines." Rowland explained.

"Fine," Artemis acknowledged. She placed a hand on the pink cube and poured her Prana into it opening her mind to understand this so called 'Philosopher's Stone'.

**WRONG! **UNGODLY **WRONG!**

Artemis didn't notice the blood vessels bursting all over her body, the spasms wracking her form, the scream that could be heard for a quarter of a mile, the vomit from her mouth, her eyes constantly going in and out of focus. She just fell right into a coma in an instant as her mind shut down to protect herself from something so alien…so WRONG that it nearly shattered her psyche.

The last coherent thought in her mind was one word, a word meant for something beyond human comprehension, something so great it could not be matched by everything mankind had in its possession. Something no human should ever try to understand.

**TYPE…**

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	81. Black familiar 6

**Black familiar Chapter 6**

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_I shouldn't be surprised that I entered the dream cycle the night before what I was sure would be the beginning of a battle if not a war. Childish really. I had no idea what war was at the time. I knew that people died, that people were killed, but I couldn't truly grasp what a war really was. _

_Still didn't sleep that night actually. That night I watched something else. I watched how he trained, how he wore armor or some other heavy material at all times. I saw him face his twin sister and fight a hundred battles, each as magnificent as any dance, and each just as dangerous. I watched him face his other siblings in combat, sometimes he won, sometimes he lost, but he never lost the same way again. _

_Well, mostly. Kiritsugu had his own number of screw ups._

_I watched him face his mother countless times, never winning, only holding her off as long as he could. I watched him face his father, no matter the tricks, no matter the attempts, no matter what he did, his father was still far beyond Kiri. Back then I couldn't tell, but now, after years of combat myself, I now can say for certain, everyone he fought in his youth were highly trained or experienced. It was through those long years of training that he was able to fight as well as he did..._

_And why he was able to survive as long as he was able. _

_Oh, and I saw more of his 'cooking attempts'. Please don't ask me to repeat them though, there are some things that are best forgotten forever. His 'cooking' is one of them._

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Louise woke up to the feeling of her Servant shaking her. In her state of drowsiness, she swatted his hand to shove off whoever was trying to wake her up on the Day of the Void, sometimes known as the day of rest. That idle hope of staying asleep died the instant fleshy hand met cold hard metal, resulting in a sharp pain that woke her up in an instant.

"Ow!" Louise cried as she rubbed her hand. "What-?" She looked up to see a familiar black clad figure looking down at her "...oh, right." She muttered embarrassed. "Sorry"

"No problem Master," Kiritsugu replied. "Didn't feel a thing."

"I did," She retorted lightly as she nervously went to her wardrobe. While she was dressing, everything came back to her. Her Servant was being called, possibly for a war of beings like him. From what he had warned her, there was a high chance that if this was the truth, that she could die. Louise was a Vallière, a noble, daughter of the famed Karin of the Heavy Wind. She had told herself that she was prepared to die, but in her heart, she knew she was not, and the sad thing was that she could only admit that small bit of humanity because of her Servant.

Had she failed, had she summoned something useless, pointless, or foolish, she would have closed up herself so tight she would never see the darkness inside her. But Kiritsugu, her Servant, he was her salvation. Through him, she knew she was not weak. Through him, she learned she was actually unbelievably strong. Too strong for her own good, but strong none the less. That boost of confidence, that undeniable truth about herself was the crutch she hung on to. Before, she had nothing but hope and her pride. Intangible things that were constantly being eroded by the derisions and mockery her peers. Now, now that Louise had something tangible that she could grasp. She could allow herself to loosen her hold on her pride and admit that she was afraid.

"All dressed?" Her Servant asked, having not left the room, but turned around for her modesty. Smoothing out her clothes, she replied to him, "I am." He turned back to her and looked her over. For a moment, he seemed to sigh.

"What?" She asked, confused and a bit angered.

"Nothing, honestly that outfit is probably better to wear. You could blend in easier with that dark cloak. The problem is that unique hair color." He warned her. "People remember unique traits like that." He stared at her hair for a moment then asked cautiously, "Any chance I can convince you to dye it?"

"No!" Louise cried out touching her hair, a great source of pride her. She had carefully brushed it every day, used rather expensive hair products to maintain it, and did her very best to make it as long as Cattleya's.

"Though so," He sighed once more. "That'll be an issue if we need to run for it. Ah well, _C'est la vie__ (Such is life)."_ _He paused for a moment before reaching for his hip. _"I have something for you" He added as he pulled out three pouches of different colors from his side and handed them to her. Reaching forth, Louise looked at them in surprise. Opening a purse, she saw that they were filled with small scraps of paper on which were written runes in, now dried, blood. Opening another pouch, she saw that it was filled with the same thing but with different runes. "What are these?" Louise asked.

"Gimmics and distractions for the most part." Kiritsugu reported. "The black pouch contains pieces of paper that will emit flashes of light for a short time. Make sure your eyes are closed when you throw and activate the runes. The Brown pouch is filled with pieces of paper that will literally go up in smoke. Make sure you don't breath in the smoke afterwards. Both of these are gimmicks, little tricks to buy you time and possibly allow you to run. The red pouch however contains your trump card."

He smiled as he held the red pouch. "These are explosive runes. Unlike the other two, these are meant to be lethal. Be sure that you are clear of these runes before you active them." Louise was stunned, these simple pieces of paper were a true weapon for her to use. Well, one of the three was. The other two were meant for uses. "My recommendation is this Louise, if I tell you to run, throw paper from the black and brown pouches to cover your escape and don't look back. Use the red in tandem with one or both of the other pouches to catch the enemy off guard if they follow you, but otherwise run. Oh, and above all, don't mix up using the red when you meant one of the other two."

"You...you made...thank you." Louise stuttered as the full revelation of what he had given her sank in. With these, she was as deadly as any other mage. Already, she could see how useful these were. It may look strange, but Louise was more than willing to use anything at hand to stand an even chance against an enemy. Then a sudden fear hit her, "Wait, what if I mess up?"

"Remember, Runes can only channel so much, but as a safety feature I used my own blood to help control the blast." Kiritsugu reminded her. "But if you are worried, try a test run." He pointed to the window. "Oh yes, before I forget, make sure you know which way the wind blows when you throw the runes." Nodding at the reminder, Louise stuck her hand out and found that there was no perceivable breeze. Checking to make sure that she was grasping the black pouch, she reached in, took a pinch of paper, and threw it out and uttered a single word of power.

Even with her eyes closed, she swore she still saw a bright light behind her eyelids. However, the true answer to how strong the light was came from a manly scream of "MY EYES!" coming from outside. Well," Kiritsugu muttered, a bit reminiscent at the scream. "Not bad, not bad at all. I can't believe I made a magical flash grenade out of paper and a rune this time around. Need to work on the distance, but still..."

"Grenade?" Louise asked, "But I didn't throw a fruit." Kiritsugu was lost for a minute, then remembered that grenade was French for pomegranate. Bloody cultural differences.

"Never mind, I'll explain later." He replied. "Try out the other two." Making sure that she had the brown pouch, she grabbed a pinch of the smoke runes, threw them out, and uttered the word of power once more...only to have a few wisps of smoke appear.

The two of them could only stare at the pitiful excuse of a smokescreen. "...ah, that was a failure." Kiritsugu apologized. He reached over and took the brown pouch away. "Hmm, it probably requires a larger fuel source. Well, I'll have to work on it later. At least the flash scraps work." He looked a bit sheepish as he gazed at the brown pouch before putting it aside. "Ah well, try the last one."

As the red pouch held the explosive runes, Louise grabbed a single rune and held it nervously. He was understanding, but not lenient, so Kiritsugu had to speak up. "Master, grab a bit more than that. We need to have a correct estimate of the strength of the runes." Reluctantly, the girl grabbed a pinch of runes and quickly tossed them out of the window. Making sure that none of them flew back into her room, Louise unleashed her magic upon the runes.

_Boom_

Blinking in surprise, Louise found she had not, in fact, blown herself sky high. Yes, there was an explosion, but nothing beyond her norm. Actually, that seemed a little, dare she think of it…weak?

On the other hand, Kiritsugu was pleased, "That'll work. A bit stronger than I'd like, but good enough."

"Um, Servant." Louise spoke up a bit nervous. "I don't know for absolute certain, but I would say that that might have been a bit tame…"

"Good," He emphasized. "It means you have less chances of killing yourself in the process." he quirked an eyebrow at her. "What? You'd prefer some grand explosion that could be seen a days travel away?" He chuckled lightly, "The blast radius would definitely kill your enemy, but it'd take you with him."

"R-right, that seems like a good sized explosion Servant." Louise backtracked her earlier comment. "Good job."

"I am but your humble Servant, I live to serve." He replied dramatically, including a bow for the show. Louise shook her head.

"Humble? You?" She asked. "You fraud, you don't have a single humble bone in your body."

"Gasp, you wound me Master," He cried out placing a hand over his heart and the other on his head feigning weakness. "How could you treat your loyal Servant so?" Louise snorted at this.

"Can't you be serious?" She asked him.

"Sure, as soon as the war starts." He replied brutally crushing the good atmosphere he had been building up. He nodded. "Right, let's do this." Leading her out of her room, she followed him to the edge of the school grounds. Louise had argued that it might be better for them to use a horse. That had lasted until he scooped her up, leaped over the twenty five foot walls and began running at a speed that no horse could hope to match for long.

And he showed no sign of slowing down.

xxxxxxxxxx

Louise gasped as she beheld the sight before her. It was the capital of Tristain. But wait…that couldn't be right. It took hours to get here by horse! Yet, here they were in a fraction of the time. Then the full realization hit her like a hammer. "Wait, it's here?" She asked him, a touch of fear in her voice.

"I guess. It's fairly close by." Kiritsugu informed her, "So where are we, it looks like you know this place."

"This is Tristainia, the capital of the country." Louise told him.

"...then you should know this Louise," Kiritsugu told her seriously. "If this is a war between Servants, there is a good chance this city will burn to the ground."

"Why? Why would that happen? Why would anyone want that to happen?" Louise asked, aghast at the thought.

Kiritsugu could only shrug, "It is a core nature of Servants. Each of us were heroes in life, bound forever to remain as we are remembered. I, for example, am known for toppling countries, religions, and governments" Louise paled a bit as she realized she had summoned a revolutionary, a rebel. "Though, I would like to point out the ones I toppled were tyrannies." He mollified her. "Trust me, they all needed to fall for their atrocities." He made no mention that his definition of tyrannies was vastly different than most other people. "Anyways, that is what I am, countless other Servants would see me as a coward, a monster, a dissident and try to kill me. In turn, I despise those who bear the blood of gods and were tyrants in life."He paused for a moment. "Well, most of those who claimed to have the blood of gods at least…" It would be hypocritical to despise certain members of his beloved family after all.

He shrugged before continuing, "It is our nature, and as we are heroes, we will not stand to have that which we despise live long. And Servants, we tend to be a destructive bunch."

"Please," Louise begged, "Please don't destroy the city."

"I will do all I can to keep the damage of any fights we get involved in to a minimum." He told her. "But I make no promises. Trust me, depending on what we might face, there may not be an opportunity." He visibly shuddered as he thought of dozens of legendary heroes that would easily crush him. Worse yet were the ones Kiritsugu was sure he could never raise a blade against. Still, the Black Knight tried to look on the bright side of things. Perhaps he would get to face some his old enemies again, then kill them again. That would always brighten his day.

The two then began making their way down the main street heading in the direction that kept calling Kiritsugu. The Black Knight was constantly checking the area for ambushes, traps, or even a mere hint of another Servant. "I really hate narrow streets." Kiritsugu muttered as he watched the rooftops.

Surprised, Louise had to ask him, "What do you mean narrow? Bourdonné Street is the widest avenue in the kingdom." How much wider did he want?

"Louise, you've seen some of my memories right?" He asked her.

Shuddering, she nodded. Some of them she really wished she hadn't.

"Do you have any memories of horseless drawn carriages?"

She thought back to the dream she had and a memory suddenly stuck in her mind. It was Kiritsugu, and several of his siblings chasing after a brightly colored carriage that had a rather cheerful tune playing at all times. She might have found it cute were it not for the fact that she had no idea what this 'ice cream' was, and she was fairly certain one did not chase after it with weapons while screaming like a war-host.

"Yes." She replied.

"Can you imagine two to four of those carriages going down this avenue at the same time while leaving plenty of room for people to walk on the side?" He asked. Looking down the road, she shook her head. "Yeah, the road size I described is much more standard where I come from."

"Seems unnecessarily large." Louise replied doubtfully.

"To each out own, but bloody heck, this place is an Assassin's dream zone. Turn here," He suddenly directed her from the main road onto a smaller, but still densely used area. They made about three steps before Kiritsugu shot an arm out at an unbelievable speed and halted a would-be pickpocket from stealing the red pouch hanging on Louise's side. Louise had thought it smart to keep the pouches on opposite sides of her body to prevent using one instead of the other. Great idea, but it made Louise look like she had two purses filled with something that might be worth stealing.

"You're out of luck today boy. Best lay low for today." He warned the child before letting the urchin go. The boy took off light a bolt of lightning.

Surprised, Louise had to ask him, "Why did you let him go?"

Sighing deeply, her Servant could only say, "When you're poor, when you're starving, when you have no family, you do whatever you can to survive." Shaking his head he could only say, "That boy won't live five more years Master, let him do what he can."

"STOP THIEF!" A voice yelled out nearby.

Sighing once again, Kiritsugu could only speak with remorse as he spoke, "I told him he was out of luck. Now he pays the price." Keeping his head forward, Kiritsugu led Louise away as a short chase took place that would almost certainly end badly. Straining her ears, Louise began hearing a child cry out in pain. Shuddering, she kept going, walking away even as the cries grew quieter.

"It's here." Kiritsugu suddenly spoke up. Louise came back to reality to see a show with a sword-shaped sign dangled next to a shop. Blinking, Louise couldn't believe it, this was an arms dealer shop.

"Here?" She asked confused.

"Hey, the last war of Servants I know of used a church to start everything off. At this point, I'm willing to believe anyplace is as good to start a war as another." Shrugging, he entered the shop with Louise right behind him.

Though it was well into the morning at this point, Kiritsugu noticed that the shop was a bit dark inside. While it could just be his imagination, the son of Emiya Shirou was not looking forward to this place. This shop lacked the sheer presence of the Fuyuki church, but the ambient darkness did nothing good for his nerves. Looking around in the low lit room, he gazed upon walls and shelves that were filled with unorganized weapons and armor. Whoever ran this shop had never heard of Feng Shui or considered that a well-organized shop tends to attract more customers. But then again...if this place was where an overseer resided, perhaps this was done on purpose. Keep the regular folk out and only work with the required people. It wouldn't be the first time he had seen that.

For a moment, the two of them stood there, taking it all in. Then, the shopkeeper appeared.

He was a man in his fifties, wearing a brown colored outfit, a pudgy face, and a huge nose with a pipe in hand. He looked like a cross between a fat merchant and a rat rather than any arms dealer Kiritsugu had ever worked with. Upon spying Kiritsugu, the man froze where he was, then gazed upon Louise and focused on the middle of her chest. No, not her near non-existent breasts, but the golden pentagram button that was on her tie. The shopkeeper removed his pipe and spoke in a greasy voice, "Noble sir and madam. We're an honest business here, all my wares are real and reasonably priced. We've had no trouble with the authorities…" the man spoke what he thought was a good sales pitch. Kiritsugu stared at him a moment then released a little of his spiritual presence. Every magic user within five hundred feet, which wasn't that many at this time of day, suddenly felt the surge of power for a moment before it was gone again.

Yet in the shop, nothing happened. Kiritsugu couldn't tell if the man was daft...or extremely crafty... Deciding to play along, Kiritsugu asked. "Tell me, what should I be interested in?" With any luck, the man would get the hint and actually get to the point rather than play word games like some people Kiritsugu recalled with vast annoyance.

"I think I have just the thing for you" The shopkeeper declared and began all but dancing as he walked to the back of his shop. Kiritsugu strained his ears and heard the words 'great', 'raise', 'price', and 'high' come out of that man's mouth. Which once again, could be taken several ways. It could be that this was just a frontman, to be kept for public appearance. Or, it could be that he was referring to something far more sinister. Mentally, he sighed. Times like these, paranoia might keep a man alive, but it always meant jumping at shadows.

Shortly afterwards, Kiritsugu was given a blatant answer to his pondering when the shopkeeper returned with a longsword of about a meter and a third in length. It was a very exquisitely decorated sword, ad nauseam levels of decoration in fact. Gold on the edges and handle, gems in the grip, a guard that looked way too heavy to balance the sword and intricate designs up and down the whole thing and a pitiful excuse for a guard.

Bloody useless in other words. "Sir, are you the only one in this shop?" Kiritsugu asked annoyed.

"Eh? Pardon me good sir, but this is the best sword in my shop. It's made by the famous Germanian alchemist Lord Shupei. It can cut through metal like butter because of the magic infused in it! See this inscription here?" The shopkeeper proudly pointed at the words on the handle. "You can't get this cheaper anywhere else."

"It's crap, it's not magical, and you're wasting my time." Kiritsugu told him bluntly. "Once more, are you the only one in this shop? Is there no one else I can talk to?"

Looking offended, the fat merchant, Kiritsugu couldn't even consider him an arms dealer anymore for pulling this stunt, drew himself up as high as he could. "Now see here, I am an honest business man, and I will not be-"

Kiri silenced him by wrapping his metal left hand around his neck. "Are you the only one I can talk to? Yes or no?" he relaxed on the neck enough for the man to speak.

"Yes! Yes!" The man cried.

"Is there any notes left by the previous owners of this place regarding Servants or Epic Spirits? Yes or No?"

"No!" The merchant hissed in pain. Sighing in disgust, Kiritsugu let the man drop and prepared to begin plan B, rip everything up and search for the source, when an unfamiliar deep male voice broke in

"Epic Spirit you say, and I thought they had all been forgotten."

Kiritsugu was suddenly by Louise's side with sword and shield drawn. "Who goes there?" He asked, looking in the direction of the source of the voice. Yet, all he could see was a pile of old and rusting swords. As he looked in that direction, he watched a sword pop a bit out of a barrel and the quillion on the blade suddenly move up and down like a human jaw as that same deep male voice came out.

"Heheheh, jumpy fellow aren't you? I'm the legendary blade Derflinger." The blade seemed to gaze at Kiritsugu for a minute, like it was judging him, which should have been ridiculous as the blade had no indication that it had eyes, but that didn't stop Kiritsugu from feeling that. "Hmm, the Gandalfr, so you're the one huh...all right partner. I've waited a long time for you to show up. Hurry up and buy me already."

"Wait," Louise spoke up for the first time. "You mean to tell me, this sword called to you Servant?"

"You sound surprised," Kiritsugu pointed out as he picked up the talking blade. "Personally, this isn't even in the top fifty strangest things to ever happen to me." He tried to structurally analyze the blade, but found that his magic was instantly sucked up by the sword.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" The Derflinger demanded.

"Apologies, I was just trying to figure out what it was I was dealing with. Apparently, you're proofed against that." Kiritsugu apologized.

"Well don't do that again! It felt like you were staring at me or something." The sword warned him.

"You're a sword, why do you care?" Louise cried out. However, before the comedy got any further, Kiritsugu suddenly threw Derflinger with perfect accuracy and blocked the merchant from sneaking out.

"Ow," The sword called out, "Next time give me a warning before you do that."

"Good Sir," The merchant spoke nervously, "I'm an honest merchant and-" He stopped talking when three pieces of gold flew from Kiri's hands into the man's face knocking him unconscious.

"Three gold coins," The sword muttered, "Three gold coins! You think I'm worth only three-"

"The gold is a formality only." Kiritsugu informed the blade. "Now, I'm not my father, I couldn't tell the worth of a sword to save my life. But the fact that you talk and can absorb my magic tells me that I don't have enough gold to ever buy your true worth."

The sword 'hmpfed' at the excuse but kept silent.

"Why?" Louise asked. "It's just a talking sword."

Turning towards the door, Kiritsugu replied, "It's a sentient blade. Those are as rare as they come. To achieve sentience is amongst the greatest pinnacles a blade can ever become...or at least that's what my father told me. I'll explain more, but not here."

Kiritsugu motioned for Louise to follow him and the two of them exited the shop. Surprised by the whole thing, Louise had to ask, "So what just happened in there?"

"We found our guide," Kiritsugu informed her, "He's not what we were expecting, but he is who is is." Looking over at the sword, Kiri queried, "All right Derflinger, what do you know about Epic Spirits, more importantly, why am I here?"

"Dunno," Derf replied. "Why are you asking me?"

Irritated, Kiritsugu retorted, "Because you called me, because you know about epic spirits, because you claim to have been waiting for me."

"Well, you have a point there partner, unfortunately, I don't remember." The sword sounded a bit embarrassed by that.

"Forgot?" Kiri deadpanned.

"Hey, I'm six thousand years old! What do you want?" Derf retorted hotly. Kiritsugu stopped and stared at the blade long and hard, his expression hidden behind his mask.

"Six millenia?" Louise asked, semi surprised by the apparent age of the blade.

"I knew you had to be at least a Century old, but- but hmm. Dad probably would have given me anything to have you." Kiritsugu finally spoke. "Six thousand years. At this point, you've gone beyond sentience. You're a full blown personality."

"Of course," Derf replied

"Six thousand years," Kiri continued. "A phantasmal weapon. I might be holding a bloody phantasmal weapon in my hands." There was a slight bit of awe in his voice as he began to fully understand what was in his possession. Of course, he could be wrong. He wasn't an expert of blades like his father. Nah, machines were Kiritsugu's specialty. After all, he had a Master's Degree on Aerospace engineering and had helped design the Hippalectryon (with a dozen other designers).

Then a thought suddenly occurred, a semi-stupid, semi-crazy, but considering his luck, possible idea. "Wait, six thousand years, full personality, will definitely not see the world the same way as a human...tell me Derflinger, do you know what a Reality Marble is?"

"Huh?" Louise and Derf both uttered.

"Right, I'll explain it later. It is possible, though probably just a long shot, but you might just have one of the most powerful and dangerous abilities ever recorded."

Louise found herself gasping at the thought while the sword hummed in interest.

Still, Louise had built up into her mind that they would go to war, to fight, to just...leave seemed...wrong? "So, are we going to fight?"

"Perhaps," Kiritsugu replied. "Just not right now it seems. Probably a good thing." Louise opened her mouth, but Kiritsugu cut her off, "It gives us more time to prepare at least. Think of it like this, until our 'guide' here remembers, we cannot go any further. Instead, we can keep focusing on your magic. The more time we have, the better we can forge you." That was enough to mollify her. True, it wasn't a great and mighty battle, but at least they had more time...and they weren't going to threaten Henrietta with any destruction at the moment.

The way back to the academy went a bit slower than leaving it, but not by much. Kiritsugu wasn't a fan of wasting time pointlessly unless it was for much more interesting matters. Through the trip, he had explained the dynamics of what a Reality Marble was, much to the disbelief of his audience. In fact, Louise loudly declared that it was outright impossible, until Kiritsugu calmly told her that his father possessed one and he had killed another creature that had just figured out how to create its own Reality Marble at the cost of his arm.

Derflinger thought it might be amusing to show the world what he thought of everyone, but pointed out a single massive flaw in Kiritsugu's reasoning. Though Derf was magical, he couldn't use that power himself. At least that's what he thought. Derf conceded that it could be he might be able to use his power, but if so, he had forgotten how a long time ago. Actually Derflinger claimed that he had lots of powers but had been abandoned for so long he could no longer recall them.

"You know, you're rather forgetful." Louise pointed out as Kiritsugu carried them.

"Live six thousand years and tell me how good your memory is," Derf countered.

"Sure thing." Kiritsugu broke in smiling. "It'll take a while though." The sword cackled at that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rather than hop back over the wall into the academy, he merely went through the main entrance where he let Louise down and allowed her to walk. He figured that there wasn't any point of straining himself when battle wasn't imminent anymore. Besides, he had a lot to think on now, questions to ask in private. Though the blade claimed it had forgotten a great deal over time, Kiritsugu was suspicious for obvious reasons. Still, even with the forgotten memories, there had to be something Kiritsugu could pluck from the sword. If all else, what a 'Gandalfr' was. Was that a Servant class? To Kiri, it reminded him of two things. The first thing that came to him was a character in Norse mythology whose name was composed of the Norse words _gandr_ (wand) and _álfr_ (elf). Not much was known of him in Kiritsugu's time except a poem or two that mentioned the character. The other thing it reminded him of is a certain fictional character from an old book series Kiri had read a time or two involving a wizard and some halflings, but it would just be silly for that to be relevant.

"Louise!" A familiar voice called out. "How could you!" The two of them turned to see a put out Kirche come running towards them. "How could you take my Darling away?" The busty red head yelled out once more.

"Take him/me away?" Louise and Kiritsugu asked at the same time. "What are you talking about?"

"And now you're speaking in sync!" Kirche cried. "Louise, how could you? Why wouldn't you let me come? I wanted to show Darling my family treasure."

"Louise wanted to buy a sword," Kiritsugu lied through his teeth, stepping lightly on her foot to silence her outcry. "She wanted to get rid of the chicken limbs. I agreed with her, you never know when good muscle strength could come in handy."

Kirche grew a small paternal smile, "Oh Louise, what am I going to do with you?"

"I don't need you help Zerbst." Louise gritted through her teeth as she tried to subtly pull her foot out from under her so called 'Servant'. Clearly he was too uppity right now, perhaps some discipline was- wait, he was a prince. Mentally she sighed in agony that he wasn't a bloody commoner. Really, her using a sword, a commoner's weapon?

"Oh, but such a cheap blade Louise," Kirche remarked "Surely you could do better than that ." Louise puffed her cheeks in annoyance, preparing to yell when the red head nodded, "Then, I might as well get you something better." She strutted off at that, leaving the two there silently. "Don't worry darling, I'll get you something as well, something that will definitely make you fall for me."

"No, please don't trouble yourself," Kiritsugu deadpanned even as the fire user strutted off.

"Excuse me," a familiar male voice broke in. Both Master and Servant turned to see Guiche de Gramont standing/posturing behind them. "I wish to speak with you sir knight," Guiche proclaimed, gesturing with his rose grandly. Both Master and Servant quirked their eyes at this.

"Yes?" Kiritsugu asked curiously. Honestly, he was surprised that the boy wasn't running for the hills right now. Inwardly, he doubted it would be something like a duel. It had barely been a week since Kiri had crushed his pride (and his golems) in that one sided scrap. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't the boy getting on his knees and begging.

"Please, Sir knight. I beseech of you. Teach me how to use a sword as well!"

Were he not wearing a helmet, Kiri was sure his mouth would have hit the ground. A few nearby students and staff were also staring at this strange sight. "...What?" Kiritsugu asked, not sure if he had misheard the boy.

"I have not forgotten the day when you defeated me," Guiche continued dramatically, warming up to his explanation ignoring that it had only been a week. "The strength you displayed was truly equal to that of even the Dragon, Griffin, or Manticore knights. No, perhaps even greater! " the boy proclaimed. "And now, surely with your guidance, one such as you can guide Louise the Zero, whom even the teachers had abandoned hope for, to show some measure of progress!"

"Guiche…" Louise growled, dragging the word out as she griped her wand dangerously in his clenched fist.

Guiche, displaying a complete lack of tact/survival instincts continued. Waving his wand melodramatically, he continued. "Ah, if even someone as pathetic as The Zero could flourish under your tutelage, then surely one of such distinguished lineage as I…"

Kiritsugu flung his arms around his Master before the girl killed the boy and became a murderer. Despite being such a tiny girl, she could fight like wet fish out of water in his arms. "By all that is holy and unholy boy, stop digging you grave!" Kiritsugu yelled even as his hand forcibly lowered Louise's, only for her to dig into her black pouch and grab a few flash runes. Using his other hand, Kiritsugu prevented her from flinging them in everyone's faces.

Several minutes of struggling later, Louise finally calmed down and suppressed most of her homicidal urges.

"So basically, because I beat you so easily that you wanted to learn from me and get stronger and make your family proud, right?" Kiritsugu summed up the situation. He looked up and shook his head, "Haven't had this happen in a long time. Well...beside Artemis anyways...and Lucian...and Karla...okay fine, it's happened a lot 'recently'"

"Then you will?" Guiche asked hopefully.

"Hold still," Kiritsugu told him. He then groped the boy's arms, legs, and felt around his waist and chest. "...you are completely unfit." Kiri told him bluntly causing Guiche to flinch. "Currently, if I tried to teach you anything no matter the method, all I would end up doing is causing you to injure yourself."

"But surely one such as you-" Guiche began

"However," Kiritsugu cut him off, "There is a way to quickly fix that problem."

"What might that be?" The boy asked eagerly.

Two minutes later

"S-Sir knight," Guiche groaned, "Might it be possible to lessen the load?"

"You're wearing bronze." Kiritsugu told him bluntly as he stared at the boy now wearing a suit of armor made by Guiche's magic. "It's amongst the lightest of armors. If you want me to train you, you need to wear this for a week or two to quickly build up your muscles."

"U-understood." The boy heaved as he started to slouch under the weight before Kiritsugu forced him to stand erect.

"You need to maintain your posture, if you lean, if you slouch, you will injure yourself, if not kill yourself from the weight." Kiri reprimanded. "Now, wear that as much as possible, even sleeping in it. It's going to be uncomfortable, it is going to tire you out, but if you can do that for a week or two, I can begin training you."

"I-I understand." The boy tried to bow but ended up nearly falling, saved only by Kiritsugu's intervention.

"Again, stay erect. Do not lean or sit in any way unless you have a table to help push yourself back up again, and by all that is holy, do not bow. It will hurt." Kiri warned him. The blond boy nodded at this and was about to walk off when Kiritsugu decided to be a bit merciful for the boy.

"Hold up, one last thing." Kiritsugu called to him. He summoned into a pocket a bottle of Ibuprofen. Holding up the bottle, Kiritsugu gave him firm instructions, "Take two of the pills inside every morning when you get up, when you eat lunch, and when you go to bed."

"What is it?" The boy asked.

"Something to ease the pain that will come." Kiri told him. "Trust me, you will need these."

So while Guiche went off to try staying upright and quickly get in shape, Kiritsugu, Louise, and of course Derflinger went to their room. Louise was immediately assigned to work on runes, specifically copying the runes from her black and red pouches. Kiritsugu on the other hand grilled Derf of everything he could.

"You really don't remember?" Kiritsugu asked the blade.

"No" Derf replied firmly

"Fine, then what about Gandalfr?" That was an important thing. Gandalfr, what was that?

"It's what you are."

"Which is?" Kiri asked for clarification.

"The Left hand of God, the Shield of God." Derflinger replied firmly before trailing off. "Um...that's all I can remember. It's been about a thousand years since the last time I've been held by one."

Curiously, Kiritsugu asked "A thousand years, any memory of the guy?'

"Rodrigo, said his name was Rodrigo. Nice guy, knew a lot of great jokes. Liked to use his two other swords though. Peh, what did they have on me? I'm the Great Derflinger."

"Rodrigo...that sounds familiar," Kiritsugu muttered, "Damned if I can remember though."

"See, I'm not the only one with memory problems though." Derf countered.

"Maybe, but at least I haven't forgotten my purpose."

"That's low partner," Derflinger cried out.

"Perhaps, but that's how it goes." Kiritsugu replied. "So, what do you remember then?"

"I have a large collection of dirty jokes." the sword declared proudly.

"...We'll swap jokes later.." Kiritsugu replied. "Anything else?"

"Hmm, I might remember, but I'm a bit rusty," The blade replied smugly

"...Fine," Kiritusug sighed getting the double entendre, "I'll get the stuff." He summoned some industrial strength rust remover usually used on his jet, steel wool, and his sword sharpener kit and went to work on the blade. Hopefully a little cleanup would clear up some of the memory of the blade.

"Gandalfr," Derf suddenly broke in as Kiritsugu began rubbing down the blade with the rust remover. "The Left hand of God, the Shield of God. They are the masters of any weapon in their hands. Their strength is unmatched, their speed unfathomable, their skills limitless. It is said they become masters of any weapons they grip in their hands. No army can stand against a Gandalfr."

"Hmm, sounds like a Servant with the Knight of Honor Noble Phantasm." muttered Kiritsugu as he removed some of the rust near the top of the blade. "I'll need to check that."

" Knight of what?" Louise asked from her work area.

"Knight of Honor," Kiritsugu explained, "A rare, incredibly rare Noble Phantasm that lets a Servant wield weapons, tools, and sometimes ordinary objects as though they were Noble Phantasms as well. I only know one Servant myself who possessed that naturally."

"Noble Phantasm?" The girl echoed confused.

"Crystallized mysteries, that belong to individual Servants. You know those legendary weapons belonging to legendary figures?" Kiritsugu asked. Louise nodded at that.

"Like Ivaldi's legendary sword of light?" Louise offered helpfully.

"I don't know that legend," Kiritsugu told her, "But probably. Anyways, Noble Phantasms are basically the things that Heroes are famed for. For example, a hero who was famed for his peerless strength would end up possessing a Noble Phantasm that gave him unmatched strength. A hero with a spear that always pierced the heart will possess a Noble Phantasm spear that will always find a way to puncture the heart, even if it had to break the rules of the world to do so. Noble Phantasms are the embodiments and symbols of Servants, they are the ultimate weapons for Servants. Each Servant possesses different Noble Phantasms as each of them has a different legend."

"So, since you are a Servant you have your own Noble Phantasms?" Louise asked.

"I showed you one before," Kiritsugu told her, and his form shifted to that of Louise for a moment before going back to his original form. "**Unknown Identity. **It is a mere C ranked Personal Enhancement Noble Phantasm. In addition, I possess a B rank Noble Phantasm that is suited to destroying armies and an A rank Noble Phantasm that is suited more towards destroying fortresses, but can be used to destroy armies as well."

At that, Derflinger whistled, "Three Noble Phantasms, not bad Partner. To think you have the maximum number. You must have been something in life."

"Eh, it wasn't that hard to become famous in my time. And Three is not the limit of Noble Phantasms." Kiritsugu corrected. "It requires a technicality, one that I have exploited actually."

"Technicality?" Both Louise and Derf asked,

"Yeah, you can have countless Noble Phantasms, but only three of them will be considered the symbol of the Servant. In actuality, I possess an A plus ranked Barrier type Noble Phantasm, but since I never used it, that Noble Phantasm will never be associated with me. Ever."

"A plus? Wow, I picked an interesting partner," Derf laughed.

"Is A plus that good?" Louise asked.

"It is very rare to hear of even an A plus ranked Noble Phantasm. Actually, most Servants only have one, maybe two A ranked Noble Phantasms. The only things better than A ranked are the unbelievably rare A plus plus, A triple plus, EX, and theorized but never heard of EX plus." Kiritsugu told her, "Actually, I can only think of one person that might, _might_ have EX plus, but frankly, I have no intention of testing Check Norris."

"Chuck Norris?" the other two asked.

"Don't ask. The man has far too many legends about him,which in turn is the reason why I suspect he posesses a Noble Phantasm of that ranking. Just pray we will never face him, or else we will all die horribly." With that, he went back to work on Derflinger. "Anything else on the Gandalfr?"

"Mmm, not at the moment," Derf replied. "Give me some more time."

"Understood, and Louise," Kiritsugu called out, "We'll work on your control again in a few hours, until then, keep making more of those flash and explosive runes."

xxxxxxxxxxx

_I've looked everywhere, I've asked him a million times, but no one will tell me anything about this 'Chuck Norris'. Whoever he is, Kiritsugu is terrified of him on the scale of ORT. Really wish I knew why though. _

_Getting back on track, Derflinger wasn't all that helpful at the time. Heck, he never even mentioned that he remembered the 'original' Gandalfr or his time with Brimir. Then again, considering what happened back then, it could be that Derflinger was repressing the memory. After all, he was rather fond of that woman. Still, he gave us the basic idea of what a Gandalfr was. More importantly, Kiritsugu was able to quantify that he was given a pseudo-Noble Phantasm similar to Knight of Honor but nowhere near the level of the one Servant Kiritsugu knew to possess that Phantasm. _

_To quote him, the Gandalfr gave him the ability to wield anything that was meant to be a weapon with B to A rank levels depending on what his specialty was. For example, he could only wield spears with B rank mastery levels, but his swordsmanship was A rank no matter what type of sword he wielded. _

_Oh yeah, and we later found out that he had A rank Riding ability with any war machines. Funny what happens with a little treasure hunting and a hobby/daily ritual of working on a flying machine…_

_Xxxxxxxxxx_

Kiritsugu calmly locked the door and activated the protective runes ensuring that none would harm his Master while she slept. All in all, today had been productive...to a point. They had gathered a few scraps of knowledge, a guide, and Louise had progressed further with her magic. IN addition, for some reason, Kirche had arrived to deliver that god awful ceremonial sword from the weapons dealer for Louise and a suit of armor for him. For her efforts, Kiri had given her a chaste kiss on the forehead, which had resulted in a screech from his master and a light blush from the busty Germanian.

That girl had clearly spent a fortune for these items, so he would not let them go to waste. The sword was useless for the most part. However, those gems were high quality, and with what little knowledge he possessed with jewel based magic, he could turn them into something far more dangerous. The armor, on the other hand, was perfect for his needs.

Quietly, he took his gathered materials and walked out into the courtyard. For his work right now, he needed space. He needed to be able to work where he could arrange the armor as needed. Yet, at the same time, he needed privacy, not just to hide his abilities, but also to hone his mind in the quiet. Thus, he went to work behind a bush at the far end of the darkest corner of the courtyard.

Making a golem guard was difficult after all. He had only done it twice before, and one of those two times had been an emergency operation that had barely worked. Still, he looked through his inventory and found he had six gems that would work for the occasion. As it was, he only needed one to work, so he had a large margin of error is he messed up.

Well, large margin if the gem didn't blow up and kill him of course. Details Details.

Before he did anything else, he drew a magic circle in the ground. This circle in particular was a 'basic' circle that kept all magical pollution/excess from escaping, thus keeping his activities hidden from the school. He then cut himself fairly deeply and poured his blood onto the ground. Holding out a hand, the air shimmered as he retrieved a tome and a large glass flask full of dark fluid from the storage compartments in his jet. Looking at the book to confirm that it was the one he wanted, he began flipping to the appropriate place while adding in the dark liquid to the circle. Taking an emerald and the helm of the armor, he went to work chanting quietly while he placed the emerald on the helmet

It took him an hour of chanting, making sure that he pronounced every syllable perfectly without a single mistake, but by the time he was done, the emerald was perfectly fused with the helm. Returning the book back to his jet, he began carving hundreds of runes around the jewel. Instructions, directions, exceptions to the rules, each of the lines on the golem were essential. It took time, more than half the night for this single golem to be completed, but when it was done, Kiritsugu was proud of his accomplishment. Any golem specialist would be ashamed to even gaze upon this pathetic copy, but for Kiritsugu, it was a damn good job. Carefully he placed the helm upon the assembled armor and spoke a single word of power to activate the automaton.

Silently, the metalman rose and stood at attention. Smiling to himself, the air shimmered around Kiritsugu's hands before a pistol, a semi-automatic rifle, and a combat shotgun appeared in them. Kiritsugu offered his weapons to his creation whom then took them without hesitation. The pistol and its belt were wrapped around the waist, the shotgun was hung behind the golem, and it easily carried the rifle in its hands.

Calmly, Kiritsugu lead the golem back to Louise's room and directed it to stand by the door, its true purpose beginning at that moment. Truly, Kirche had no idea how useful that armor would become.

xxxxxxx

_Ah yes, Minion number one. I almost forgot about that thing. Not the most useful of the golems. Actually, besides guarding the door to my room, it was flat out useless. Still, it was a great shock when I woke up to see a second set of armor in my room, the first being Kiritsugu of course. Minion One was another one of his precautions that never really panned out. At the time, the armor was meant to be a guard dog, protecting me from anything entering the room._

_Do you know the number of attacks I have ever suffered in my room? Besides Eleonore I mean. Zero. That's right, I have never been attacked while in my room. Thus, Minion number one was about as useful as an ornamental statue...that was heavily armed and ready to shoot anyone barging in my room. Still, as a prototype, Minion number one served rather well. In time, I would learn how to create my own armor golems. The secret to them is the sequence of the runes in the helmet. As long as the helmet remains intact, the golems can be rebuilt countless times. If the head is destroyed, then all the work that goes into them is wasted. _

Xxxxxxxxx

Back at the capital of Tristainia, there was another person working late at night. Unlike a certain Black Knight, this girl was not working on a specific project, rather, she was busy working on countless issues related to running the country. In front of her was a mountain of papers, even though her table was fairly large, not one inch of the table could be seen save for a small area cleared for the girl to write on. She was so focused on her work, she didn't notice her loyal captain and guard entering the room.

"Your highness," the blond guard broke in, breaking the concentration of the princess. "It's late, you need to rest."

"Not right now Agnes," The little princess replied. "I need to prepare this report for the treasury and an order to Duke Fidelitas to increase the number of patrols in his forest."

"Your highness, they can wait." The loyal captain assured her, "Get some rest, everyone else has gone to bed."

"If you are tired then you may go," The princess waved off, "I need to finish my work."

Sighing to herself, Agnes clicked her tongue, "You cannot afford to look less than your best tomorrow your highness. You know the Germanians will be looking for any flaws. Tired eyes will be signs of weakness to them."

At that, the princess lowered her quill. Sagging her shoulders tiredly, she backed her chair up from the table ignoring proper decorum drilled into her from her tutors. "...You are right." Standing up, the princess walked to her room idly rubbing the ring on her finger and thought on a childish promise she made those years ago, a promise that she wished she could keep.

But the life of Princess Henrietta De Tristain was not a simple one. It was a life born to be dedicated to the future and survival of the country. Such is the fate of a princess of these times.

As she stood at the door to her room, Henrietta paused. "Agnes, what about the issue I asked on earlier?"

Responding, the captain dutifully answered the vague question, "Louise la Vallière successfully summoned a familiar." The princess breathed a sigh of relief for her friend that something had gone right. Then she heard Agnes continue. "However, unlike the others, she summoned something vastly different, a knight in black armor."

"Black Armor?" Henrietta repeated curiously. A knight in black armor was one of two things, a knight without a lord to serve, or a knight on a mission most secret and probably dishonorable.

"Indeed," Agnes replied. "I've called in a few favors, but nothing suspicious was turned up. There are a few oddities however, in particular, the knight has the ability to face and defeat a dot class earth mage with little effort and no apparent signs of magic."

"How interesting," Henrietta mused. She thought for a moment then spoke up once more, "Agnes, is there any excuse I can use to meet with her?"

"Yes your highness," Agnes replied having already foreseen this request. "The Springtime Familiar Evaluation Fair is coming up shortly. It would be simple enough for you to arrive to judge the contestants yourself."

"Would that leave any time for myself?" Henrietta asked.

"It should be simple enough if we arrive a day early. A simple excuse of you wishing to not be tired when the festivities begin would suffice."

"Make it so please," Henrietta asked before turning in for the night. Yes, tomorrow, she would sign away her future for her country, but at least there was something to look forward to in the near future. It would be good to see her old friend once more and catch up on what is going on.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

In the headmaster's office, the being that was known by the majority of the population as Osmond was calmly talking to his mirror.

"So, the Gandalfr has found the blade Derflinger?" Asked the voice from the one on the other end of the mirror.

"Yes, after being lost for a thousand years, the blade has reappeared once more. It is possible that the prophecy might be fulfilled." Osmond, true name Osmodeus, warned.

"I seem to recall you saying the same thing a thousand years ago in your youth old friend." The voice pointed out. "Didn't the Gandalfr put a halt on the prophecy?"

"Hmm, I will admit, I was a bit of a firebrand in my youth. Rodrigo Vivar did us all a great service sacrificing himself but his intervention came almost too late." Osmodeus countered

"And you fear that this time this one will not hold back?"

"Perhaps Alqaum, this one reeks of death." Osmodeus replied, "Even now it is making weapons of war for its summoner."

"...I will see what I can do, but the others wish to remain as they are old friend. You alone are the last to dance in the sun. Most prefer to sleep in the dark."

"Do what you must, I will keep my eye on the Gandalfr. Perhaps I will be wrong once more. But all I see is the continuing cycle once more. Once more I see the signs, and I cannot help but fear for the world"

"Good luck old friend, may Father be with you." The voice finished before the mirror went silent.


	82. Black Zero 28

Black Zero 28

_Evil:_

_Adj-_

_Morally bad or wrong. Causing ruin, injury, or pain_

_Noun-_

_That which causes harm, misfortune, or destruction. Something that is a cause or source of suffering, injury, or destruction._

_In the darkest corner of my mind, there is one thing I must admit, I am Evil. Possibly a necessary evil, possibly not. Either way, I am Evil, and evil must always be destroyed. - Emiya Kiritsugu II_

xxxxxxxxxxx

Since coming to the cursed city, Takami and the rest had seen many strange things that seemed to defy reason. Men that had power equal to or great than that of pure blood Sekirei, abilities unseen and unheard of before, swords raining from the skies, but this...this was new.

Takami had stepped outside to smoke what seemed like her third pack of the night when she saw it appear.

Where the moon once shone high in the sky, a glowing red hole, a massive tear in space itself emerged, blotting out the natural light of the moon. It was at that instant that all electronics in the city, all the lights, all the cars, all the phones and computers, everything turned off and would not restart. If the woman didn't know any better, she would have thought that someone in the city had set off an EMP or a similar device…

Watching in the darkness, Takami witnessed dark...things emerging from the hole. She couldn't make out what they were, but there was an army of them pouring forth. Endlessly flooding out of the tear without any signs of stopping soon…

… Like the first raindrops of an approaching great storm.

For a moment, she tried to understand this...this impossibility, but the more she gazed upon the rip, the more her vision grew fuzzy, the more her head hurt, and the more she tasted iron in her mouth. She didn't even realize that she was leaking blood from her eyes and she had bitten her tongue as she babbled in words she didn't understand. It was only through the mercy and intervention of Yume, by knocking the poor woman unconscious, that Takami didn't lose something irreplaceable.

All through the city, power failed, communications stopped, everything electronic died. No one could communicate to the world what was going on, no warnings, no signs, nothing. What should have been an immediate call out for help from the military died before it ever existed and two fighter pilots never heard the call from base to fly over Fuyuki.

Staring at this bizarre and unnerving event, Yume was sure she could never be surprised again. Nothing, nothing could top whatever was going on right now. Tears in space, what looked like tentacle monsters leaping out of the hole into a purple fog covered river bank and ocean. It looked like a scene form a movie. Her mind, unlike a human's, was able, with a bit of effort to understand what she was seeing, and she did not like what she saw. If the number of black...things were to indicate, an army was pouring forth from that hole in the air where the moon should be.

An army that Yume did not look forward to facing…

xxxxxx

No magus could miss or ignore the sheer power radiating from the mouth of the river. An untrained apprentice or a low class Psychic would have felt the sheer demonic power coming from there. The spell-like waves emitted from the Mion River felt somewhat similar to the multiple aria of the ritual magecraft class that required a hundred magi chanting in unison without a single slip up or dissonant note. Magi in Fuyuki, no, Magi within fifty miles of the city could feel it clearly the instant the tear in space appeared. There was even a low class Dead Apostle in the area shuddered and prudently moved away from the power coming from the city.

Kayneth El-Melloi, Sola-Ui, and Diarmuid were at that moment, watching this abomination of nature unfold from the rooftop of the under construction Fuyuki Centre building. They watched as a purple mist emanating power most inhuman spread across the Mion River, causing their field of vision to decrease significantly. With the eyesight of human beings, Kayneth and Sola could only see blurry figures moving in the mist.

"What do you see Lancer?" Kayneth demanded in a tone that hid his apprehension fairly well.

At the command Lancer who was looked through the mist with the superior eyesight of a Servant, reported. "It appears to be a massive army of demons. Also, it seems like there is something has set up at the Estuary. As for the specific numbers, I'm afraid that is beyond my ability to determine from this position."

Thinking for a moment, Kayneth came to one conclusion, "Caster. Only the Arcane Servant could have created this." As usual, Caster worked with a complete absence of subtlety. The rouge Servant worked without a shred of concepts like stealth or secrecy. There was a reason why the Mediator had offered a bounty of a Command Seal for whoever killed Caster, a prize any Master would kill for.

Something Diamund realized himself. "Master, this might be our best chance to kill him if you still wish to gain the prize." He knew his Master desired the restoration of the used Crest, a single Command Seal was worth a miracle in this world, and thus it was prized above all else. If his Master desired it, then his loyal knight would do all he could to support his desire.

"Perhaps," Sola spoke up. "However, Diarmund, you lack anything resembling an anti-army Noble Phantasm. Pray tell, how do you intend to break through that army and find Caster in the midst of that?" For a moment, there was silence, an awkward and stressful silence as Lancer tried to think of an answer to the question. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. "Men." Sola muttered. Glancing at the bridge she noticed something interesting. "Kayneth, on the bridge, it's Saber."

"Hmm, you're right Sola." Kayneth replied as the wheels in his mind spun. "Lancer ally with Saber for now, when you see an opening, take Caster down."

"As you wish Master," Lancer bowed once before leaping off towards the Servant of the Blade.

xxxxxxx

Kiritsugu had prepared well for the Grail war. Throughout the city, he had created and/or outlined various fallback positions and bases. One such base was close enough to the bridge to allow him to set up a sniper's nest without being seen. He had been skeptical about Saber's son, but if there was any chance that Iri could be rescued, Kiritsugu would take it.

However everything changed when the tear in space appeared. Saber had immediately moved from her position on one side of the bridge to the steel support at the top of the bridge for a better view. Through his scope, the Magus Killer watched as a horde of demons moved in the mist. Heat and motions sensors were useless to analyze the enemy, so he had to eyeball what he was seeing through his normal scope, and frankly it was bad no matter how he looked at it. The last time he had seen anything this dire was back at that undead overrun city in Africa a few years ago. Shaking his head, Kiritsugu knew that he could do very little against the horde. This was a battle for Servants, not men.

Standing atop the bridge, Saber muttered to herself. "Just as I thought, it's Caster. But, this is different than before." Last time, Caster had been alone in the middle of the river. Back then, Caster had performed a large-scale magecraft to summon a massive Demonic Beast that had regenerated every wound it had taken right up until she had used Excalibur to destroy it. Looking at the tear in space, she figured she would end up doing the same thing. As she stood on the bridge, she heard a familiar shrieking voice cry out.

"Do you hear me God? Do you see what I have done?" It was Caster, but...there was something wrong with his voice. It sounded watery, gurgly, like he was yelling with fluid in his mouth. "All your work, all your grand designs, they are for naught. Tonight I deny you everything, tonight I will take everything you created, everything you blessed, and everything you toyed with and destroy it all!"

"What is that lunatic ranting about?" Saber muttered as she heard his screams rise through the air.

"I worshiped you, I loved you, I devoted myself to you, and what did you do God? You destroyed your maiden, tormented her and left her to die in flames! Then you dare to bring her before me and rob her of everything save the memory of me! Were that enough, you deny us, you deny our time! No more! Now I deny you! Watch God! Watch as I cast this world in flames!"

Upon these uttered words, the torrent of shapes pouring from the tear in space increased in speed and size. Though none of them were the size of the great beast in a different Fourth Grail War, this did not lessen the oppressive feeling left by the demons. Rather, it seemed to increase the aura as a never ending tide swarmed out of the rip in space.

From the fog, Caster proudly raised his voice in exaltation, shrieking his mad, ringing laughter to a tone reserved to hysteria. Cackling again and again, Caster cried out to the heavens uncaring for their silence and lack of intervention. "Once more I raise my flag, but not of salvation, but of damnation! Gather your forces Gods, The Morning Star and his ilk shall gladly face you and yours and claim Heaven and Earth for themselves! I call upon the seven Satans and their Lords, I call upon the legions of hell to come forth and obey your Master, your leader, your Commander! Hear my resentments and echo my hate through you and yours! Foul and False Lord of Heaven, see my hate and shudder! Nothing, nothing will I not give to destroy you, if I must live in Hell for eternity, so be it!"

"You O proud God! You O cruel God! I will drag you down from your heavenly seat! We will ride on the guffaws of the rebels, to the lamentations and shrieks of God's children, and strike the gates of heaven!"

Shaking her head, Saber could only feel scorn and a slight hint of pity for the madman. His love for Jeanne blinded him to the truth, Jeanne was never here, and never would be no matter what he did.

In the City of Fuyuki, one might call it good fortune that so few people were around. Due to the murders, both by Caster and Berserker, few dared travel at night. Even the police kept their patrols to the main roads, their sense of self-preservation telling them not to go too far or look too deeply lest they too meet a grim fate. Many had left on impromptu and spontaneous vacations without notice, temporarily fleeing the cursed city. But as always, there are those that would never leave for whatever reasons, stubbornness, inability, obligations, or plain stupidity. Those few who foolishly walked out into the night and wandered into the fog-covered river banks were never heard from again. Those who gazed at the tear in space went into convulsions, their minds unable to withstand the magical pollution assaulting their minds and falling into comas lest they go insane.

For all that Caster displayed to the world, mankind at large was no longer able to withstand such displays of power. Truly, man was less than what it used to be.

Upon the Bridge, Saber clenched her fists, "Once again I have underestimated the power of Caster. To summon such a monster before was impressive, but this...Caster cannot hope to control such numbers." Once more, the mad Servant had summoned his familiars without limits. Normally, a summoner can only summon a certain amount of familiars in a fairly rigid 'form'. And yet, once again, Caster removed the limiters on his familiars allowing him to go beyond any imaginable limits.

Still, if there was one silver lining in this fiasco, it was that for a moment the other Servants would combine forces to face this attack. In her mind, however, Saber had to wonder how the outcome would be affected by this new Berserker and the presence of an Avenger.

Reacting to the familiar yet somewhat unnatural booms of thunder, Saber turned around. In a moment, the great flying chariot landed beside Saber atop the bridge. Holding the bridles, the gigantic Servant shot his trademarked massive smile at her. "Yo, King of Knights. What a fine night...is what I wanted to say, but looks like now's not the time for casual greetings."

"King of Conquerors," Saber shook her head fondly, "You're incorrigible as always. So, did you come again to make some jokes or are you willing to pull your weight?"

Ignoring the jab, Rider calmly raised his hands. "Hai, hai. Tonight'll be the only truce. If these fine fellows are left alone I can't do any killings in peace." Looking up, Iskander added, "and it looks like Lancer has agreed to the same thing as well." At that, Lancer landed beside the two Kings.

"I see, well, have you seen signs of the other Servants?" Saber asked.

"Well, Assassin is dead, Berserker is out of the question, as for Archer...merely calling him is pointless. He's the type which would respond to at his own pace. Ah, but I have seen Avenger, though that was earlier in the day. However, besides his oath to purify the Grail, he's keeping Berserker from killing bystanders."

Saber nodded while inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. It was good that he was keeping himself from killing others pointlessly. With a serious expression, she hit her breastplate with her gauntlet hand. "Understood. I have no objection to cooperating King of Conquerors, Knight of the Lovespot. Although it is just a brief alliance, let's swear our loyalty together."

"Huhu, it's good that we have understanding when it comes to battles." Iskander chuckled with his booming voice.

"It will be an honor to fight at your sides," Diarmuid bowed at the waist.

"Anyway," Rider plotted "We have to defeat him swiftly. Right now those monsters are probably still being maintained in this world by prana provided from Caster, but once they acquire independent provisions and starts supporting themselves things would get out of our hands. To stop Caster before that..."

Saber nodded. "His grimoire."

"Indeed. We have to settle this before they get up the shore to begin feeding. But..." Frowning in displeasure, Rider gazed at the dark purple giant cloud which coiled round and round. "Caster is at the depths of that army. Well, what should we do?"

"Drag him out." Lancer replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If he would just show his Noble Phantasm, I can destroy his technique with a blow from my Gae Dearg. Naturally, I don't think that guy would easily allow that to happen."

"In the mean time, I will close the portal before I join the battle," Saber added. The wind covering her blade vanished revealing her sword. "Rider, I need you to cover the forefront for a short time. Is that all right, King of Conquerors?"

"I don't mind, but...Even if my chariot doesn't need road to travel on, Saber, how do you plan to attack the enemy in the river?"

Being asked thus by Rider, this time it was Saber's turn to grin. "This body of mine has received divine protection from the Lady of the Lake. Whatever the water is, there is nothing which can stop my advance."

"Oh? That's something quite rare." Rider whistled in appreciation. "Now I really want you to join my men."

"I thank you for the offer, but my answer is no, I have a husband I must return to after all." Saber replied fondly.

"Honestly," Rider replied a bit upset, "Whoever that man is, he is incredibly lucky to have such a woman." Clucking his tongue, "Well then, let me strike the first blow." Rider lashed at the oxen of his chariot, and dashed up to the empty sky with clapping thunders. Not caring at all about Waver's shrieks who apparently hadn't made the mental preparation, the King of Conquerors' galloping Noble Phantasm started the straight-on charge towards that massive horde of demons.

"Good luck Saber!" Lancer yelled as he ran off the bridge and along the banks of the river cleaving any demons attempting to climb up.

Atop the bridge, Saber spread her legs to give her a wider base of support. In her hands, her sword began to glow with the color of pure gold. "I will end this once more, Caster." As she prepared to raise her sword for the swing, a familiar scream rent the air.

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" It's sound came so fast and so close that Saber nearly lost her balance. Her sword immediately stopped glowing as she heard the voice of her son yell out. "DO NOT INTERFERE, THIS IS MY TASK!" Turning, Saber beheld two steeds as black as night with glowing red eyes and breathing fire riding towards the river as if hell itself was behind them rather than ahead.

"What?" Saber whispered as she watched him ride into the fog. "His task?"

xxxxxx

**A few minutes ago**

The tranquility of the ruined house, if one could call the atmosphere with a Berserker breathing down everyone's neck, vanished in an instant. Berserker was pacing inside the house growling menacingly, heedless of the fear it was causing in all the captives. Even reprimanding words of the Servant's Master failed to cease the constant growling. Pacing back and forth like a stalked animal, Berserker's head moved as if trying to see where something was coming from. Its hate, its maddening aura was so great that none of the magic users in the room could detect the massive surge of demonic power in the air.

Back and forth it paced, showing signs of anxiousness and bloodlust at the same time. Back and forth it walked, hands gripping weapon hilts, prepared to kill at a moment's notice. So focused were they on Berserker that they failed to notice the white thorn covered vines creeping up through the floor boards or the flickers of shadows in the corners of their eyes.

It happened fast, too blindingly fast for their human minds to comprehend what happened even after they had time to realize that something did.

A crash coming from one of the walls and Berserker was off. The vines, unnoticed till now wrapped around Iri and dragged her underground in an instant, Black Shadows grabbed the rest of the building's occupants and began running the opposite direction. In less than a second, Berserker had bounded back, a shattered white mask in one hand. The Shadow that held the Master of Berserker split off and threw the boy over the head of the Mad Servant before meeting a grisly fate itself. At the same time, a hundred vines burst from the ground holding the Mad Servant for one second before being ripped apart by the mad strength of the creature.

But, it did hold off Berserker for one second. It was that one critical second that the lone sane Black Knight needed, atop his mount, to grab the airborne boy and run towards the river and get away.

"▄▅▄▅▄▅▄▅" Screaming in hate, Berserker summoned his own black steed and charged after the one that held his Master. And so the chase was on, two Servants in Black racing towards the river while the surviving Assassin Aspects and the White Avenger moved at blinding speeds towards the Einzbern forest with their now unconscious kidnapped.

In the midst of riding, the red head boy looked at his kidnapper with innocent eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

"Long story kid, short answer, Avenger." Kiri replied as he looked back to see Berserker slowly catching up. Not good. "My turn, have you seen a world of gears and swords?" The boy's face became blank as he immersed a bit too deeply before they became focused again. "I'll take that as a yes. Then I have one last thing to say to you O Hero of Man. Fuse your body with the swords, blood with iron, mind with steel, and heart with blades and sheaths. Reach for the highest of heights and never regret. Reach for the Ideal and always keep moving forward no matter what happens. Keep going forward, gathering allies and friends who believe in the Ideal and you will shake the world."

"...What do you mean?" The boy asked, but the Black Avenger remained silent, no more responses would be given no matter how many times the boy asked. He had said what he needed to, given his warning and advice. What the boy would make of it was no longer his to determine. The way had been shown, whether or not Emiya Shirou would listen was his choice and his choice alone and of course the sins of his choices were his and his alone.

With that, Kiri pumped his Noble Phantasm with as much prana as he could, making it brittle while coaxing more out of his steed. Judging by the speed with which Berserker was moving, Kiritsugu figured he could make it with a bit to spare. Good, because in a bit, he would only have his greatest Noble Phantasm left to use. One which he dared not use until the signal was given by his white half.

In the meantime, he gazed forward spying the river. Opening his mouth, he yelled for all he was worth, "DO NOT INTERFERE, THIS IS MY TASK!" There, now they couldn't say he didn't give them any warning.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Kotomine Kirei arrived at the ruins of the Einzbern manor watching as the White King went to work. Hundreds of thorn covered vines were crudely setting up a mockery of Stonehenge using the rubble of the building. In the center of these massive pillars was a great magical circle being drawn in blood. In one hand was a tattered old book that the King flipped through following ancient Germanic directions. Just outside the great work lay the bodies of Irisviel von Einzbern, Kariya Matou, Rin Tohsaka, and an unknown blond alien whose species is apparently called Sekirei. Guarding/ watching over the White King stood seven aspects of Assassin.

"**So, you have come**." The King spoke not looking up from his work. "**Excellent. I have much to say and little time to say it**."

"Pertaining to why you killed my father?" Kirei accused.

"**He enslaved you, held you back with his delusions and regrets, held you in chains for his sins rather than pay them himself. He forced you to join a side to pay a debt that was not for you to pay.**" The King scorned without looking up. "**Your father is a fool, because he did not know what you are, what your very nature is**."

"My nature?" The priest was confused by this.

"**To understand what I speak of, you must understand, I am the son of the boy who is now the Master of Berserker, and the man who was, in my time, the Master of Saber in the Fifth Grail war that would have taken place ten years from now.**" The King explained. "**You were a man that was always smiling according to Rin. It was like you always knew more than you were saying. At the first glance, you determined a man's nature and faults, and gleefully pointed them out in the cruelest way possible, if you had the inclination**."

Kirei went deadly still as he felt the gaze of the king shift from his circle to the priest.

"**With the Gilgamesh we know that in the midst of the 4th war, that you betrayed Tokiomi and murdered him while forming a new contract with the King of Heroes. Killed him in fact, with an Azoth dagger that Tokiomi had just given you to mark the end of your apprenticeship and eventually gave it to Rin as a present. The two of you proceeded to arrive at the finale of the war, where you were defeated, but not killed, by Emiya Kiritsugu. You and Gilgamesh survived, survived and watched the real horror unfold."**

Kotomine's blood had turned to ice as the King calmly laid out the road of damnation that in another life the priest had walked. A horrifying and monstrous path full of betrayal and cruelty…

"**As you know, the grail was and is corrupt, though at the time none of you were aware of that. In the other fourth war, at the end, at the last moment, before the Grail unleashed its power, ****Kiritsugu Commanded with his two remaining Seals for Saber to destroy the Grail. But, that came at a great cost. Death, and Destruction. The resulting destruction of the Grail created an inferno that consumed the entire neighborhoods. You're now aware of the four spiritual points, particularly the four places that the Grail could possibly appear. Then you know where the final battle took place, the worst place it could have been summoned was chosen by **_**You**_." The Accusation was clear in the King's voice as he spoke. Yet, even as he talked, his vines continued to work on the ceremony.

"**And on that place, death reigned supreme. The entire area became a lifeless wasteland ten years later, the normal humans called it a memorial park to those who died when they abandoned it. However, anyone who had an ounce of Magic in them knew that it was a subconscious choice to avoid an area so befouled that even a hundred years later, nothing but a few twisted weeds grew. A scar upon the land that never healed, an open wound that would not close**. **You caused it, you chose that place where five hundred souls were consumed in a great crucible**."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Kiri drove his mount forward to the river, ignoring the boy's questions and what sounded like a shout from his mother. Extraneous, useless, pointless, there was only him and his enemies at this point. Words would not stop what was in motion. Words would only hinder him now when he needed his full concentration to survive long enough while keeping his father alive.

And so he charged to the river. Before his mighty steed hit the water, he fired a jewel tipped bullet at the water causing an iceberg to form under him. His beast leaped upon and then off the ice onto another iceberg forming from a second shot. Again and again the steps repeated as the Black Avenger drove into the fog, not to defeat Caster, not to destroy Berserker, but to buy time.

Xxxxxx

Archer looked down towards the distant battle of Heroic Spirits from high in the air. "What a disgraceful sight..." He muttered as he looked down from five hundred meters in the air. At the moment, he was flying upon a legendary artifact known as Vimana, a long forgotten flying contraption from ancient times that was only remembered in two epic sagas, Ramayana and Mahabharata. "Although they're mongrels, they are famous warriors at the very least. I wouldn't have thought that they'd fallen so low as to require joining together to finish this. There should be a limit to how low one falls. Don't you think so, Tokiomi?"

Unlike his Servant, Tohsaka Tokiomi, who was permitted to share a seat on the ark, had a heart full of anger and anxiety, and not just because he had a secret fear of extreme heights. No, what was, mostly, on the forefront of his mind was that magecraft, for the most part, had to be used in secret according to the rules of this world. The Clocktower had appointed the Tohsaka as the Second Owners of this land, bound to keep magic secret from the community and keep the peace. Caster's rampage not only threatened the progress of the Holy Grail War, the rouge Servant was trampling over Tokiomi's own prestige.

Though, there was that whole fear of falling to his death as this machine had no safety rails, barriers, or even a second seat to sit on. That also was kinda causing some anxiety. Not that he'd be dumb enough to ever admit that or forget that he could survive such a fall fairly easily with at least half a dozen spells that he could recall off the top of his head with ease. "O King, that monster is an evil creature laying waste to your garden. A sinner that deserves death by any means." Tokiomi urged his Servant to make a move.

"That's the work of the gardener." Archer immediately rebuked Tokiomi's request. "Could it be, Tokiomi, that you regard this great treasure of mine as a gardener's hoe?"

"That is not what I meant." Tokiomi backtracked trying not to raise the King's ire. "But as you can see, they won't be able to hold on much longer."

In truth, it was evident that the battle is progressing badly. Saber, for whatever reason had held back from attacking the tear in space and was instead running atop the river slicing demons as she went. Rider was crushing demons with his chariot while Lancer darted in and out of the paths of demons. On the opposite bank, the mysterious women had wordlessly gone to work killing demons that tried to get on shore. Avenger and Berserker, meanwhile, were playing a game of tag as far as anyone could tell while Caster was left unhindered. The ever increasing horde was barely being kept in check by all these great beings.

"This is a great opportunity to display the majesty of a true hero. Please, give the command!" Tokiomi begged.

The King of Heroes gave Tokiomi a glance of displeasure. "Tokiomi, perhaps you did not hear the gardener below declaring this was his responsibility." Not bloody likely, everyone within a mile had probably heard the Black Avenger's cry as he had screamed it with the microphone settings at the highest level possible. "If the gardener tells me he will take care of the mess, then I expect the gardener to do so."

"But he's not doing anything." Tokiomi argued watching as Black Avenger kept racing round and round through the fog, barely even attacking demons, if at all. It looked as though he was just running away with Berserker hot on his heels. The Mad Servant was so entranced by Avenger for whatever reason that it didn't bother attacking the demons all around him.

"Is he? Then perhaps you are so blinded by the filth that you cannot feel what is being prepared." Gilgamesh countered. He casually pointed to the direction of the Einzbern Manor. "Feel it Tokiomi, feel the great preparations being made. The fake King and his black dog are preparing something. I expect the filth will be cleansed shortly."

Tokiomi stretched his senses towards the manor and raised an eyebrow as he detected the hints of a great ceremony taking place. What was going on, he had no idea, but he hoped it would be finished soon.

xxxxxxxxx

"That's impossible." Kirei denied horrified at the thought.

"**Is it? Look inside yourself Hollow Man, you who had no emotion when your wife killed herself. You who have never felt anything whilst learning from the church. Even the death of your father fails to move you beyond curiosity. You have the potential to become anything Hollow creature**." The King growled causing Kirei to flinch. "**Still, there were few survivors, mostly children. The Church, in other words, you, adopted them with the local orphanage and took responsibility for them in the wake of the disaster**."

Kirei looked relieved at that.

The White King suddenly stopped working and focused himself entirely on the priest and spoke "**And then you fed them to Gilgamesh to keep him in this world. You took the burned and mutilated bodies of those children, had them clandestinely transferred out of the hospitals they were in, and interred them in the catacombs beneath the church**." Kirei's face froze as the King bluntly told the future."**You then spiritually linked them, paralyzed them, and set them up as living prana batteries for Gilgamesh for the next ten years**."

Kirei didn't notice he had drawn his black Keys while beginning to activate his Command Seals preparing to send Assassin against this man. Roaring at the top of his lungs, Kirei denied the words he heard. "Impossible! There is no way, I would never be beholden to something so monstrous!"

Getting back to work, the King was silent for a bit before speaking quietly, "**It is not impossible priest, it is what happened. You more than anyone know that the Truth cannot be denied. Gilgamesh told me a long time ago how you meticulously kept them alive while their souls were sucked out for ten years, changing their bandages, giving them the barest amounts of food and water to keep them alive. And do you know why you did this, why you became such a monster? It was because you had no interest in making a wish yourself. You merely wanted the purest person with the purest wish to have it, so you could watch as it was corrupted**."

Kirei's hands clenched so hard on his weapons that they were white.

"**My father possessed that wish. I can only imagine what was going through your head when you found a pure and innocent soul that wished for nothing more than to save people. You manipulated everyone in the Fifth Grail war using a stolen Servant to test and prod everyone to your little game. It is only through the sheer will and fortune of the Hound of Ulster that you died in the Fifth Grail War, pierced through your fake heart with Gae Bolg before your madness was completed**." The last words were spoken so casually, one would have thought the White Avenger was talking about the weather.

For a time, Kirei could only stand there watching while his body shook, as if suffering in a winter storm, or going into shock as the case was. The priest's mind was thinking over everything, taking in every word, every tone, every sound that had bombarded him while the White King finished up his preparations. Finally, Kirei's shaking stopped, he lowered his weapons and his Crest dimmed. "I see, then, this is vengeance?"

Snorting, the White King stood up and walked over to Iri. "**No, why would I do that? The Kotomine that sinned is dead, while the Kirei that stands before me is free of those sins. You misunderstand me, your nature is not a murderer, but a truth speaker. Always you told the truth, possibly not the whole truth, but always the truth. Vengeance? Hardly, you did my father a great favor when you told him his faults, when you saw the immediate flaws in his ideals. No, for that I thank you and mark you as you are truth speaker. You who know the truth when others wander in the dark. It is your purpose, your nature to point the flaws to the hero so that you might address them, or be damned by them. This is no vengeance Kotomine Kirei, I do this to give you a choice.**"

xxxxxx

The Black Avenger raced as fast as he could through the fog upon the river leaping form iceberg to iceberg. Right behind him was the Mad Servant while all around him were countless demons attempting to drag him down and feast. But he would not fail, by oath and pride, Emiya Kiritsugu II would not fail. Even if his limbs were ripped off, his eyes consumed and his body set on fire, this task would be accomplished.

Not since his mortal days had Kiri stood at a critical point to match this. It fell upon him to buy time, and so he would buy time. Back and forth through the horde he ran searching for his target.

There, at the bank where the river met the ocean, Caster hung on a cross, his body flayed in ritualistic fashion, covered with blood-drawn words and figures belonging to creatures completely unlike man. In his free hand, Kiri threw a small object at the mad summoner. As he tracked the small object flying towards Caster, he spotted the one thing he could not allow.

Lancer.

Turning his horse, Kiritsugu charged at the Servant of the Lance yelling at the top of his lungs, "NO! MY TASK, NOT YOURS!" He aimed his gun and fired several rounds around the spear carrying Servant before he was close enough to hold out his hand. Confused, Lancer grabbed it.

"Have you gone mad?" Lancer yelled as they rode away from Caster.

"No, I need the demons to purify the Grail, I need their souls, their essence, their power! Do not attack, leave that to me! I need as many demons alive as possible!" Kiritsugu yelled, "Now get off, Berserker is too close." With a light shove, he pushed Lancer back to the ground and continued running form Berserker who was hot on his tail.

Meanwhile, Caster gazed at the small object lying on the sand in front of him. A ring, a signet ring of the most hated man of Gilles' time.

The ring of the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock.

Caster didn't know that the ring had been a gift, stolen by a certain assassin and given away to Kiri as a birthday present, all Caster knew was that the ring went to one man. A man that Caster hated like few others. Screaming his hate, Caster called out and brought forth more and more Demons of greater and greater power.

More demons.

More Souls.

More Essence.

More. More. More.

xxxxx

Kotomine Kirei blinked in surprise, "Choice?"

"**You can kill me, here and now.**" The White King explained. "**End my schemes, end my plans. My other half will in response finish off Caster and his ilk with the last of his strength and that will be the end of us. You will be free to do as you wish, forever. You could follow through on my plan, obey my wishes. Or, you could continue to watch and do nothing. See how everything unfolds and then make another choice. At any time, you can kill me, follow my plan, or you can stand back. The choice is yours, and the sins of your choices will be yours as well.**"

The white vines wrapped around Rin, Kariya, and Irisviel. Iri was placed in the center of the ritual and held firmly down by the vines. The White King took off his helmet, revealing his face and gazed directly into the eyes of the two Masters while pouring prana through his eyes. Matou Kariya had no useable Magical Circuits, the worms that had once befouled his body had provided him with false circuits to replace the ones that were left unused and stagnant by decades of being left alone. With his mental protections gone, his mind easily fell under the hypnosis.

Rin on the other hand, was a magus, her magical circuits were natural and resistant to the compulsions, but even she could not fight for long against the overwhelming power the King poured onto her mind, and she too fell into the hypnosis.

"If," Kirei spoke, "If I follow your plan, what do you need me to do?" In his heart, he knew that the White King had told the truth, had nailed Kirei's very nature. For him, the truth was everything, not emotions, not the church, the truth. Ever since he was a boy, Kirei had searched for the truth of all things. It was what made him so good at everything he had done, yet, it had also been what kept him from being the best. There was no more knowledge, no more truth to be gained form his actions. And now the Truth was before him once more, and Kirei could not deny it. From his understanding of the truth, Kirei could see that he could be the one to damn a man or raise him into something more. All he needed was the desire to do so.

"**Give Assassin to Kariya for now, what happens later is up to you. You can easily transfer the Command Seals to the man. Take your Father's Command Seals for your own and become Archer's Master however you wish. Kill Tokiomi, cut off his arm, or coerce him if you desire. Personally, as a father myself, I would kill him. A man who sacrifices his daughter to become the host for a vampire does not deserve to live**."

"What?" Kirei asked shocked at the news. "Rin is-?"

"**No, Sakura. Now, Unless I am mistaken, aiding and abiding a vampire and the research for immortality is forbidden by both the Clocktower and the Church. If you wish for justification, feel free to use those should you do act.**" The King offered. "**The last thing I need is for Archer, Berserker, and Rider to die, whenever possible. Use your best judgment, but the Grail must be filled with however many Servants it takes. It may only need a few more, or we may all need to die. Whatever the case may be, watch this and learn how to kill even a demigod**."

Holding up Kariya, the White Avenger looked carefully at him and smiled. '_He will come for you, as long as you keep his sheath in you, he will hunt you. Good'_ The King spoke, "**Kariya, Command Caster to sacrifice the demons to the Grail on my mark, Command him again to sacrifice the demons to the Grail on my mark with your second Command Seal. Finally, command him to kill himself on my mark with your third Command Seal.**"

"The Command Seals, yes, that would do it easily." Kirei uttered in understanding as he watched the brainwashed Master gaze at his Command Seals, waiting to unleash their power. Kirei watched aptly as Kiritsugu picked up Rin and gave her orders. Yet, even as he watched, he weighed the choices in his mind. To stop the Servant, he could easily kill him. Prevent whatever he was doing with the simplest of efforts. But, he didn't want to. He wanted to see where this was going. Depending on what happened, Kirei might very well step aside once the Grail was purified, let the Heaven's Feel Ritual complete. Or, perhaps he would put his own methods into it...

Placing Kariya down, the King held up Rin and prepared to finish the task when he paused. **"There is one more thing I should mention."** The King said. "**Doesn't it seem strange that there are 'Eight' Servants in this war instead of 'Seven'?"**

Kirei paused at the question. "That is true, that is strange. I assume you know."

"**It's both very simple and at the same time not."** The King replied. **"Avenger was made from Berserker. From now on, all Berserkers can become Avengers. Yet, instead of becoming one, something horrible was done. Rather than a complete Servant forming, the Servant Avenger merged with the Servant Berserker when the summoning occurred. The madness of the minds mashing forced the resulting abomination to become a berserker, a mad warrior. A creature that will never be truly sane even if the Mad Enhancement is removed."**

Kirei thought on that and came up with only one response. "A pitiful creature. No wonder you call it an abomination." Calling on what he knew of the Grail War, he began nodding. "Most likely, Rin possessed the ability to be a Master, but a lower level than the others. However, since there was technically the essence of two Servants available, Rin was able to summon you because of Caster's actions." He paused. "But wouldn't the separation have driven you insane?"

The King shrugged, "**We were never legally sane to begin with, and it's not like we aren't paying for our freedom. While we may have leeched or strength form Berserker, when we die, we will not go into other Grail, but back to the abomination. It's already started in fact." The king then held out his left arm and took off his gauntlet to reveal...nothing. No flesh, no bone, no blood, just...nothing. "Our time is up my other half and I, Avenger will cease to be soon no matter the ****outcome. But I have talked enough, the time to finish this is now. If you have any more questions, ask the seed I left behind at the church.**" He turned to Rin and made his command.

"**Tohsaka Rin, with all three Command Seals, order me to purify the Grail no matter what it takes.**" The White King ordered. One Command Seal was a miracle, Two Command Seals could rewrite the laws of mind, body, soul, and Gaia herself for a time. Three Command Seals had no limits known to man.

"By the power of my Command Seals," Rin uttered in a dead tone, "I command thee, Once, Twice, and Thrice to Purify the Grail." Her left hand glowed brightly. "No matter what it takes." Had he resisted, had he had any qualms, the Command Seals would have been weakened. Command Seals are reliant on not just the will of the Master, but the will of a Servant. A Servant resisting the Command weakens the miracle, cuts its power in half if not more depending on various factors. But, if the will of both Master and Servant are combined, then with three command seals, there is next to nothing that cannot be accomplished.

At the command, the White King began bursting countless Vines. His limbs, his back, his chest, his organs, his muscles and lungs, everything save his face became vines as his Noble Phantasm feasted on his flesh and bone, converting it.. Upwards it soared, upwards it grew, a great tree of vines and thorns dripping the blood of a King as they went.

It is the duty of kings to bleed for their country so that their country does not bleed for them. It is the duty of a true king to give his everything for his country just as his country gives everything to him. Now was the time, now was the time for the King to give it all for the future of the country yet born, for the country yet to be, and for the Ideal that never dies. Up and up the fake tree grew, bigger and thicker than a redwood, bigger and thicker than almost any tree ever seen or heard of. Up and up it grew until it was near a mile high. Up and up it grew, spreading leafless branches to the heavens.

On the ground, Kirei and Assassin moved Rin, Kariya, and Tsukiumi out of the way while roots wrapped carefully around the ritual site, never allowing a single root to brush the careful work. Soon, Irisviel was in what looked like the center of the tree that had grown around the ritual. A hollow place in the center of the tree. And above her was the face of the Servant that was dying to complete his orders. From his mouth came a new vine that hovered over her heart for a moment before plunging into her chest.

And the Change began.

From where he stood, Kirei watched in fascination and not a little awe as he watched a great being sacrifice himself for something that he would never see carried out, might never even be carried out if Kirei chose. For what reason could the White King so willingly die for others? There was only on answer the priest could give. Faith, pure and simple faith that something good would prevail and make this sacrifice worth it.

It was humbling.

Below the ground, roots stretched far and deep crossing under the city to meet the vines of another growth, one that centered inside the church where a head was forever smiling, but… the face right now was leaking what looked like dark fluid from where the eyes were, like they were crying.

If a corpse could ever cry of course.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

He felt it. In his bones, in his heart, in his mind, in his very soul, he felt his other soul die. From his horse, he could see the tip top of a great white tree. Smiling, Kiritsugu knew it was time. "Ho Abomination, you want the boy?" He asked cheerfully holding up Emiya Shirou, who had at some point lost consciousness due to the stress of the situation. "Take him." With that, he threw the boy back at Berserker who easily caught the boy. Avenger took no notice that Berserker was fleeing the field, there was no place to run for that one. Not anymore.

"HEAR ME O HEROES FROM ACROSS TIME! HEAR ME AND SEE MY POWER!" He cried with joy as he leaped from his horse just before it finally gave out and exploded, propelling him forward towards the horde of Demons and Caster. "No King walks alone, and no more shall the Black Knight! Gaze upon that which is mine now and forever!"

Even as he fell towards the demons, his body went slack, his armor shifted for a moment before falling to the water empty of flesh, yet a great wall of blackness emerged from where he had vanished. It grew and grew and grew at such a rapid pace, every Master, servant, and alien there could only blink before they too were in the darkness. It grew to encompass Fuyuki city from end to end, catching even Kirei and Assassin in its grip.

Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp. Tramp.

The sound of countless feet of all sizes echoed through the darkness. And from the Darkness, Kiri's voice whispered in their ears. "You Iskander, bragged of your comrades from life. In life I had very few. However, though they did not know me, they followed my ideals and in death, across countless lifetimes across countless worlds, I created followers. In death, I was summoned time and time again, spreading my ideal, and creating even more followers. Countless lifetimes have passed and will pass, countless times the Ideal has spread and been carried by those who followed me."

The steps grew louder and louder as Kiritsugu spoke, each word he uttered brought them ever closer.

"In death we march now, together at last, marching forward to gather our comrades from across time and space and find the one that started it all." Kiri's voice continued, "The First was caught in vengeance and grief and is lost to us forever, abandoning the ideal before it ever spread. The Second took the ideal to its potential, living and dying alone, but not before he passed it on to the Third. The Third took it and the gifts given to raise the Ideal beyond the potential he had been given before passing it on to the Fourth, who held it until the end of the world whilst spreading it to countless others."

The footsteps were close now, and what looked like light sources were coming from the horizon, moving at a brisk speed. "Each of us has made the Ideal stronger, better than before. So now we must return the favor." Closer and close the sources of light came until they revealed the sources. "For giving us this gift, this grand ideal, we march forward to find the Second. Through time and space we march through this place, our **Eternal March**, our Undying Ideal."

Forward they came, illuminating the darkness. A great army, numbers impossible to tell, but the sheer number of them and the light they carried was so great that it seemed to almost erase the darkness. That light, to the observers, it looked like a brightly glowing ball of light held over the hearts of these followers. Men, women, children, old, seemingly feeble. Unlike Iskander, not all the followers were Servants, many were just ordinary people who had followed the Ideal to the end. Who had followed the Knight to the end. It didn't matter, legend or mundane, they followed, they marched into the darkness unflinching of what may come, what may be found and fought in the dark.

A pink haired old woman lead a troupe waving a banner of a blue fish. Countless soldiers came behind a banner of a white dog on a black banner. An army of people with animal ears and tails came behind a banner of two dragons, one white and one black circling each other while being lead by two girls on a giant white tiger. Packs of werewolves marched under a banner of a yin yang sign lead by a great one eyed black beast. A woman with bright red hair and glowing green veins walked while holding a token displaying a lion in one hand and a broken stone helmet in another. Burly men in Viking gear marched forward carrying dragon icons on their gear and songs of praise for the 'Dragon' on their lips. Great war machines rolled forth under a banner of a phoenix. A green haired woman with golden eyes and a bright red brand on her forehead lead those machines forward on a machine of her own that looked to be made in the shape of Anubis.

On an on they marched in the darkness, their Faith and Ideal lighting the way. Titans and mortals, men and monsters. Plainsmen painting their faces black and white rode beside lizardmen. Giants strode through ranks of barbarians. Monstrous creatures defying description flew beside winged folk who painted their wings red. Their numbers were beyond defining, beyond comprehension. It was an army that could conquer the world if they desired.

_If _they desired.

And leading this great army came the Black Knight side by side with a woman with yellow hair, green eyes and a lot of guns strapped on her person. On the Black Knight's other side marched another figure clad in black, but she had taken off her helmet, letting her long red hair and snake like eyes display freely.

Off to one side of the army stood the observers, Servants, Masters, and the Sekirei. So spread out that they could not see each other clearly. Which, was probably a good thing for Assassin. Yes, for those that were to the side, it was a good thing as the army made no indication that it would slow down or be turned aside.

As the Black Knight marched past, Rider whistled, "Not bad boya. So many men, and so varied at that. A wonderful treasure you have there." Beside the King of Conqeurors, Waver stared at the vast horde marching forward with determined faces. Rider's Noble Phantasm was staggering to see, so what did that make this Noble Phantasm?

"Many thanks King of Conquerors, but less than a third of these are mine. Most belong to the Second." The Black Knight corrected. "Still, I am proud to be one of them. I am proud to have a cause that breaches beyond Life, and Death"

"Really, I want to give my men a glorious fight with you." Rider admitted looking on with wonder as men riding elephants passed by alongside a troupe of men in black rune covered robes.

"Unfortunately, unlike you Iskander, I can only use this ability once, and in doing so, it takes me with it." The Black Knight replied regretfully. "As it is, I'm already dead and will be unable to have that confrontation."

Nodding his head in understanding, Rider replied, "I see...that's too bad. It would have been a grand fight." He paused for a moment, "So, have you finished your duty yet?"

"In a moment King of Conquerors, in but a mere moment." Kiri replied while pointing to the army of Demons standing in the way of the marching army with Caster at the forefront. "First the offerings need be made to Angra Mainyu to draw him out." With that, he slashed his hand. "Matou Kariya, the Time is now. Mark!" He roared the last word.

At the word 'Mark', Kariya gazed upon his Command Seals with blank eyes and uttered the words he was made to speak. As this was happening, Kirei went over the choices before him. Right here and now, Kirei could stop the commands, break the man out of his hypnosis and force the Black Knight to deal with the enemy demons with his Noble Phantasm. Or, Kirei could be silent and watch. For the moment, Kirei opted to sit back and watch.

"Caster, by my Command Seal I order you to sacrifice your demons to the Grail. Again with my second Command Seal I order you to sacrifice your demons to the Grail. By my Third Command Seal, I order you to kill yourself." Three Command Seals burned on the man's arm, preceding the screams that tore through the air.

XXXX

Special thanks to Third Fang and Servius Regis for betaing my work


	83. Guest Fic

****This lovely little snippet was created by Servius Regis. I contributed nothing to this chapter and take no credit for it. However, I think it is a great snippet and with his permission I am uploading it into the Black Knight.

Enjoy**  
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**Crossing Ground**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Kiritsugu honestly knew that the universe hated him. It wasn't a kind of revelation or anything. He didn't have psychic abilities, his magic was subpar at best, and the internet was decidedly not helpful on the subject. This time it was just one of those gut feelings that you don't have any proof of but know is true at the same time. Kind of like a floating epiphany on the tip of your tongue—

_"Kiri. The universe hates your guts. Not as much as it hates Kaien's, but yea you're pretty much screwed."_

…Right before your snarky brother decides to be as blunt as possible to you over the phone one day.

Still, Kyon had been wrong before, like that time on that one game show. At least, Kiri thought he had been wrong. Looking back, it might have been on purpose, a kind of revenge for taking the last meat bun for lunch the day before.

…But it was so succulent and tasty dammit!

Of course, he could just ask the universe directly. It had kind of set up shop in his aunt's body, but trying to get a straight answer out of her involved negotiating his way past her guards (why did the blonde, evil one have to be on duty every time he went over?), dealing with his exceedingly annoying cousin (who seemed to have a sixth sense for opportunities to screw with him), and then trying to talk with her without dying. The last one was particularly hard. He'd known her for years and still hadn't figured out her morality system, and she always insisted on chatting about who he had killed recently. Recollect the wrong death and BAM! Instant psycho yakuza queen on your hands, who, despite being nearly fifty, could still duel his father to a draw in a pure martial arts spar.

Seriously, no wonder she was still so thin after a gallon of Hagen Daaz every day.

Today had been a relatively normal one. He woke up, greeted his daughter who had once again snuck into his bed, took a shower, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, got dressed, and prepared to fight against the horrors of the world again. The next box on the list just so happened to be a child-kidnapping, human-experimenting Dead Apostle, which was a refreshing change of pace from the terrorist and militia group fare of the past month or so. Those were really kind of boring now.

So along with a few of his most trusted troops—and his driver, who refused to stay behind for anything—he set off to go put an end to the bastard and save all the children who were still alive. Their task was risky, but all of them had faith in their commander. He was rarely wrong, and was always determined. The plan he had come up with was almost foolproof to those with the ability to carry it out. All that mattered now was execution. With only a few exceptions, they had all done this kind of work before. The plan had taken this into consideration, and each man knew his task so thoroughly that failure was nothing more than a passing dread that was quickly overridden by routine. Meticulous and trained, there was no obstacle they could not surmount.

…

Except for those _tiny _little X-factors that nobody sees coming.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

"Damn it all to Hell!" yelled Kiri as he bolted down yet another hallway.

This was in fact the twenty third hallway he had bolted down, to no avail. Of course they would make it a labyrinth. Dead Apostles had a penchant for the extravagant and overly clichéd. He was waiting for a sphinx to hop out from behind a corner and start quizzing him on Sneakerology or some other obscure subject matter.

If there was a dragon in here, so help him this entire place was getting demolished with extreme prejudice and even more extreme firepower.

It was in the middle of this thought that a wall suddenly swung inward, closing off the hall and opening up another. The couple ton slab of stone and mortar also missed killing him by about five inches in the process.

"Oh for the love of—" he groaned, tapping his headset again as he turned. Still static. Probably some kind of jammer in the area, magical or otherwise. He just had to hope that the others had gotten the hostages to the exit already. Artemis was then to take them to safety, with or without him. Ah playing decoy. It had been too long.

Behind him, something roared so loudly that the walls shook.

"Guess he picks up quickly. I'm really running out of options here" he said gritting his teeth in frustration.

Ironically, that's right when he reached a three way fork.

His mouth formed a half smile. "Guess the Root finally decided to take pity on me." He scanned the area, looking for any signs of an exit. Everything felt pretty much identical, but there was a slight trace of fresher air on the rig—

*BOOM*

Suddenly, the ceiling over the right passageway exploded, and a giant black blur fell down through the smoke. It hit the floor with a booming thud, cracking part of the stonework. The impact forced Kiri to stumble back a few steps, almost falling down himself, but managing to regain his balance and reach for his sword and shield.

"…Or not" he groaned as he took a combat stance. All the while, he tried to choose which of the remaining passages to go down. It was pretty much a coin flip at this point. There were next to zero indicators of where they might lead. The only option off the table was back, seeing as he already knew where that went and had no desire to ever see it again.

Then out of the smoke, it came.

Two yellow eyes, each the same size as a bowling ball, stared at him furiously. Behind them snarled a beast that looked like a massive, armored Komodo Dragon. Rows of teeth that looked like an armory of serrated daggers and its massive talons seemed like they could cut through a marble slab with ease. The pointed tail was almost scorpion like in use, and just as dexterous.

It had once in fact been the Dead Apostle that lorded over this castle, now transformed into this. Magic was a powerful tool, but also a loathsome one. Such a monster was an aberration against life, if not against reality itself. He did have a cousin who was into this stuff, but she was insane anyways.

_"Return to dust…"_

The voice was like rusty steel grating on a rock face. It barely even opened its jaws to speak, more like breathing through its teeth. A brief phrase was enough to send shivers down one's back.

However, Kiri's only response was hardening his stance and searching for weak points. "Come on then" he taunted, trying to draw his opponent into rash action. "Make me."

The beast snorted, exhaling hot gas into Kiri's face.

_"Very well then. I shall pry it from your bones, Thief!"_

It lunged at Kiri, all deadly implements flying forward at once. Raising his shield and dashing forward, he parried the barbed tail, blocked one of its talons and then rolled under its jaw. Now free of immediate danger, he slashed up, cutting at the relatively soft underbelly once, twice, and three times in an almost triangular pattern. Black blood and shorn scales fell down as he ran out before the beast fell down with a bellow of rage and pain.

Turning around, he heaved, "Did that do it?"

To answer, the blood and tissue suddenly began retreating towards the hole in its abdomen and started knitting themselves back together. Already, it was getting back on its feet and casting its glare at him.

Regeneration, did _everyone _have it these days?

"Round two then" he said, realizing that, sadly, he was even further away from the way out than he was earlier thanks to the way the battle set itself up. Nevertheless, he took prepared his stance once again and—

*Thock*

Kiri looked on the ground in front of him to see a rather oddly shaped knife now sticking out of it. It was a black triangular blade with hooked edges, but at the base of the rather stubby handle was a rather large, round protrusion. It looked unwieldy, but he could have sworn he had seen it somewhere before…

Oh.

…

Oh **.

No later had this realization come as three more flew down to join their compatriot. One stuck into the floor a few yards away, the other two sunk into the pillars on both sides. The apostle, whom had taken no notice of such small annoyances, continued to dash forward and was now only a few yards from Kiri.

Kiri didn't have to worry about that though. He had more immediate problems, like the fact that a cable had just wrapped itself around his sword arm. It was slack for all of half a second before three things happened. First, the apostle reached the area with the knives. Second, the explosives in the base of the knives were remotely detonated, and third, the blast, plus some force on the other end, shoved Kiri into the air towards the high ceiling.

The apostle had no time to recover from the blast, for as soon as it regained partial bearings, the blown out support columns gave way, causing both a portion of the ceiling and the wall to crumble on it, trapping it temporarily.

_"You shall not escape me, lowly cretin! I shall have it back!"_

On the other hand, Kiri felt a little too free. Specifically, he felt that being dragged up like a rag doll was not exactly his thing this time of day. He also had a general idea of who was responsible, and it was probably going to make his day worse.

Sure enough, once he reached the ceiling, he found himself staring at a smooth, porcelain mask with two narrow eyeholes staring right back at him.

"Mana" he said, voice straining from both dangling in the air and having his day royally **ed over, "What a lovely surprise."

The woman behind the mask didn't say anything from her perch on top of a cross beam, but if a smug smirk could be heard, she was probably screaming it. Instead, she motioned to the space beside her and snapped. Not bothering to wait for clarification due to the situation, Kiri swung on the cord-formed pulley and got a foothold, at which point she deactivated the grapple and retracted the cable from his arm.

Rubbing said appendage, Kiri gave her an expectant look. "Am I going to have to wait until we get home for an explanation, because it might be a bit of a problem unless I know why you're here."

She looked like she was going to respond when there was a roar from below, and the sound of crashing architecture. The beast seemed to be freeing itself. In response, the woman raised a finger to where her lips would have been if she wasn't wearing a mask and pointed towards a hole in the ceiling above them. Without another word, she hopped over and jumped up.

Kiri resigned himself to not getting a straight answer until they had escaped the hot zone. After a failed attempt due to the weight of his armor, he managed to clamber up with the help of his sort-of rescuer. As more crashing and clashing came from below, they silently made their way through what appeared to be an alcove between the floors before finally coming to a stop in a particularly dark spot. Kiri had to turn on his night vision visor, but she apparently had no need for such tools and removed her mask.

She was indeed smirking, but then again, that cynical, sarcastic smile was practically her trademark. Spinning her mask on one finger, she asked simply, "Well well, what on Earth could the famous Black Knight and his loyal Dogs be doing in such a far off place as this? Sure, I realize that it is a decaying castle with ominous lighting and ridiculous floor plans that practically screams monsters and treasure, but I didn't take you guys for questing heroes."

Kiri gave her a flat look behind the visor. "What I want to know is why the infamous Jezebel—Or should I call you the Lady in Black?—is sulking around the castle of a backwater Dead Apostle. I realize that you might have just saved me, or at least one of my limbs, but I never took you for a knight in shining armor, just the opposite in fact."

Mana made an exaggerate miming of getting stabbed in the chest. "You wound me cousin. What other possible reason could I have for being here besides saving your **?" she asked expectantly. "Oh, and while we're on the subject, how much do you think that ** is worth? 'Get out of Hell free' cards don't come cheap."

This was Mana's usual extortion racket. Follow the family around, show up when they're in trouble, demand money for assistance. However, a few synapses were connecting in Kiri's brain at the moment, and that thing that seemed to be slung over Mana's shoulder was being rather indicative.

"Wait…so you've been here the whole time, the whole place suddenly goes into an uproar out of nowhere while we're evacuating the hostages, and suddenly you just show up again with a souvenir…" he mused. Suddenly, it all came together. "Don't tell me you're the reason this all went downhill!"

Mana rolled her eyes and sighed, dropping her hands to her waist in exasperation. "Yes, well…I was here on my own job and things didn't go as planned" she admitted.

"And it just happened to be on the same day we stormed this place? Have you decided to finally chuck your family into the bin with the rest of the 'expendable' people you have?" Kiri demanded hotly.

Her face suddenly went from playful to icy. "Yes, it was a coincidence. Don't you dare suggest that I came here with the intention of throwing my family into the fire for my own benefit. I might mess with you guys when we're at home, and I might try and make a quick profit in the field, but I don't abandon those I care for. Loyalty is everything. The deepest circles of Hell are reserved for traitors."

Kiri matched her glare, but backtracked his train of thought anyways. "Fine, then why are you here? I suppose that contraption you have strapped to your back has something to do with it."

Mana glanced over her shoulder and nodded. "I was sent to retrieve this by a very important client. Infiltration and acquiring it from its hiding place were easy enough, but I ran into a…problem."

"Must've been some problem to stop you. You're one of the only humans to have mastered Presence Concealment through non-magical means, and you've broken into more of these 'impregnable fortresses' than I can count."

"It was…something it couldn't control" she said, looking away. Her voice almost sounded solemn, regretful even.

Ok. Something was off here, Mana was rarely, if ever, subject to emotional turmoil on a mission. "You mean in the same respects that you are to me?"

"Tch" she huffed, walking to the side and looking down. "I guess you could put it that way." Then, she took a deep breath, and said simply, "MANA."

Kiri's eyes widened a bit. "Why on Earth would he be bothering you? I thought you two got along, in a certain sense."

"More like we had a nonaggression pact. I basically ignored him for most of my life. Recently though, I've been having some issues with him. It's like he's decided that he wants to take control and is actively trying to wrest it from me" she sighed.

"…So what happened?"

Mana turned away from him and stared up as she recalled. "I had no issues getting in. This is a complex castle and an even more complex magical field, but that's nothing I haven't found a way through before. I didn't even have any trouble finding out how to remove the package from its hiding place. It got difficult when I had to start getting back out. I was hiding from a few of the Apostle's servants, who were patrolling, then suddenly I realized that instead of calming down, my heart rate was increasing. I tried to use some techniques to counteract this, but then, suddenly, I had a slip of consciousness. When I regained control, several of the familiars were dead and every security measure in the castle was going off. It was a miracle I got out of the vault in time."

There was a rather awkward silence between the two of them. Despite the fact that they expressed mutual disdain to each other in conversation, both were actually pretty close when it came to the more serious subjects in life. Few in the family could understand their trials and triumphs as well as the other, and no matter the difference in philosophy, both knew that they could count on the other's help when things got rough. This time however, Kiri had nothing, and he felt kind of like he had let her down. She was obviously pretty upset about this, despite how much she tried to hide it, but he just didn't have any experience in this kind of psychology. Granted, he knew someone who did, but he would never, ever recommend anyone to her. That was borderline sadistic.

"So that explains the sudden chaos that erupted" Kiri said at last to draw the conversation elsewhere. "Let me guess, you were following the Apostle to find a way out when you ran into me?"

"Pretty much" she shrugged.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" he asked, drawing his sword again. "This obviously goes nowhere or else you would have taken us out by now, so I'm guessing we still have to find the exit. Although the constantly changing floor plan and the rampaging beast of destruction might be a bit of a problem."

"About that," Mana interjected. "I've figured out how most of it works. The castle rearranges itself pretty randomly, but it always clears a path for its master. What that should mean is that escape either necessitates us to hound him so closely that we're practically standing next to him for so long that he finally checks the exit—"

"In the process hoping that he doesn't find and kill us like rodents in his lair."

"—Or a more direct route."

"Which is?"

"We pose as maintenance men and tell him that we just finished fixing the pipes. This place can't have had any good plumbing for over a century or so."

Kiri just gave her a look.

"Ok fine" she relented, throwing up her hands. "I'll quit the bad jokes. The direct route is actually destroying the catalyst."

This term gave Kiri bad memories of an old video game that ohmygodtheendingTHEENDING! Nevertheless, he asked, "Catalyst?"

"It's the core of the system, basically, where the whole thing centers itself around. Destroy that, and the place stops moving or maybe even collapses."

The answer didn't take long to come to. "Let me guess," Kiri sighed, "The apostle?"

Mana gave him a wry smile. "Yep. Kill him and we can get out of here."

"Well, if you haven't noticed, he's a little hard to kill, and I can neither provide nor contact any heavy fire support because of the interference in the air. My men have strict orders not to come back until the civilians are safely back at our camp, which will be a while, and probably a lot longer than how long it will take this guy to find us. So I hope you have a plan" he said through gritted teeth.

Mana's smile grew wider. This was both a good and a bad thing. It was good because she probably did have a plan. It was bad because the plan most likely involved him getting the lion's share of the pain and suffering.

"Oh I have one all right—"

Point one.

"—I just needed someone to help out—"

Point two.

"—But it's going to be risky, especially on their end, which by the way, is now your end."

Game, set, and match.

Kiri sighed, but hefted his sword over his shoulder anyways. "I might have known. Let's get to figuring out where that thing went looking for us. You can explain along the way."

Mana smirked in mock triumph, making her way towards the hole that they had come in through. "I'm surprised. Just jumping right into the fire? You're usually more cautious than this."

"I'm willing to do anything that gets this goddamn headache that you give me every time you're around to go away." He lightly pushed her aside and jumped through the hole first, easily landing on the stone crossbeam. "Let's get this done and then find something to drink in town. I can't deal with you sober."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

The hulking form of the apostle ravaged the halls of his formerly impregnable fortress relentlessly, searching for the thief that had taken his most prized possession. He would not escape him. Indeed, it was impossible to escape this place. He was the walking key to the outside realm, and in this form, created after decades of research and experimentation, he was unstoppable. Compromised though it might be, this was still his dominion. Anyone foolish enough to engage him on it was signing their death warrant.

It was not the value of the stolen object that made him guard it so determinedly. Even if it was worth a venerable fortune. Nor was its fame or prestige a factor. Though its renown would draw the covetous eyes of hundreds of powerful people if he even revealed that it graced his collection.

No, it had a relatively straightforward reason for being here.

It was powerful.

True, most wouldn't be able to utilize its full potential. However, should one with the knowledge to wield it gain possession of his tool, then his life, along with those of many other apostles was under serious threat. He had been saving it for when he needed to defeat another of his kind, possibly to gain the title of Ancestor. Now it was gone, and whether it was meant to be used against him or not, he was dead set on retrieving it.

The thief had briefly eluded his pursuit and somehow managed to hide himself somewhere where his bounded fields were blind, possibly within the alcoves of the castle itself, but he would be forced to show himself once more in order to attempt escape.

Attempt.

Attempt and fail.

His form made it less tiring to search the grounds. However, he had also found that it caused him to sometimes miss certain stimuli, especially when on the move. Being so massive and well armored had its drawbacks. Every so often, he had to stop at a junction and quickly check the surrounding area, focusing his senses momentarily.

It was at one of these stops that he noticed something. It was movement, light, yet fast. It could have been an animal of some sort, but he could also hear the clank of metal, and smell human blood…

It was the thief.

And he was close.

The reptilian face almost grinned in delight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

"I really, really hate that woman."

No, not really. He didn't _hate _her, not most days. Sometimes she was annoying, sometimes she was bitchy, sometimes she was infuriating, other times she was just strange, but he had never fallen so far as to truly hate his cousin. For all the sex jokes and extortion, he did feel a slight camaraderie with her.

Besides, he had his aunt's phone number on speed dial. If anything happened that he really didn't like, he could always just threaten to call her mother. Granted, she could do the same to him, but only one of their mothers was known as the Crimson Murder Queen.

At the moment though, he was too busy bolting through the ever shifting halls of the lair of a dead apostle to fumble with his phone. The objective was simple. Run around, making it look like you were lost and trying to get out until the apostle showed up to eat your spleen.

For once, he wished everything was more complicated.

Unfortunately, they didn't have time or the resources to come up with a more elaborate strategy. As it was, the only thing that allowed them to come out here at all instead of waiting to be discovered and eviscerated as they tried to hide was that little thingy that Mana stole. He didn't even know if it worked like she said it did. Trusting an assassin wasn't the smartest thing he had done in the past week or so, but he had no choice.

As Kiri continued to run, just loud enough for it to echo a bit, he hoped, if only a little, that the Apostle would just give up and return to his workshop, letting down the defenses at the same time. It wasn't as likely as he hoped it could be, but come on, the goods couldn't be that important. It was only one—

*BOOM*

Dammit, second time today already?

Indeed, the walls to one side of him suddenly swung open like a door, letting in the hulking form of the apostle. Kiri sidestepped away, bringing both his sword and his shield into a ready position and gritting his teeth. He wished he could have brought a bigger arsenal, but that would have put the hostages in danger the moment they were spotted. That was supposed to happen after the rescue. Now they had to kill this thing with what they had.

The body of the apostle careened into the opposite wall, just missing Kiri, but it was instantly righted. Rearing up on its hind legs, it roared threateningly, shaking the entire corridor. Then as it fell back on all fours, it spoke again.

_"Give it to me, Thief, and perhaps your death will be less agonizingly painful!"_

Kiri thumbed the large bag strapped to his back. "Back off now and I might not utterly destroy you before I leave."

The monster snorted. _"So be it. This is the price of your transgression!"_ it bellowed before hurling itself towards him once more.

This time, Kiri was ready. With a slight of hand, he jumped to one side and slashed at the same time, cutting through half of the leg that the beast had tried to swat him with. It howled in pain and stumbled a bit, which gave Kiri the opportunity to roll under it to cut at its stomach.

Black blood spilled out all over the floor, but already it was beginning to knit itself back into the beast's veins and tissue. Nevertheless, Kiri continued his work, slashing, stabbing, hacking with his sword and occasionally avoiding the creature's lashes with his shield. He would have only one shot at this, so he had to set it up just right.

The fight went back and forth, both combatants feeling the heat. The Apostle continually lost and regained its balance as its muscles were cut and reformed. Constant regeneration was somewhat taxing to the lesser order of vampires, and its fatigue was visible in its stance. Meanwhile, Kiri's muscles started to tire and he had a few nicks from some close calls. The Apostle's form was unwieldy in this hallway, certainly, but it had greater endurance. Whenever Kiri took a hit, he just had to deal with it.

_"What's the matter, boy?"_ sneered the giant lizard. _"Do you grow weary of battle? Then let me end it for you!"_

With that, it swung its tail in a wide arc, forcing Kiri to roll under it to prevent his arm from getting broken from trying to block. However, as he did that, three talons came down ** him. The right forearm followed in force. It took all of Kiri's might to block two of them to either side and dodge the palm. In fact, it gave him the opening he needed to grab his sidearm and unload into the inside of the creature's unprotected joint. His other forearm was buried in the wall opposite from him from an earlier swing that went wide, and its tail was recoiling, leaving him free to take aim and fire.

Had these been normal bullets, they wouldn't have even broken the second layer of skin. But these were magically augmented rounds, used by his sister Keiko to destroy the structural supports of buildings and take out the weak points of heavy mechs. Therefore, they didn't just cut through the scales and the skin, they snapped the bone and disintegrated most of the limb with a rancorous blast.

The apostle bellowed in rage again, this time slipping up entirely and collapsing onto the stone floor with the sound of cracking stone. Helpless, it could only flail wildly while Kiri took potshots at both of its eyes.

"Well, let's end this shall we?" breathed Kiri, loading a new clip and battering every opening on the creature's head with exploding bullets. Its eyes were blown out, it's snout was crumpled, and both of it's

Suddenly, through the smoke and the concussive force, his opponent smiled.

Out of nowhere, the severed limb reformed behind him, but this time, it was far longer and lankier, seemingly built entirely out of bone and cartilage. It reconnected with the rest of its body and swept in. Had it been its normal length, Kiri would have been able to dodge it easily, but it was now over twice that measurement. The force hit him in the back faster than he could turn to fire, and he was sent tumbling towards his opponent.

When he regained his bearings, the beast was standing over him, looking triumphant, both talons and its tail flicking in the air above him. His gun was a few feet away and his sword and shield would take too long to draw. With this creature's reflexes, it could end him in an instant.

_"And now our little game comes to a close"_ mocked the creature. _"Now then, torment or a quick death? The choice is yours."_

The price didn't have to be verbalized. It was easy enough to discern. The bloodsucking monster wanted its prize back, undamaged.

Wordlessly, Kiri made a show of reaching for the pack on his back, all the while keeping his gaze level on the already reformed yellow slits above him. The grin only seemed to get wider as he went, and he could feel the hot breath burning his skin like acid. Dripping mandibles and ripping jaws, not a good combination.

Then, just as he gripped the pack tightly and the creature grinned widest, he changed the game.

Without warning, he threw the pack high into the air towards the apostle's head.

Many others would have tried to either block or catch a thrown projectile that was heading for their face. This one didn't though. Instead, it merely opened its jaws for an instant and swallowed it whole.

_"Did you think such a paltry trick would work on me, human? Truly your kind has fallen so far in recent years!"_ it laughed. _"I may not be of great renown, but I still know a ruse when I see one! Your duplicity has cost you your respite from the pain! Your agony is something I will treasure long!"_

Through his triumphant mockery, Kiri couldn't help but smile. "You know what is going to be my treasure?" he asked, reaching for something on his belt. "The look on your face when you realize just what it was you swallowed."

For a moment, the apostle continued to laugh as it envisioned crushing the human spawn with its mighty claws. Then, what that spawn just said processed in his mind. Its gaze flitted to Kiri's hand.

In it was a cylindrical object with a raised red circle at the top…

…Which Kiri then pressed.

Twenty pounds of plastic explosives detonated in the fiend's throat, blowing out its neck and sending it wheeling in all directions in pain. Smoke and flame poured from its mouth as Kiri ran to a safe distance. Roaring again at a volume high enough to dislodge stonework, the whole beast rose onto its hind legs and swayed erratically, trying to put out the fire in its throat.

No time to waste, Kiri fired the rest of his clip at the monster's wounded, fleshy neck. Once, twice, thrice, four, five, six times the impact and explosive force tore the gash deeper and wider, sending the apostle even further into thrashing until it was standing almost vertical…

_"VER—RAAAH—MIN! I WILL—ACK—END YO—ERRAAAHGG—UR LIFE HERE! THESE WOUNDS—KEH—ARE NO—URRRAAA—THING!"_ it sputtered between bellows of pain and coughing smoke.

Kiri didn't respond aside from slowly putting his gun down. He really didn't have to. The next five minutes spoke for themselves.

Several knives of the same model as the ones used earlier flew down from the ceiling and embedded themselves in the monster's open mouth. Barely had the sickening "Sssshck!" been heard than they exploded, forcing its mouth even wider. True, the damaged tissue would grow back, but not before a grappling hook shot down from the rafters and wrapped itself around one of the apostle's serrated teeth. Following immediately after it was a black blur, zipping towards the open jaws at breakneck speeds.

Mana had been waiting the entire battle for this chance. The criteria were simple. Get the jaws open facing the ceiling. To that effect, Kiri had set up the whole fight just so that they could reach this moment, and now that they had, it was all up to her.

The hulking apostle didn't see anything of his newest attacker besides three things. A white porcelain mask, a black overcoat, and something sticking off her back.

Then he understood.

_This _was the real thief.

And she knew how to use his treasure.

Mana detached the cable as she landed, grabbing onto both sides of the jaw to steady herself. Any second now, their opponent would get its bearings and realize all it had to do was chomp down to crush her, but a second was all she needed. Her life was often riding on her ability to take advantage of fractions of time far shorter than this.

In the time it took her to land and steady herself with one hand and her legs, she drew the weapon on her back with the opposite hand and took aim. Giving herself half a second to steady her arm, she then let go of her perch, held the armament in both hands, and fired. The recoil sent her out of the apostle's mouth just as it finally bit down. Suspended in midair, she threw out her arm, shooting off another cable towards a torch rack near Kiri. The hook connected and she flew to a safe distance in time to watch the show.

The weapon she had used was called the Stake of the Emeth. A long coveted armament among collectors, it had its origins during the days of Charlemagne, when a travelling monk named Emeth gifted a crossbow to the king, who was on his way to Rome. He warned the ruler of creatures of the night who would try to kill him as he crossed the mountains, as they had killed many other travelers before him and drank of their blood. He had then blessed the crossbow, wishing the king good luck before returning to his travels. Charlemagne indeed encountered the vampires, who killed several of his party before the crossbow proved its worth. The massive weapon fired bolts the size of stakes into the hearts of the undead creatures, causing them to burst into flame and never rise again. After being coroneted Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne kept the crossbow near his throne, just in case he ever needed to fight off the unholy beasts again. It was eventually lost during the Thirty Years War and disappeared from the world. It had apparently found its way into this Apostle's collection.

The power of the crossbow had not diminished over time. Its power was simple. Should it ever pierce the heart of an undead creature with its bolts, that creature would instantly burst into all-consuming flames.

Trying to hit the monster from any angle would never result in a pierced heart. Even from its underbelly, no bolt would be able to penetrate the huge amount of scale, tissue, and bone between the skin and the heart. That's why they had to open the mouth. The only way to hit the heart was if the way was already clear. The last condition was they had to be almost in the mouth itself. Owning to the size of the bolts, the projectiles were slow, and trying to hit it from a distance would just end in the apostle closing its mouth to block it.

It had been arduous, but they had completed their task. Now all that was left was to hope that Mana's aim had been true.

For a minute, the apostle stood like a statue on its hind legs. It looked as if nothing had happened.

Then, it began to change.

It shrank from its gargantuan form into a normal size. Scales became soft skin. Armored plates on its head became brown hair. Slitted yellow eyes turned red and round. The whole thing morphed until before them stood a man of Eastern European look and around forty years of age.

He blinked dumbly for a moment, and then he exploded into blue fire.

From his eyes, from his ears, from his mouth, from his feet, from his hands, from every point on his body, flames immolated him alive, slowly and surely reducing the man to nothing as he screamed in pain and indignation.

"DAMN YOU! THEIVES! INTERLOPERS! FOOLS! MY LIFE'S WORK, THE ROOT, ALL OF IT…" he breathed one last time, "wasted…"

Then the flames burned through the last of his flesh and bones, and all that was a pile of ash.

"Well, that was fun."

Kiri glared at his cousin, her face unreadable beneath the mask. "It would have been much easier if you hadn't tripped the alarm. We would have come back in force tomorrow and annihilated this place. We have ways to kill Dead Apostles that don't involve insane schemes that rely on luck and chance."

"Heh" she snorted, turning away from the scene of their kill and putting away the crossbow. "Sounds like a dull life. Unless you live on the edge of life, you haven't lived at all."

Kiri paused real quickly as she paced the scene. All around them the castle was moving once again, but this time, it seemed to be righting itself. Irrational halls became logical again. Pieces that had swung randomly fit themselves together like a puzzle. Traps and killer architecture returned to a kind of harmlessness. Suddenly, he smelled something in the air. He couldn't be positive, but it smelled just like fresh air.

"It seems that the way out has opened" he said simply.

"Then you have somewhere to go I guess."

He looked over to her with a raised eyebrow. "You aren't heading out?"

She shook her head briefly. "I'll find my own way. Your men are on the other side, and as much as they'd just love to meet the urban legend come to life, I have no desire to be known by anyone. Better that myths stay myths" she said somberly.

Her boots tapped against the stone floor, leading her deeper into the castle. Before she could leave sight though, Kiri had to stop her.

"Mana!"

She halted in her tracks but didn't look at him. "What is it?"

"Do you…" he started, somewhat unsure how to phrase this. "…Do you even know how to live?"

She didn't answer, merely staring away into the darkness.

So Kiri continued. "You swear allegiance to nothing. You follow no creed. You fight purely for money, which mysteriously vanishes thereafter and never actually used. Your life is almost perpetually in danger, but you don't even show the slightest reason to care. You've devoted your life to this, yet you seem to get nothing out of it" he outlined, walking towards her slowly. "I have to ask, why?"

Still no answer.

He stopped in his tracks a few steps from her. "What does your life mean to you, Mana?"

She finally turned her head over her shoulder towards him. He studied her mask for a moment and then suddenly realized something.

For all the time he had known her, she had never once shown any moment of being happy. Sure, she had fun. She laughed with them, sometimes at his expense. She always talked about the stuff she found enjoyable, be that raspberries or American crime dramas.

But she had never once said she was happy. Nor had she ever even felt like she was. It was like even without that mask on, she was wearing something on her face to make her look like a functional human being, even though she wasn't.

"What a stupid question" she said, taking off the mask and looking him out of the corner of her eye. She looked tired, lost even, and her voice was strained and hollow. She looked like the lifeless doll that the Phantoms who trained her had once been.

"It means nothing to me. I don't know what living is."

Then without another word, she walked into the shadows of the world and vanished entirely.

Kiri gritted his teeth. "I hate it when she does that."

Suddenly, his earpiece squawked.

_"Fake! Where the Hell are you! We've been waiting out here for hours without any response for you! I was this close from leaving you behind!"_

"Well maybe you should have! Would have me my eardrums" he retorted, holding the smarting side of his head.

It was hot air and both of them knew it. She would never leave him behind any more than he would wish that she would.

There was a pause on the other end. _"Fine then, just get over here already. I've gone without a shower for a week. The sooner we get back to the town, the better. Hurry and I might not hurt you too bad."_

"Yea, yea, whatever" Kiri sighed before cutting the line.

As he left though, he could have sworn that he felt a presence right behind him. Strangely enough, it seemed to be clinging to his shoulders, burying its face in his back. He turned around to check, but there was nobody there.

He sighed in regret. One day perhaps, he would sit down with his cousin and talk, maybe at a bar, maybe at home, maybe just on some abandoned road in the middle of nowhere. They would talk about everything.


	84. Black Island 1

**Black Island 1**

Five Thousand Years

By any mortal's definition, that is a long time. By an immortal's not so much, but even still they would think it would be a while.

Five Thousand Motherf*cking Years

In five thousand years on another world, mankind had gone from fighting with bronze weapons and wooden ships that rammed into each other to creating weapons that could sterilize the planet and machines that allowed near instant communication to the moon and beyond. In five thousand years in another world, philosophers had come and gone, their outdated ideals pushed aside for some other 'great' speaker to come up with a 'better' idea. Governments rose and fell in the thousands of years. Natural wonders were defiled and destroyed. Great wonders were built and shattered. All this happens in five thousand years.

And for Five thousand goddamn years he had been stuck on this f*cking island, bound to protect it, bound to rule it, bound to never leave it no matter how much cabin fever he possessed. For five thousand years he was trapped on a piece of rock roughly the size of one of the Hawaiian Islands. For five thousand pointless years he had been stuck on this blasted piece of real estate, unable to leave, unable to die, forever doomed to obeying his dead master's commands.

Oh, the first twenty years were fine. Great in fact. He had an honorable, if a bit lazy and easygoing, master who ruled the tiny island during those years. He had served with pride, with honor. He had been summoned for one purpose, a purpose he had fulfilled gratefully. It had been ordered to protect his Master's girlfriend/wife Cynthia. Having foreseen that guarding a girl that would eventually become a woman could end up with disastrous results, he had been very careful to constantly talk about his second daughter. That instantly killed any chance the girl would fall in love with him and thus turn the whole scenario into something akin to those stupid Shakespeare plays and their ilk. His master had clearly not seen that danger coming, but he had, and thus, that apocalyptic disaster was averted.

For twenty years, he was content in his role. Pleased with his role. It wasn't like his Master needed protection. Exoda was equivalent to a Sorcerer in his own right. Unfortunately…the man had enemies, countless enemies.

The main problem was, just before he had been summoned, there had been a great calamity in the world. An entire civilization even more advanced than his own was gone. The Calamity had decimated the world, destroyed ninety five percent of the population, all major cities were gone, all sources of knowledge were destroyed, and left in a state of barbarism.

And the one place that hadn't been affected was this island. Well, saying the Calamity didn't hit here was a lie. There used to be a small town here, serving their lord Exoda. Not anymore. Cynthia was the only survivor from that community where the Lord had happened to have been in the middle of research when the Calamity hit. It had taken all his power and skill, but he had saved her. Just her, and nobody else.

Actually, the only real tangible piece of the old Civilization was the manor Exoda had lived in. Only that estate, which was covered to the brim with protective spells that had survived. But that was more than anyone else on the planet. They were jealous of Exoda, hated how he got off 'lightly' even as the sorcerer used his magic to start rebuilding everything in the vicinity.

They tried to kill him. Ordinary men and women in rage and desperation against a fully trained Sorcerer.

That failed about as horribly as it sounded. No one was stupid enough to try a second time up front after hearing the fiasco the first time had been, but they did not give up. They had seen the girl he had at his side and so they tried to kill her. The master had predicted that problem and had summoned his Servant. Scarcely a day later, the heads of any would-be-assassins were mounted on the island's port. For twenty years, he had served his Master, guarding the girl with his very core. Most of the time, he had merely taught her basic things like reading, writing, math. Other times, he taught her how to live, like swimming, mountain climbing, fishing, and so on. The first fifteen years, the girl had learned under him. In that time, twenty three assassination attempts were thwarted. They were getting smarter from each attempt. After fifteen years, the Servant 'gave' the now twenty one year old bride away to Exoda. Five more years of happiness, matched with eight more assassination attempts, each more elaborate then the next and all utterly failing.

Then, disaster finally struck.

Not by the hands of men in desperation, who frankly never had a chance in hell of succeeding, but by a lack of proper medical facilities. Magic cannot stop everything, cannot prevent everything. He had tried, with all his field medic knowledge, all advanced techniques he knew. He had tried so hard, but Cynthia died in childbirth, taking her unborn daughter with her.

That killed Exoda's will, his drive to make the world better. It left a broken and bitter man. For three months, the man not so much progressed as regressed from crippling grief, to burning anger, to blind rage. None of the others there were psychologists. None of them could see how his mind darkened in silence, destroying his happiness with frustration and rage.

After three months of consuming his soul, it happened. He lashed out, chasing away those he had helped, chasing away those that had tried to kill his family. Chasing them off his land, off his island screaming and cursing with deadly magic for added emphasis at them for bringing the calamity and damning his wife. With them gone, he raged at the only targets he had left, his attendants who had loyally served him for years if not decades. It must have been a mistake, that or Exoda knew what the reaction would be and welcomed it. One of his spells hit a maid, who burst into flame and died screaming. His Servant had stood in the way, refusing to allow the man he had been proud to serve to become a monster.

His Master had cursed him. Condemned him for failing to save Cynthia. Exoda literally put him through a wall, several actually. The Servant was sent into the verdant fields which instantly burned form Exoda's wrath. He fought back, grimly prepared to kill his master if that was what it took to prevent the greatest power on the planet from becoming the exterminator of man. A brutal battle was waged, one that forced the Servant to use every Noble Phantasm he had, draining every last bit of his reserves fighting the one that was supposed to provide him Prana. As they fought, the attendants died, the spells of the Sorcerer burned the mortals to cinders, and the Servant fought even harder to stop this battle. Victory eventually came to the Servant, but not by his own hands. The two other survivors, two other loyal attendants, had been forced to aid the Servant putting down their master. They had done together what one man could not do alone, and landed the mortal blow on the man they had once served unquestioningly.

With his dying breath, Exoda cursed his unconscious, beaten Servant and the two attendants. He bound them to the Island, never allowed to leave it, never allowed to die, never allowed to commit suicide, never allowed to ask others to kill them. His Servant would live, drawing Prana from the leylines of the island. The two others would have their own ways of surviving. They could move around the island, but they could not step beyond the lands of Exoda. They could not fly, nor swim past the invisible boundary of the island.

At first, it didn't seem so bad to the Servant. He woke up in a bed, healing while his two comrades told him they had buried Exoda by Cynthia and the unnamed child. Even though his body hurt like hell, even though over half the bones in his body were broken and a good deal of skin was missing, he insisted to be wheeled over to the graves. That day, he laid down flowers, spoke the old prayers he had learned from overhearing far too many times, and told his dead Master that he forgave him. Beside him, the other two did the same.

But in the end, they were alone. The three of them.

The first of the group was the lone surviving maid...who quite frankly wasn't a maid to begin with, Noel D. Buche, or Noel as they called her. She was the lone remaining Bringer of the Calamity...or at least a part of it, as there were several other factors that brought the Calamity, and not all of them were made by men. She was an advanced automaton war machine that had been busy attacking the Island when Exoda had brought her down with his vast power. He then reprogrammed her to basically be the head maid for some unknown and possibly perverted/demented reason. Sorcerers have a history of doing strange things like that.

To assist her with her duties as a maid, Exoda had created hundred of little golems that looked kind of like large round alarm clocks with arms and legs. Cynthia had loved them when she was a child, always laughing at their silly antics as they worked. What kind of golem stretched in the morning and yawned? Yet, for all their antics, they were a potentially devastating force, each being ten times stronger than a man, never tiring, easily repaired, and all of them could fight given the right impulse. For all that she was now the head maid, she was no harmless lamb. Her combat functions were still an option for her under the right circumstances. Such as when the Master was a threat to the world. She had been programmed to destroy any threats to humanity by Exoda, and his programming came back to bite him when he fell to rage and madness.

The second survivor was the head, and now only surviving, butler who went only by the name Vincent. The man, once upon a time before the Calamity, had been a magus that had somehow succeeded in turning himself into a something similar, but not quite fully a vampire. Thanks to a time curse/spell he was now very close to immortal. He aged at a rate that was basically immeasurable. This Magus had survived, if only just, through the Calamity. When he had been found by Exoda during the Sorcerer's travel to see how badly ruined the world was, the not quite vampire had gotten down on his knees and begged to serve him. After all, even with all his powers, he was not match for the man and he knew it. So, he served his Master. The not quite vampire learned a great deal of magic under his teacher, his friend, his master, and forever regretted having to put Exoda down.

The third and final survivor was the Servant. An enigmatic man who had never removed his helmet. He had kept his silence about why that was so until Cynthia was married, where he explained that he had done so to prevent her from ever seeing him as anything more than a teacher. The married couple had giggled at that until he bluntly told them of tragic tales that came from exactly that problem. That had given them food for thought, but once they were quite happily married and about to have their honeymoon, the need for masks was pointless.

Kiritsugu Pendradon Emiya might have once been considered a handsome man...before he got old, had half his face clawed, lost an eye, an arm, and gained who knows how many ugly scars on his body. He had lived many, many lifetimes experiencing things both wondrous and terrible in his many summonings. Though he could be stoic at times, he was more often a dynamic man. Laughing hardest, drinking the most, dancing the wildest, and crying the hardest of everyone on the island. He loved life, he loved travel, he loved experiencing all that was good in the world.

At the same time, he could be so quiet. Some days he didn't want to talk to anyone, those days he felt the pains of old the most. Those days he remembered the bad and could not forget. He'd break out of the blackness soon enough. Usually in a few hours, though there would be entire days were he was unable to come out of that darkness. Afterwords, he'd come out and be his old self again. It was just a quirk of his and was accepted as normal. For those twenty years, he dedicated himself to protecting and raising the girl, somehow knowing that Exoda would fall in love with her, and if he didn't mess up, she would love him. He gave her away like a father on her wedding day. He was the one that could be counted on to plan the most elaborate parties for any occasion. He was also the worst cook imaginable, somehow able to create monsters making the simplest of dishes when he didn't outright destroy the kitchen in a fiery explosion. Sometimes, both situations occurred. Needless to say, he had been banned by everyone from the kitchen.

And for Five Thousand years after the death of his Master, he had been stuck on this island. For five thousand years, he had watched the planet heal from the calamity. Civilization was slowly rebuilding, though the knowledge of old was lost. The last time he checked, they were in the middle of the Medieval/Renaissance era. That had been in the last risen cycle.

Funny thing about the island. Exoda, or one of his ancestors, had liked his privacy so much before the Calamity he or said ancestor had somehow magicked a spell on the island to be able to rise or sink like some sort of submarine. A bounded field around the island created a bubble around the island preventing seawater from touching the land. That was a serious mystery, one Kiritsugu and Vincent had spent a hundred years trying to learn before giving up and declaring it a Lost Magic. Strangely, the island could only stay underwater for about a hundred years before it rose back up forcefully. Another strange feature was that after it rose from the sea, it could not go back under water for at least ten years. Why? Who knows, it's not like any of the three survivors had any idea how the spell worked other than how to activate it and shut it off. Vincent would spend a bit of time on/off trying to understand it every few decades, but there were plenty of other mysteries to work on.

Like how the bloody hell did Exoda have a DRAGON guarding the treasure room deep underground in a MAGICAL dungeon made by some genius magus? The dungeon was one thing, some magi like that sort of stuff, but seriously, how did a dragon, named Zoltiarangrafen or Zoltia as she allowed Kiritsugu to call her, initially get contracted to guard the treasure and STILL let the owners of the island to take the treasure OUT?

Back in Exoda's day, the Sorcerer preferred a contract that had to be renewed every ten years or so. How that worked out, Kiritsugu didn't know. However, the day he was well enough to stand, he descended through the dungeon to talk to Zoltia, introducing himself as the new lord of the island, as Noel and Vincent wanted no part in that. She offered him a lifetime, his lifetime to be exact, contract to guard the treasure for a tenth of the total horde. His first impulse had been to take the ten year contract instead, but his instincts told him go for the long term.

Turns out it was the right decision. Especially since it had been been FIVE THOUSAND YEARS!

There were many more secrets and mysteries on this island. Before Kiritsugu had been summoned, Exoda had captured any remnants that brought the Calamity and sealed them away on his island. Weapons like a giant lightning throwing bull, great sea beasts, giant mechs, legendary weapons, forbidden tomes. It was a testament to Exoda's power to have collected so much so quickly after the Calamity.

For the first ten years after Exoda's death, Kiritsugu, Vincent, and Noel had prepared for when others returned. Considering how Exoda had thrown them out with extreme prejudice, including fire and hail, they had figured the next people arriving would not be so peaceful. Not that they had been all that civilized beforehand either. The simple mansion (with much more complex underground) had been transformed into a castle. Not so much impervious, but it was defensible, and considering the locals basically only had stone age technological level tools and tactics available to them after the Calamity. It wasn't for their own lives that they did this. Kiritsugu had convinced Noel and Vincent that the three of them needed to protect the three graves of Exoda, his wife and daughter. It was a flimsy excuse, one designed by him to give them purpose after the tragedy. But it worked dammit. Vincent and Noel threw themselves into preparing, casting aside their grief for resolute purpose and solemn duty to protect the man they had proudly served.

Of course, they were right to be prepared. Twelve years after Exoda was dead, an army drove their ships upon the shore of the island and disembarked. Ten minutes later, they were fleeing back to their boats and hightailing it out of there.

Morons. Desperate and angry morons. They'd love to help the world outside, but their hands were tied. They could not leave, they could not go out. They were trapped in this prison of an island. They knew what would happen. Again and again men would come to this so called promised land of plenty, trying to take it from the oppressors that had been 'stolen' the land from them. Pft, land of plenty. While it once had vast orchards and fields, the battle had destroyed most of it. And growing food had basically stopped, as Noel didn't need to eat, Vincent could easily survive with a bit of blood from Kiritsugu every day, and Kiri fed from the land he was now bound to. There was almost no food here, fresh water was far easier to get back on the mainland. All the island had left to offer was a horde of gold guarded by a dragon in the middle of a magical dungeon, many ancient, and now sealed, things that bought Calamity to the world, and books. Oh sure, there were a few bits and pieces of more useful items, but the three of them would be dead before mankind would get their hands on anything dangerous.

A few years later, another army tried to invade...only to get the same results as the first. This time, however, more died as the first had been excused as a few fools out for vengeance and thus allowed to escape. From now on, any attempts would be met with blood. For fifty years, the three of them combined their abilities to fortify the island. The island had always been ringed with sheer cliffs save at the port, making invasions limited to one location. Still, desperate people could do strange things. Soon, bounded fields lined every cliff side, prepared to activate if someone tried scaling the cliff wall. Kiritsugu drove two giant war machines to the port's edge and made them stand like statues, and covered them with stone. They stood there, waiting for a signal to destroy an invading fleet. The ruined town that stood near the port was torn down and rebuilt into an elaborate trap that would cause armies to become lost traversing through the maze of empty buildings.

Vincent went to the graveyard and cast several spells of necromancy upon the dearly departed, save Exoda, Cynthia, and their child of course. When activated, a hundred skeletons would rise from the grave and attack. He created golems made from suits of armor, armed and lined up inside the castle, ever prepared to silently kill intruders. He researched the tomes of his Master, learning spells of death and destruction and finding ways of casting them quickly.

Noel honed tactics and strategies in her clock automatons, learning how to fight like an army instead of a horde. She uploaded her combat algorithms and practiced her aim on a mountain, reducing it to rubble. She read Kiritsugu's books on aviation warfare, from bombing runs to dogfights and learning how to adapt jet tactics for her own use.

They prepared, they dug in, spending the nearly fifty years since their Master died doing all they could not to think about the tragedy and all they could do to protect the graves. It was unnecessary, it was pointless, but they needed to do something, anything to get over what had happened. Fifty years of preparing, fifty years of turning the island into an impenetrable fortress aided by great magic and advanced technology. Four more attempted invasions came, each time they killed half and let the other half flee for their lives. After fifty years of preparing the three of them hit a wall...there was no other way to fortify the place without going into the realm of ridiculous. It was possible for them to make things like surface to air missile sites, but considering that the enemy couldn't fight with anything more advanced than spears made of wood and stone...yeah, there was no point.

So, with nothing more to add on defenses, Kiritsugu opted for them to focus on something else, making the place livable. It may seem like that should have been something more obvious, but considering that the three of them consisted of an automaton, a not quite vampire who preferred living in his rather empty room, and Kiritsugu, someone who didn't need to sleep and if he paced himself, didn't need to rest from work. Being an Epic Spirit has its quirks. For fifty years, Kiri had honed himself along with the two others into the best weapons they could be. Now they had to relearn how to be human...or at least as human as they could get.

Noel went to an open section in the castle grounds and began planting seeds of various fruits and vegetables. Her little garden was carefully tended every day, the products of her work were then turned into elaborate dishes, relearning the skills that had grown dull since the master had died. Of course, she had her regular duties, a castle this big took a lot of time maintaining, even with her helpers. There was dusting, sweeping, mopping, fixing the roof, trimming the grass, so on and so forth. Though, she wasn't insane enough to do that on her own. That's what her hundred-plus clock golems were for.

Vincent, on the other hand, worked on making the grounds picturesque, carefully planting flowers in elaborate and beautiful ways. The rose bushes especially were his pride and joy. He cared for his plants every day, trimming them artistically as needed. While Noel was in charge of basically all the castle maintenance, Vincent kept his duties as a butler and served the new master of the Island, Kiritsugu, as needed. Most of the time, it was mostly serving meals and acting as a research assistant when Kiri needed help. More than anything, though, he spent his time researching what exactly had triggered the Calamity, studying every artifact and tome that Exoda had gathered at the time. The not quite vampire could never forget those dark days and wished to never see them again.

Those two found content in their work, in the peace. Kiritsugu could not. There was a major problem he had with regards to his situation. He was a wanderer by nature, staying in one place for two long brought him restlessness and a sort of cabin fever, and not the kind that involves dances with talking puppets and maracas. No, this was what he would have called the 'itch', the scratching need to move, to see what is on the horizon. A lifetime, no, lifetimes in his case will do that to a man. Even before they had finished fortifying the island, Kiritsugu kept wandering everywhere within their small domain. He fortified the most remote regions with bounded fields and crude minefields. He marked every pathway, every remote region for possible ambush sites. He did everything he could to stimulate traveling. To try to keep the wanderlust down.

It wasn't working. He knew the island too well, he knew the perfect hiding spots, the places with the greatest views and had seen all the sunsets and sunrises he could stand in those locations. None of them felt right, none of them compared to his favorite hill. The hill his real body rested on. He couldn't swim, he couldn't fly, he was trapped. Trapped on an island. Granted, it was a rather large island, but the fact was he was trapped. The only place he ever felt this trapped was in the throne. Where the original is stuck till the end of all existence...or at least the end of man. Still, the original gains all the memories, and thus all the adventures of the copies and therefore is always on an adventure of some sort.

But this copy, this one here was trapped. He couldn't leave, and it was slowly driving him mad. He distracted himself every way he could think of. He expanded the natural hot spring bath in the castle till it was the size of a pool and decorated it to look like a real onsen in a moment of nostalgia. He paved trails through the slowly regrowing forests and lined them with gravel for no other reason than he could. He climbed the canyon deep in the island in a hundred locations, marking the best places to climb. He desperately threw himself into writing his poetry, but it always kept going back to something along the lines of 'Trapped. Can't get out. Can't explore. Can't get free.' It started to look a bit like _The Shining_. He had to discard that before he truly went mad. He threw himself into his studies, trying to learn move variations of magic, but as always, he had no lasting attention span. He could work for a few months, but then he had to move, had to do something else. He tried working out, but he couldn't find any worth in it beyond his daily routine. It's not like he was going to gain any muscle with his body made of spiritual essence. He was as strong as he was ever going to get, no amount of training would change that. He read every book in the library, quickly boring of that after having already read most of that to Cynthia in her childhood.

And so passed their first century on the Island after the master was gone. The only break in their routine was a few more attempted invasions, each later than the last. Humanity wasn't stupid. If an island is impenetrable, they'll start going elsewhere. It was a year after that when something...weird happened.

The last invasion had come a little more than fifteen years ago. Kiritsugu had figured the next one would come soon and had activated all traps, preparing to bloodily welcome the morons. Every day, he parked himself on the edge of the port and searching through his binoculars. Six hours every day, he patiently and...basically he eagerly awaited something to remove his boredom before he gave up and went to do something else. Three months of this and he was finally awarded something, but not what he was expecting.

There was no armada of ships racing to the beach, just...a single boat manned by ten rowers. Curious, Kiritsugu disabled many of the traps that awaited these travelers and moved to the edge of the ruined town. He stood there, waiting for the boat to dock on an available pier and whatever came out. Rather than everyone on the boat leaving, only a single man came ashore. The man walked forward with not quite arrogance, and not quite assurance. It was something familiar to Kiritsugu, but he couldn't quite place it.

"You, Demon King!" The man suddenly declared, "I am Trian, son of Andrews. The Elders have declared me 'The Brave One'. As prophesied, I will be the one to end your life. Prepare yourself!"

The response from the Black Knight was quite elegant indeed.

"_...The F*ck?"_

He easily parried the man's thrust and back handed the upstart. The lad flopped like a sack of potatoes from the blow. Apparently that was not what was supposed to happen as the men in the boat all groaned in dismay before quickly rowing away from the pier. Kiritsugu stood there for a bit, just stunned at the result before looking down at the unconscious man. "...Wait, you thought that would actually kill me?" Now he suddenly remembered what that walk meant when the man had waltzed up to him. That was the walk of a religious zealot filled to the brim with holy fire and priestly rhetoric.

And that was the tale of the first 'Hero'. Kiritsugu dragged the man back to the castle where Vincent cast a spell on the man to find out what the heck the whole thing was about. Turns out, some so called prophet had decreed that only the 'Chosen One' could defeat the Demon King on the cursed island. Someone had apparently gotten the idea that by declaring a man 'Brave' through some means or another, they could kill the inhabitants on this island and take it for themselves. Kiritsugu had meditated on this, or at least pondered this as he went through his daily sword routine. He came to the conclusion that rather than armies attempting to kill them, a few individual men would be the ones attacking.

Kiri wanted to find that prophet and shake his hand, the man was a genius on finding a way to reduce the loss of life to a trickle. Humanity was still tiny in numbers after the Calamity, and the dozen or so invasions had cost them precious numbers of men. The 'prophet' was probably one of the wisest men on the planet and had figured out that invading was only going to end up one way. Kiritsugu had just accidental instigated a new trend by allowing that single ship to leave. Now, people would know that it was possible to come to the island and not die, they just had to come without an army. Sucks to be the hero, but compared to losing thousands or tens of thousands of lives, a single life was cheap.

Course, Kiri's father would argue otherwise, but the son of Arturia had never bought into his dad's ideals completely. It was beautiful ideal, a great ideal, but not Kiri's.

After he finished making his conclusions, he had to decide the fate of the upstart hero who frankly was a joke in the annals of heroes. Not wanting to make a martyr, Kiri had Vincent and Noel craft a boat, gathered plenty of food and water and shipped the man out with a message.

"Only the true hero can kill me. All others will fail. Your armies will be shattered, your fleets will be sunk. Only the Chosen One can kill me. Tell the other fools this and cease wasting my time." Kiritsugu then kicked the man in the boat and had him shove off for the mainland. He turned to his two friends and colleagues. "Well, hopefully we'll get less boorish visitors."

That's exactly what happened. Rather than armies coming to try their hand at invading the island, every few months a 'hero' would come to try their hand at killing the demon king. To be frank, most of them were unimpressive. Men who had come believing themselves the pinnacle of manliness or trying to use the title to their advantage. Most of them were jokes, bullies who had never faced a real challenge besides living in a post-apocalyptic world. A post-apocalyptic world that was already recovering nicely due to Exoda's work before he died. The technology of the world was somewhere between bronze age and tool age, but by and large the nastiness of the post Cataclysm had vanished. Thus, most of these heroes were as successful at harming Kiri as they were learning how to fly. There were a few decent men, desperate men who had taken the title for the promise of their families being taken care of, but these men tended to pose a significantly weaker threat than the arrogant ones. This was due to these would-be-heroes coming from farming communities. Farmers didn't have the time to train themselves into warriors. They had endurance and strength, but they lacked skill.

The interesting ones were the ones that could cast magic. Apparently not all the knowledge was lost from the Calamity...well that or it was Exoda's work again. The spellcasters weren't that impressive. Mostly basic fireballs, ice magic, wind blades, and simple healing magic that any magus worth their salts would know. Those Kiritsugu spent some time with, mostly just enjoying the magic fight. It had been a long time since he had faced magic. It was a good refresher course for the black knight.

But all things get boring. The heroes had little training, they lacked sufficient tools to even harm him, and they had no idea how much further they had to go. It was a quandary for Kiri, one that he had no answer for.

Then, a stroke of luck. A merchant came by, greedy enough to think even the 'Demon King' might be willing to trade. It was like a sign from the Root to Kiritsugu. Willingly, he traded low level weapons, armor, and bits and bobs to the merchant for coins and the promise that the merchant would come back with things to decorate a castle. The merchant never came back. Maybe he was hit by bandits, maybe he was branded a traitor, or maybe he lost his nerve. Kiritsugu never knew and barely cared. What was more important was the knowledge that there would be others, other merchants that would come and bring things to ease the itch.

Instead, an invasion came. Once more, the invaders lost half their numbers in less then ten minutes under the concentrated firepower of the first lines of defense. Yet, onwards they kept coming despite the losses they undertook, hundred dying as they pushed forward through the lines of defense which had all gone silent as the normal quota of killing half the army had been met. Kiritusugu, Vincent, and Noel all watched at the strange behavior the invaders were employing. Countless men kept jumping in front of a single man wearing slightly better arms and armor than the rest. The entire army seemed dedicated on getting that one man through no matter the cost. It was...disconcerting to see this happen.

They watched as more and more of the enemy died upon each line of defense. And yet the enemy kept on going until there was only five left. At that point, one of the survivors suddenly developed a healthy love for living and tried to flee. Rather than killing off the coward, the four survivors kept moving forward, unwilling to stop or slow down. Curious about the whole thing the four were allowed to enter the castle without a fuss. The four survivors quickly made their way through the castle grounds, smartly not damaging the flower gardens Vincent had spent so long caring for. Had they damaged those carefully cultivated flowers and shrubs, they would have undoubtedly perished without being allowed to say a word in their defense.

The three occupants of the Island, Kiritsugu, Noel, and Vincent met the four surviving invaders in the main hall.

"Demon King, for you crimes, I, Balin the Peerless have come to take your head." The leader of the group declared. It should be noted that he was pointing at Vincent when he said this.

*****Cough*

Kiritsugu cleared his throat, "That'd be me actually." he pointed out, holding up his hand. That got a slight surprise out of the men, but not much. The black armor was intimidating in its own right. Seeing the party tense up, preparing to attack, Kiritsugu held up his hand again. "Now before we go trying to kill each other, I thought it would be best if we got some facts straight. Namely, what crimes am I being accused of?"

That got the four invaders to blink before one of the other survivors drew himself up and declared, "You killed the savior and the moon princess you monster! You slaughtered the holy disciples, drove us from this land, and tainted it at your whim!"

Vincent and Noel narrowed their eyes at the accusations while Kiritsugu quickly went over the information and actually found happiness in what he was told. "You're point?" Kiritsugu suddenly spoke up surprising his two friends.

"You-" The man hissed, "You unrepentant fiend!" Said soldier charged forward, waving his spear in rage.

Kiritsugu split him in half without a second thought.

"Jonah!" The only female of the group yelled as the blood lightly sprayed over her.

"You will pay for that you monster!" Balin hissed. "Everyone, support me while I-"

BANG

Kiritsugu lowered his smoking left hand. "You are not the true hero boy."

"Balin!" The last two survivors looked on in horror as the man the whole army had died fighting to protect had perished with a hole in his chest where his heart had once been. They looked up as the blood dripping man walked up to them.

"Hear me worms," He hissed at them, "I will not allow an army upon my lands. A true hero needs only a few companions to kill me. A fool who relies on great masses fails to understand what a hero is. Go home, go and warn them I will destroy all armies that come my way. Only a hero and his chosen companions have the right to challenge me in my domain. " He waved his hand dismissively. "Begone, and do not return." The two survivors turned and ran.

When the three of them alone, Vincent turned to the black knight and yelled, "What were you thinking?!"

Much quieter, Noel added her own tow cents, "Why did just let them say that?"

"Because, Exoda and Cynthia will get in the Throne, side by side if we let this play out." Kiritsugu told them. That got the two of them blinking, "Through this lie, we will give them immortality, we will give them eternity together. It is...the greatest thing we can do for him." He explained to them about the Throne of Heroes, of the reward yet torment of being stuck forever from reincarnation, but if two people were considered to always to be together in their legends, then it was possible for the three of them to manipulate the legends so that Cynthia and Exoda would forever be together in the Throne of Heroes, enjoying something akin to paradise. It was something the vast majority of souls will never have, and instead return to the Root to become one with all and be born anew as something different.

Noel and Vincent left him for a time, to ponder whether they would be an aiding party to this farce, whether they believed him, whether they would fight for this cause. After a day, the two agreed to follow Kiritsugu down this path. He warned them that they could be drawn into the Root and placed on the Throne as a villain instead of a hero, doomed to be stuck in the Root and possibly never be summoned. That mattered naught to the almost vampire and the automaton, they would give their dead master and mistress happiness.

Loyalty, that word is spouted so by so many people who never truly grasp what it means, the word loses its value as the word is wasted. But...sometimes, sometimes 'loyalty' reveals its true worth. Sometimes 'loyalty' is shown for its full value, and even jaded beings who had lived many, many lives can only gaze on wistfully. Before Kiritsugu stood two valiant, and above all, loyal beings that were willing to suffer eternity if need be, to have their names reviled and defiled to grant their master happiness. Just seeing the resolution in their eyes was enough to make the old knight weak in the knees feeling a numbness, an emotion, he could not put a name to. Deeper than envy, brighter than joy, closer than nostalgia, and greater than respect, that was what Kiritsugu would have described the feeling when he saw those eyes, those unflinching eyes prepared to be viewed as a villain till the end of time.

Silently, Kiritsugu swore that he would remember this day, would remember the faces of these two brave fools. He swore he would make the original remember when he died, and have the original make all copies go forth and tell the truth of the tale on countless worlds. Perhaps the truth would set these two free from the hell Kiritsugu was leading them towards. These two deserved much for loyalty like this. If he could not change their fates through the copies then perhaps the original could...no! Never again!

For the next two hundred years the three of them played their parts perfectly. Noel was the cute and lovable maid, right up until she led them to a trap or had her clock golems overwhelm the heroes. Of the three, she was the least bloodthirsty, and all her opponents survived to be tied up and tossed out. Considering that she was originally supposed to be a weapon of mass destruction if not outright extinction, it was amazing how pacifistic she was. Her tactical prowess, honed by both the programming from the time before the Cataclysm and a bit of tutelage under Kiritsugu turned her into a nasty, but otherwise harmless deterrent. Mostly, however, she focused on maintaining the castle. It was a large building after all. Mold needed to be purged, dust swept away, food prepared, kitchen guarded from Kiritsugu's unholy excuse for cooking, so on and so forth.

Vincent, on the other hand, went with theatrics. He had long heard about the vampires from wherever Kiritsugu had come from and took those ideas and made them somewhat possible. He learned to send illusions of bats when he appeared or fled, he focused on devastating looking dark arts, though most of the time he intentionally made those spells miss and hit with much less harmful spells. The not quite vampire had even found a spell to bleach his skin and make his eyes turn red. The first time Kiri had seen that, his first instinct was to draw his swords and charge. The two of them had to quickly repair the hole in the wall before Noel found out and ripped them both a new one for increasing her workload. When he was not dramatizing his image, the so close but not quite a vampire was busy researching various magics and learning the secrets of the island. Even after being in the place for so long, there were still many secrets to discover.

Yet, while those two were able to spend those two hundred years, serving three hundred years after the death of Exoda, Kiritsugu was unable to improve himself. He had been a terror for mankind since he was in his twenties. He could as easily slip into that role as breathe air. For those two hundred years, he tried to think of new ways to distract himself. He carved a hole in a hill and tried to draw on the walls the images he always saw on the mural in his mind. His drawing attempts were...infantile compared to the great work in his head. He collapsed the tunnel and never spoke of what he made again. He purposely entered the dungeon when it was at its most dangerous setting, but he soon memorized the routes to take and the dangers to avoid and was soon no longer challenged. He build a gilder and threw himself time and time again form the highest parts of the castle, trying to enjoy the feel of flying, but it was a cheap excuse compared to real flight with his jet.

His poor poor Hippalectryon, he wasn't able to take that thing out for a spin with such limited airspace. He'd end up ramming into the barrier in no time...again. Damn near destroyed his jet last time that happened. Prodagros was usable, but there was no point riding across the land when he could hike it in a day or two, and there's no point hiking on the land when he was already getting on first name basis with almost every tree in the island. Heck, he planted a good majority of them. Most of the trees had been destroyed between the Cataclysm and Exoda's final battle. Careful plantings had slowly reformed the devastated land back to a more...pleasing appearance. It couldn't be called natural since all the trees were in solid lines save the empty spaces where flowers had been laid down.

The forests felt artificial, felt unnatural because of his efforts. Walking through those woods make the hairs on his back rise, like someone was targeting him or he was being watched. Bloody woods, it drove him nuts if he stayed there too long. The mountains and cliffs were little refuge to him, too uncomfortable for one reason or another. Fishing got old quickly, a bit of fishing is fine, especially when fishing for dinner. A few times, he was able to secretly cook his food away from the others. However, fishing gets old, gave him too much time to think, not enough of a distraction. Hunting was pointless as there was nothing bigger than mice and rats on the mainland. What he wouldn't give for a herd of deer to stalk or a mountain lion to trail.

The more he tried to distract himself, the more it failed to hold up to his needs. Every day the itch stayed with him, every day the need to explore new places, to see new sights hounded him. It was there every day, every night, every minute. He had been here far too long, and it was getting to him. There was only two things that removed the itch for a while, invasion and heroes. The invasions had basically stopped coming, only two invasions in two hundred years, and both of those seemed more halfhearted than the last. One of them was probably a political ploy to kill off a rival of sorts.

Heroes, on the other hand, were interesting, each of them as different as snowflakes. Some were basically nothing more than flamboyant fools, some were religious zealots, some were cold and determined men, and some were bright eyed youths filled to the brim with strange nonsense in their heads. Kiritsugu, Vincent, and Noel easily defeated them all. After being on this island for three hundred years, an idea whispered in Kiritsugu's ears. For now he ignored it, he wasn't a coward, he wasn't suicidal. Giving heroes weapons just to up the sport was stupid, but the idea was gaining appeal by the year.

Three hundred and eighty three years after Exoda died, Vincent made a startling discovery. Almost by accident really. The island could sink, yet not be covered by sea water. That had been a real wake up call for Kiritsugu who had been lounging by the sea, to suddenly witness a wall of water rise incredibly fast in front of him and eventually cover the sky. After finding out what had caused the aberration, they immediately went to work reversing the whole situation, fearing they would be stuck down below the ocean. Actually reversing the whole thing was incredibly simple. They tried to test it again, but it was impossible. It would take ten years before the system was charged up enough to go under again. They then researched to see how long they could stay underwater and found the island could only stay underwater for a hundred years or so.

Kiritsugu quickly saw the potential of this device. A part of him whispered not to do this, that it would slow down the development of the place, but most of him saw the advantages of an island sinking and rising seemingly like it came and returned to hell. It involved an old story or two form his childhood. The daring hero gives the mortal blow to the villain, the villain activates a trap to try to take the hero with him, and finally hero has to make daring escape to flee the destruction.

Or something like that…

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Time passes ever so slowly.

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_Voice Journal Entry activate_

_Day 572712_

_Today is the last day I will write in this journal; not because I am dying or going to die, not because I've somehow filled the data in my computer to capacity, not because I have found a better way to record my thought, not because of any of these reason do I stop writing down my thoughts and observations. No, I fear I will remain for much, much longer in this world. For over a thousand I have been on this planet. For over four hundred years I have been forced to remain, unable to leave this island, unable to get out of this hell._

_Today is the last day I write in this journal or any other journal for one reason, I am going insane. Granted, I was never the sanest person to begin with, having two souls, two minds in one body. So, when I say I am going mad, that means something significant. I've been distracting myself with various tasks as much as I can, but it isn't working any more. Every day my hands itch for new experiences, my eyes desire to see new sights, my soul screams for freedom. Thanks to Exoda, that damned bastard, I cannot get out, I cannot get free of this blasted rock._

_Damn him, damn him forever for what I must endure. __I was never meant to be sealed on such a small space forever. I was always meant to be more, to see more, to do more. Now I cannot, now I cannot __flee, I cannot run, I cannot even be granted the peace of death. The bastard of a Master was clearly a master o__f his craft, his geas, his Command on me still holds well after over a thousand years after __death, his magic still compels me to liv__e, demands I suffer, and forces me to stay. I know Noel and Vincent would be heartbroken if I passed on, but I know they wil__l get over it. Especially since they cannot die, cannot leave so long as I a__m alive. Were I dead, they could end their own lives, or finally get away from this cursed Island. At least, that's what I think I've gotten from their words of that ominous day an__d the hints my research have gathered. Although, perhaps that's just another delusion of mine, perhaps they are as doomed as I. It's getting too hard to tell reality from insanity any more and I'm not sure I care anymore._

_I'm tired, so bloody tired of the same thing over and over again. We've fallen into a routine now, a pale echo of the happy and joyful lives we once had when Cynthia was alive. For a hundred years, we stay under water, resting from the ten to a hundred years we remain topside. Heroes attack me, accuse me of crimes, I accept their hate and throw tidbits of lies to them before I smash them and send them away. When the ten years are up, we vanish beneath the sea and the world believes some hero defeated up, casting us back into the darkness for a hundred years. Noel powers herself down in her room, awaiting the rising. Vincent lays down on that cheap cot that he finds comfortable and hibernates those hundred years. As for me, I lay down a small agenda of improving the next generation of heroes within the bounds of the geas upon me before I put myself into a drug induced coma for a hundred years using special plants Noel planted for me. I still cannot get rid of the higher level artifacts, especially those that dealt with the Cataclysm. Zoltia has been a great help getting around the limitations of what she calls 'my new contract'. Thanks to her, she finds loopholes for me to give away better and better equipment as 'tokens of respect'. Apparently, selling anything but the weakest of artifacts is impossible for me. These weaker artifacts will do nothing beyond scratch the pain on my armor, I need to get the stronger stuff out somehow. I especially am hoping that holy sword and shield set will be able to finally end my nightmare, but considering how dangerous it is to me, getting rid of it will be difficult._

_Well, it's not like I don't unfortunately have all the time in the world to find a way of getting someone to do the job. The thing is, I have to hurry and get heroes raised. The world is now in __a classical age for lack of a better term. The recent heroes come from places that are similar in feel of ancient Greece and Persia. But...the age of the gods for the people is long over, long before even the Cataclysm in fact. Now I can only rely on the c__onstant breeding of the strong that comes from living in hard times and the artifacts that I can get rid of to finish the job. If they take too long, I fear that at the rate these heroes are going, my future enemies will be relying on more base things like__ guns, artillery, and bombs. The odds that they can kill me then will be too long to be measured as Noel will unleash her full pote__ntial and Vincent will stop holding back. The two of them might recommission some of the heavy stuff we have in storage from __the Cataclysm. While that would indeed be a pleasant change from the mundane battles that we have had on average here, it would signal the point of no return for my freedom._

_Root, look at what I'm writing. This is sad how far I've fallen in this world. Any__ other world, I would be proud to see people advance from a post-apocalyptic world, but here, I just want it to end. Coming to this world has been a nightmare since Cynthia died. I look back on what I was writing back in those days with sheer envy. Back th__en, I had hoped the adventure would continue for a hundred years. I've lived more than ten times what I had hoped, and now I wa__nt off this ride. The thrill went stale, then __dead, then rotting. I'm going mad, I'm going deeper and deeper into insanity and de__pression and I cannot stop it. I need to move, to leave this island. I want out, I want out, I WANT OUT!_

_LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME-_

…

_..._

_Hello Noel...did I wake you up?_

_*****__To the side, in a nervous female __voice is h__eard__* "No"_

_Um...right. Uh, I can explain just as soon as I...Uh...End Journal entry_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Vincent's Intervention Log 247_

_Fascinating. To think something __like one's Origin could create such an effect. By restraining him to this island, it hamper__s with said origin. With most other origins, being forced to remain in one place would have little to no effect. However, with an origin of choice, to hold him down is __effectively __causing a breakdown with his origin. When Master Exoda chained him to this i__sland, it interfered with his origin, closing off freedoms to him, making an imbalance within his i__nnate self. I am beginning to suspect the only reason he has not completely broken down is because of his second origin._

_Now that he has admitted to his prob__lem, it has become increasingly obvious that this has been a problem for over a century. All those times he made excuses before heading off for long trips around the island must have been attempts to li__e to himself, to ease his need to be free. That time o__n the hill he tried to hide from us, a futile effort to get lost in memories. He's been breaking down and neither of us noticed. Apparently Zoltia has been aw__are for some time, but dragons have always been the most guarded of secrets and treasures, especia__lly with those that have the blood of dragons in their veins. She would no more tell me his secrets than she would tell me hers._

_Getting back on task, both Noel and I have prescribed various regimens to try to aide him, but all have proven futile. Any rout__ines work for but a brief time before he break them off and be__gins his wanderings again. These days he mostly wanders through the forests, noting the growth of the trees, constantly memorizing the changes in the land. Not sure why exactly, but then, there'__s still much he doesn't talk about to any of us._

_Addendum: He does talk about it, but it takes hindsight to understand all of it._

_Xxxxxxxxx_

_I've been here before._

Before them stood a familiar sight. For over two thousand years the three of them had held this island against mortals and mundanes. Heroes across the spectrum had tried time and time again to finish the three of them off. For over two thousand years they had faced men of origins, creeds, and motivations as vast as the sea. They had faced men whose souls were dark as the void, sugar coated with lies and facades to lure the population to their thrall. They had faced men with souls as bright as the sun, living saints who believed that they were fighting for the salvation of the world. They had faced ordinary men, determined for one reason or another to kill the supposed lord of evil.

_So many times in so many way__…_

And yet, mankind was not content to send small groups of men to kill the three of them. Armies would come time and time again, ignoring the warnings of history and throw themselves at them time and time again. Some consisted of thousands of soldiers, while others were but a few hundred in size. It was mildly interesting to see the development of warfare slowly rebuild itself. The first armies had come as nothing more than raging madmen, survivors of an event so terrifying and deadly that ninety five percent of the human population ceased to exist. Those armies had no cohesiveness or direction in them. They fought with nothing more than desperation and a few relics of an age long past. Their bones littered the sands and meadows, not once coming close to harming Exoda or his love. Long after the Sorcerer was dead, the people slowly started to regain knowledge of war even as their old tools finally failed them.

_Woken by the sound of blazing horns__…_

The next armies were those of men fallen to barbarism. Charging without order, without discipline, and frankly, a lack of common sense. The charged with crude spears and axes and perhaps a few jury rigged shields made of wood and animal leathers. It was reminiscent of the days before his uncle, The First King, walked the earth, and considering the three individuals they were facing, the outcome was obvious.

_Faced by countless warring days__…_

Vincent was now all but equivalent to a Dead Apostle Ancestor, save for the fact that so long as no one attacked the island, he was harmless. In all probability, he was this planet's version of a Dead Apostle Ancestor, probably in the single digits considering how few of the old threats survived the Cataclysm. Noel, on the other hand, was a planet scorcher in an artificial humanoid body. She was once capable of taking off into space and rain death from the sky, held down only by Exoda's curse. And then there was Kiritsugu... As a Servant, he was technically on a higher level of existence than humans, only a mere half step below that of a divine spirit. With his many lifetimes worth of combat knowledge and experience, his Noble Phantasms, his stockpile of weapons, and several other nasty surprises, he was equal in deadliness to that other two.

_And midst the chaos of battle and the struggles of war__…_

The three of them had seen civilizations rise and fall over the long years of their lives. The Heisei Empire, once rulers of over three fourths of the largest continent were destroyed by their greed and civil wars. The last rulers of that doomed empire had thrown everything they had at this island in a desperate bid to regain popularity by destroying the 'Devil Lord'. The Grinz Kingdom, once the golden pinnacle of human rule fell to famine and plague. Twice that grand Kingdom had sent a champion against the rulers of this island. Both times their champions had come home bound, gagged, and humiliated. The Dunii, plainsmen nomads and pillagers much like the Huns form Kiri's world had tried to capture the riches of this island on so many occasions it became mere habit.

_I remind them of a simple lesson…_

Over time, battles had been waged in many ways. The Phalanx resurfaced, chariots rode on the sands, armies reminiscent of Rome and Carthage charged on the bloody ground. Slowly they were rebuilding themselves, not seeing that they were walking the same path that brought them so low. Were they so blind to the truth? Were they unable to remember the lessons of their forefathers? Or did they simply wish to forget? Was that why they kept coming so many times, to kill the only ones that knew the truth? Perhaps, man is, after all, a spiteful creature.

_War does not determine who is right…_

Ships in various sizes in various styles were charging the port on the island again. The ships had been rowed not so long ago. Men rowing with as much speed as they could, forcing their ram galleys to the island, braving days, weeks, sometimes months at sea to get to their destination. Now their opponents had gotten around to sailing with the wind on galleys. Judging by the design and armor of the men on the ships, it looked like something similar to the Byzantium Empire. Looking at them, Kiritsugu couldn't help but sneer at the morons that seemed to believe they could do what the previous generations could do. There was an old saying about 'insanity' consisting of doing the same action over and over and expecting a different result.

_Only who__ is left__…_

"Ready?" Noel called out to the island defenses. Automatons, skeletons, the two large war machines at the edge of the port, magical traps, summoned spirits and demons, an army of defenses raised their arms in silent cries. Vincent slashed his arm forward, yelling the familiar cry. "Attack!"

"Come get some you bastards." Kiritsugu yelled, aiming his left arm at the oncoming horde while drawing his sword with the right.

_Stupid Bastards the lot of 'em…_

The sands ran red once more with the blood of fools, turning the beautiful beach into a hellish nightmare.

xxxxxxxxxxx

He slept now, cast away into the comforting void of a coma. Staying awake for so long had deteriorated his sanity to the brink. At times, he could barely tell who was friend, and who was foe. Unless a Hero came or an Army arrived, he continued to dream through the years. Noel and Vincent also seemed to be lethargic about this place. Even they who had been subject to this curse of endless solidarity far beyond the capacity of any mortal man were getting affected by being trapped in this prison. Kiritsugu had been the driving force for the three of them. When he had committed to a course, they had followed him, throwing their efforts into assisting with his work. They were the best damn friends a man could ask for or be trapped on an island with. But with him no longer caring and slowly losing himself to insanity, the other two found themselves adrift without a course, and fell into routines.

The vast banquets that Noel loved to cook had puttered out and all but vanished. Now she ghosted through the castle, dusting and cleaning and maintaining the garden that was rarely eaten from. On a rare chance, a merchant came and allowed her a small measure of enjoyment while she negotiated for things like furniture, rugs, and paintings to try to bring some life into this lonely place. In addition, Noel was tasked to sell as many artifacts she could to try to better equip the heroes. Funny enough, it was working, to an extent. The heroes kept coming back armed with these mystical weapons and armor, and were constantly beaten and stripped of those very same arms and armor, returning them to the island that they had come from in a continuing cycle of give and take that the humans never seemed to catch onto.

Vincent barely left his research. He focused more and more on learning the secrets of the island and how to undo the curse. His tasks had steadily declined as the needs decreased. When he wasn't researching, he was maintaining the gardens and casting preservative spells upon the furniture and decorations, keeping them from aging as long as possible. The last tasks he was given were to waken Kiritsugu when a ship was detected heading for the island and sink the whole place beneath the ocean when the ten years of recharging were up.

It has been over three thousand five hundred years since Exoda passed away, and little had changed. The enemy was creatively stagnate. Their technology was barely equal to that of the Crusades. Something that should have taken less than five hundred years was taking three times as long to occur. Where had it gone wrong? Why was civilization progressing so slowly and so pathetically? This should have been the age of a Renaissance, an age of relearning. Instead, they kept falling back into Dark Ages. A vicious cycle of the few holding absolute power over the many.

The answer was simple, the priests, kings, and lords kept reminding the population that the Demon King lived, and only the chosen one could defeat him. They lied to the population, told them that it required refined blood to accomplish this feat. Thus, the population rarely rose up and overthrew their leaders in fear of losing this weapon. Kings were killed by kings and lords, countries rose and fell because of greed and fear of a far off threat that didn't even exist.

All of mankind was so certain that the Demon King was biding his time, waiting for the people to grow lax so that he might swoop in. The Book of the Devil, an ancient tome, constantly updated by 'revelation' after 'revelation,' spoke of these things.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

_The Book of the Devil excerpt:_

_In the beginning, God rose Man by his will and his word and all was good. Man learned under God all that there was to learn. Man learned to fly like a bird, swim like a fish, run like a wolf. Man learned to speak across the world in a single instant, proclaiming the glory of God, and all was good. Man lived in paradise, all who were hungry were given food, all who thirst were given water, all who were lonely were given companionship. All was good, all was grand, and God smiled upon it as he gazed upon his work._

_But the Devil hid midst the shadows, away from God's gaze. The Devil gazed upon the works of man with envy and hate, resenting man for the gifts given by God. The Devil hated and seethed as it saw Man bloom under God's gaze. The demon's hate grew and grew in the darkness, until the Devil found a way to unleash his hate. Craftily he walked up to men and whispered in their ears._

"_Why are you praising God?" the Devil asked. "Surely you __need no longer pray to him. You are as mighty as he is. Raise your arms and cast him out. See how mighty a god is when he is overthrown."_

"_Surely not," The men replied, aghast at the whispers. "Why should we overthrow him, we are his children."_

"_You are his slaves,' The Devil whispered, "Look at him, see how he lies to you and control you with honeyed words. You listen to him and believe he tells the truth. God is a liar little mortals, the greatest liar in the word. Confront him, face him, and see who is telling the truth."_

_Poisoned by his honeyed words, the faithless rose and marched towards God, darkness filling their hearts. As they marched, they whispered more and more lies to their fellow men, telling them that their place was above God. That Heaven and Earth both belonged to them. Soon, the faithful were few in number, while the faithless marched to the Gates of Heaven. They Faithless stood before God and screamed their accusation, their delusions of Grandeur._

_And God frowned._

_God cleansed the land in fire for ten days and ten nights, scorching the land with his holy fire. The land rose and fell in great shakes while burning rocks fell from the sky. Great sicknesses scoured the land while the rivers turned to blood. Only the few faithful, who had ignored the lies of the Devil were spared. Only the faithful were safe under God's judgment._

_The faithful heard the word of God and traveled to the Holy Island. There, they were greeted with warmth with Exoda, the Son of God and his beloved wife, Cynthia, Princess of the Twin Moons. They gathered the Faithful and taught the Faithful the Word, and Man began to regain his former glory._

_But the Devil was not done yet. The Devil gathered the King of Vampires and the Soulless Doll to his side with promises of power and eternal life and crept to the Holy Land. They gazed upon the Holy Land with greed in their eyes and hate on the Faithful. The three demons took the Faithful hostage, held their weapons on Man and demanded the lives of the chosen of God. They killed the Princess of the Moon and slew the Son of God in cold blood. Laughing over thei__r corpses, the Devil cast out the Faithful while he and his ilk feasted on the flesh of Exoda and Cynthia and laughed at the deed._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Five.

Thousand.

Years.

There is something to be said for living this long. Kiritsugu reckoned this was a record he would have a long time before he would be able to break. Bloody hell, five thousand years on a stupid island. Was this what immortals felt? Probably not, they could leave, see the world change on all the continents, not be stuck in the middle of a backwater rock that's only visitors were corrupt merchants, delusional heroes, and fanatic armies. It wouldn't have been a problem if he could have gone out and seen the world change by his own deeds, but no, he was stuck here thanks to a stupid sorcerer who couldn't handle a single death. Yes, that was rather callous, but at this point, he didn't care anymore. It wasn't like the Sorcerer was suffering, he was dead and in the blasted Throne thanks to the efforts of his too-good-for-him-servants.

There were times were he wanted to spit on Exoda's grave for damning him to this place. Couldn't have let it go? Just...accept that people are mortal and therefore must eventually die? Kiritsugu had seen many childbirths in his existence, had tried to save most of the mothers and children. Sh*t happens. No, the thrice damned Exoda had to go and send his rage to the heavens instead of trying to find joy or at least solace.

Kiritsugu felt the sensations in his body slooooooooowly returning as he was waking up. Hmm, must not be critical. Coming out of a coma could be done two ways with the drugs he provided. The quick and hurts like a thousand lightning bolts ripping into his flesh way, and the slower, groggy coming out of a long sleep cycle way. When he could move enough, he slapped his helmet, shutting off the internal clock that was blaring a 'happy five thousand years spent in hell' sign.

...Yeah, that sounded just about right to him.

He stretched slowly, letting his muscles move for the first time in over a hundred years and slowly got off his table. The sleek gray metal of the table clashed with his black armor as he sat on the side and shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he reached for the jug of water for him to wash his mouth out. Looking around, he could not see Noel or Vincent, so he shrugged and headed for the indoor Onsen he had remodeled thousands of years ago. If it was urgent, they would have woken him with a different cocktail and waited for him. Calmly, he brushed aside the cloth separating the hallway from the Onsen. In his drowsy state, he failed to notice that there were other clothes laid out in the alcoves. Had it been one or two sets of cloth he would have shrugged it off, five thousand years living with the same two people killed any embarrassing feelings between the three friends.

The thing is, there was a lot more cloth in a lot more alcoves. A LOT more.

All designed for females

Stripping off his armor, including his helmet, Kiritsugu grabbed a towel to dry off with and a basin for the water and entered, buck naked, into the main part of the Onsen-

And was suddenly in the midst of dozens of naked women.

Naked

Women

Blinking, Kiritsugu spoke the first thing that came to his mind, "Great, I've started hallucinating again. That's gotta be a record. Usually takes five to eight years for it to start." Shrugging at the supposed anomaly, he ignored the furiously blushing women and began washing himself while still wearing absolutely nothing. The trick about hallucinations is to never acknowledge them, ever. "If I start hallucinating about Cynthia I'll bash my head in," Kiritsugu vowed, thinking about the girl that was all but a daughter to him.

"P-p-p-p-" one of the woman stuttered. Kiritsugu kept ignoring the 'hallucination', refusing to acknowledge even the possibility that this Playboy dream was real.

"PREVERT!" The woman screamed, throwing her wash basin right at his head, knocking him onto his side while the rest of the girls screamed and ran for it. Kiri didn't notice as he was forced to realize that the blow had hurt.

Normally, he would suddenly consider the possibility that perhaps the girls were real, but there were several factors that kept him believing that this was just a powerful hallucination. First, he had just come out of a coma using drugs which could, under certain circumstances and dosages, cause hallucinations so potent that they could make a person schizophrenic. Perhaps Noel or Vincent messed up and gave him a bad dosage by mistake…or maybe even on purpose. Five thousand years on a rock with only two others for company made some people do strange things. Second, for five thousand years, the only visitors were invaders and a few merchants who were kept on their ships. No one came this deep into the castle. Third and finally, if there was anything important like dozens of women forming a cult around him, Noel and Vincent would have warned him.

...Right?

Right.

Shaking his head, he went back to cleaning his body and slowly easing himself into the hot spring and enjoyed the sensations. He was now fully convinced that, yes that was an illusion. He had probably slipped and hurt himself, hence why the girls were all gone. Like the stuff of dreams they were made of, they vanished when reality kicked in.

Still, that had been a nice looking hallucination, it would have been great to see more of those nice looking female figures. Ah well, it wasn't like he'd ever see them again...

xxxxxxx

"...Wait...What?!" Kiritsugu gasped as stared at dozens if not hundreds, possibly over a thousand girls standing before him while he was directed by Vincent to sit in a really nice and expensive chair to substitute for a throne. They'd stored Exoda's stone chair a long time ago and had never had to use the Grand Hall before for anything other than another 'final showdown' with the hero of the week.

"What the hell!?" He looked over at Vincent. "What is going on? Why are we suddenly being overrun by women? Did we lose a war or something and no one got around to telling me?" Even as he gazed at them, he noticed all of them were good looking, if ranging from middle aged ladies to rather young girls.

"Not exactly," Noel replied.

"They are all the sacrifices they gathered for you." Vincent responded.

Kiritsugu went still for a moment before he growled deeply, sending the poor girls shivering in fear.

"Sacrifices?" Kiritsugu hissed, his voice full of suspicion and hate as memories flooded his mind. "Who the hell thought I wanted human Sacrifices?"

Calmly, Vincent pulled out a book he had gathered from one of the 'sacrifices'. "It appears that a new chapter was written in the Book of the Devil while we were away." He flipped it over to the right page. "The Demon King lives in the inner castle with a thousand virgin concubines and every night he keeps ten or more of them for company till he tires of them. If those numbers are not enough, he'll attack towns and villages, claiming pure maidens for himself." Vincent coughed in embarrassment while Noel looked positively red.

Kiritsugu looked back and forth at Noel and Vincent in confusion before wondering aloud "Did I get drunk and mention my father's situation or the one time I had sex with four girls at once?"

That made all the girls nervous again, looking fearful at the so called 'Demon King' who admitted to having a large appetite. The next sentence didn't ease their fears either.

"Or did I mention Haru, Chisame's, or Kaien's situations?" Kiritsugu continued wondering aloud, "F*ck it, don't remember, it's been too long." He banged his gauntlets on his head in frustration. "Why? Why me? Why?" A dry sobbing of suffering was heard behind his helmet.

Noel remained quiet mainly because she suspected she was the reason, she did like to gossip with the merchants and she may have let it slip how Kiritsugu really needed a woman in his life. Possibly also mentioning he had quite the libido or something like that...

Isn't a hundred years a bit of time for stories to get blown out of proportion? Especially when the whole world fears and thinks the worst of you?

...Eh heh...oops.

Sighing to himself, Kiritsugu looked back over at Vincent, "Well, now what?"

"Two princesses, representing the Eastern and Western continents wish to speak with you." Vincent replied.

Sighing once more, we waved his hand in agreement, "Very well, send the others out, and Noel, turn off most of the defenses. Last thing we need is a blood on the carpet." The girls looked absolutely frightful at that.

"Already done," Noel replied, "Sah, this way everyone, follow me." She lead them off and out of the Grand Hall, leaving Kiritsugu and Vincent with two busty women. One was a redhead with green eyes and a black and red dress that looked rather daring for this era. She was apparently the fourth Princess from some newborn empire called Vansible on the eastern continent, one Garlett Faye Sowage. He swore she looked familiar-

...Wait, she was the one that nailed him on the head back in the bath. Figures.

The other was blond with bright blue eyes in a blue and white low cut dress. Her hair was formed into two elegant tails and wore a white tiara, Christina Ray Holden. She supposedly the thirteenth successor from Estagloria. That name actually meant something to him.

"Estagloria," Kiritsugu mused, "I remember that country. It's been centuries since it was born. The continent of Ajuard owes much stability through its long history and background." He paused for a moment as he saw the blond girl look down nervously as Kiritsugu was lost in the memories, "Tell me, do they still have that army of knights guarding the royal family?"

"Y-yes sir." The quiet spoken princess replied, a hint of fear in her.

"Wow, I thought they'd have been removed after the massacre three centuries back." Kiritsugu replied surprised. Yes, he noticed that responding flinch, but after five thousand years of hell, he was rather short on gentleness and tact lately. Then again, Estigloria had always been a popinjay of a country that kept sending dozens of weak heroes to try to kill him. Honestly, it would be great for the country to fall so that he'd have less reasons for waking up from his drug induced comas.

"The Order of the Black Rose was abolished." Christina clarified. "The Order of the Purple Snake was created to fill their spot."

"Figures, pay loyalty and bravery with demotion and disservice." Kiritsugu quipped. He then focused on the other girl, who straightened under his gaze. "Vansible, that's a new one."

"Vansible was a tiny country for eighty years," Vincent spoke up, "It was placed as a buffer between the countries of Gailmarc and Mamjeo. However, about thirty years ago Gailmarc invaded, planning to destroy the country of Vansible as practice before invading Mamjeo. In a startling display of ingenuity and fortune, Vansible attacked the Gailmarc army during a storm, killed the King of Gailmarc, and conquered the invaders. With such momentum on their side, Vansible has brought over half the eastern continent under their rule in a few scant decades."

Kiritsugu held up a hand as he analyzed the data gathered by familiars under Vincent's control. "At that speed, they've got to be having problems ruling their empire. Invading that much that quickly is going to be hell with internal security with rampant rebellions, food shortages, rearranging tax laws, and terrible logistical support." The Princess Galett flinched as she heard the criticism of her homeland, and paled with his next words. "I could topple the country inside of a week if I tried." Kiritsugu remarked coldly. "It'd be the easiest thing in the world.

"W-wait!" the redhead princess cried out, "Weren't you supposed to spare Vansible with me coming here!?" She froze as she watched him lazily raise his head up and down, critically looking her over. She felt as though she was an insect being watched by a bird under his gaze.

"Since we're on that subject, we might as well discuss that." The Black Knight replied. "You two have been sent as sacrifices to serve as concubines for me, what is your opinion on that?"

Gallet, ever loyal to her greedy country, closed her eyes and drew herself up, "I think, if it is for my beloved country and people," She opened her eyes and looked at him with fire behind those beautiful green eyes, "and for my great father Emperor Galeon Fay Sowage, then I can accept this humiliation."

In a much quieter voice, the princess of Estigloria Christina folded her hands together in a plea, "Me...me too, I don't want to see my people unhappy. So- so please do with me as you wish."

"So if I said, I don't want you here," Kiritsugu replied quietly, "rather, I want you and your band of girls out of my life, out of my nightmare, and off my Island? If I said I will never destroy the world or kill anyone other than those that try to kill me first?" He leaned forward, his presence causing the two of them to flinch under a hate filled gaze, "If I had no use, no desire for a concubine, tell me, what would you say?"

"That...that's too cruel" Christina whispered, her blue eyes lowered in depression.

"Cruel?" Kiritsugu asked, arching an eyebrow behind his helmet. "How so? You just came on this island, get on the boat and go home and tell your homelands to never try this sh*t again."

*****Cough* Vincent spoke up, covering his mouth, "Actually they've been here for three months already."

"...What?" Kiritsugu asked quietly.

"Zoltia was a bit...um...protective of the counter agents for some reason. Something about fulfilling your request." Vincent explained, "It took us a while to get the drugs."

Kiritsugu froze for a moment before remembering the brilliant idea he came up with to stay in a coma even when a hero appeared, hoping the bugger wouldn't grow a conscious and instead desire to finish his long overdue *ss off. Of course, Murphy had to find a way for his perfect plan to backfire horribly. He remained frozen for a solid three minutes, causing Galette, Christina, and Vincent to look at him in concern before Kiritsugu began shaking violently.

"Vincent, get them out of here. Now."

In an instant, the two girls found themselves being carried and run out of the room while being carried by a rather panicky looking Vincent. Behind them, the great doors closed, leaving only the sound of a frenzied screams, explosions, and the sound of wood being shattered. Mentally, Vincent was rather glad to see such a reaction from Kiritsugu, the Servant hadn't shown that much emotion in five hundred years. Honestly, it was good to get him out of that brooding mood.

KaBOOOOOOOOOOM

But did he have to switch into psychotic fury? Noel was not going to be pleased with the cleanup.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later, Noel cheerfully led the two princesses to a different location. This time, it was a private throne room rather than a grand hall. "Kiri, I've brought the two princesses."

"Thank you," The man in black armor replied. "And sorry about the mess."

"No problem," Noel waved off before she grew an evil grin, "I'll make you clean it up after your meeting." She then skipped out of the room, whistling what sounded like a pleasant tune to the two princesses. In Kiritsugu's opinion, however, Ride of the Valkyries was anything but pleasant when coming out of Noel's mouth. It always meant something bad for him and Vincent when she held her temper and began whistling that tune. Well, he'd deal with that can of worms later, for now he had to do something about the bigger problem.

"First of all, my deepest apologies for what you saw earlier. I am...not a morning person by any means an do not like to deal with surprises in the morning. In my profession surprises usually involve people trying to kill me." He explained to the two princesses. He sighed, slumping from the weight of everything on his shoulder, "Let me guess, going home is near impossible because those superstitious pricks will think you're already contaminated?"

Galett's eyes hardened slightly, while Christina looked down sadly. Their silence was all the confirmation they needed.

"Yes" Christinia quietly confirmed verbally what he now knew. "If we went back, we'd have to be content living out lives isolated in towers. Even the other women would befall our fate."

"We were supposed to be the sacrifices to save the world." Galett informed him, words meek, eyes burning with fire. "We consoled ourselves, knowing we were protecting our loved ones by our actions. Now you tell us we are unnecessary? How can you expect us to be happy?"

"Go kill the ones who sent you here." Kiritsugu suggested in a cold voice, "Go live in another country with different identities. Commit suicide. Compose mighty ballads about what you suffered. You have Choice. You have countless choices available. You want to be happy? Go somewhere else; at least you're able to do that." His voice was bitter. Once upon a time, he would have played the role of a Demon King, a monster in the flesh of a man. Now...now he just didn't care. Inhaling deeply, trying to recall common courtesy, he finished his piece of advice, "Do what you want, I will not interfere with your choices." He stood up and walked towards the door, coldly passing the girls with an air of indifference.

As he opened the door, he paused and looked at the two princesses. Christina was on the verge of tears while Galett's eyes were clearly blaming him for this supposed turn of events. "One more thing, I have never raped a woman in my life. Every time I've had sex, it was consensual." The two girls suddenly blushed at his bluntness before he went through the door and moved to shut the door when he paused. He looked down to see a small child, probably no older than five years old.

"Mommy? Have you seen Mommy?" The small child asked. The poor thing looked terrible. Her skin was thin, her eyes were a bit dull. It was clear she was heavily malnourished. This was not a child who had been well cared for, if cared for at all. The child was starving.

"Son of a-" He cut off his swearing in consideration of her age, but he clenched his fists tightly for a moment before slowly lowering himself onto on knee. "Hello little one, who are you?"

"Marple," The girl replied, smiling at the kindness presented to her.

"Marple, what a cute name," Kiritsugu told her, slowly reaching out his hand for her. "Tell me, when was the last time you saw your mother?"

"Mommy told me to go with Mr. Tompson. Told me to be good and go with him and wait for her." Marple told him. Back in the throne room, twin feminine gasps were heard. Marple's smile vanished and tears began to crawl down her face, "Mommy, I want my mommy."

"Shhh, shhh." Kritisugu whispered holding out his arms and was met with a crying child looking for comfort. "I'll do what I can." He promised her. "But how about some food first? Are you hungry?"

*sniff * "Mmmhmm" Marple replied.

"Right, let's get you over to the kitchen. It smells like Noel has made a lovely meal today."

A high pitched artificial voice suddenly spoke up, "We'll take her there Kiritsugu," Marple squeezed out of his grasp and turned to see two ball-like objects with faces painted on the front, short arms and legs, and the numbers 'Fifteen' and 'Twenty three' on top of their heads. Kiritsugu knew those to be the clock golems that Noel controlled.

"Please do," Kiritsugu told the two machines. He smiled as he saw Marple squeal with happiness at the cute machines who linked hands with her and began skipping off towards the direction of the kitchen. He mused that they must have been wanting to do this since Cynthia was alive. They used to play like that when she was a child and had been looking forward to doing so again when Cynthia was pregnant.

But like all plans of mice and men...

Kiritsugu smashed his left fist into the wall, causing a small crater to form on the rock. "Bastards. They call me the Demon King. As always, it is man that is the most monstrous creature on the planet." His fists clenched once more in rage. "A child. They threw away a child! Bastards!" It had been a long time since he had hated anything besides Exoda. Now he had something else to hate, something far more cruel and callous than even Kiritsugu's dead Master could have ever performed. He needed to vent, to get his hate back under control. He stomped towards the training room, preparing to throw himself into his daily routine with a vigor he had lacked for over a millennium. However, he paused for a moment, staring at a suspicious bulge in the castle wall.

It looked like blanket that had somehow been made with the exact pattern of the wall, the whole thing was ruined however, by the wrinkles in the blanket, and more importantly, the pair of hands sticking out to hold up the blanket. Sighing to himself at the strange behavior of his observer, he headed off to train.

Back in the throne room, two princesses exchanged a glance, wondering about the strange shift in the Demon King's behavior. He had been cold and indifferent to him, but he had suddenly cared about a little girl. The contradiction of it all confused them. What kind of person was this mysterious being? A raging Devil? A grumpy hermit? It made no sense to them when they thought of the complete interaction they had been present with. But the thing was…what were they going to do with themselves?

They could leave, according to the Demon King. They were inclined to believe his word that he would not stop them. In fact, it looked rather like he would prefer that they all left him. This was very different than the tales they had been told as a child. It was an old threat amongst mothers to rowdy girls to threaten to send them to the Demon King's Island if they misbehaved. To find out the Devil didn't want them, was rather insulted by the whole idea was...mystifying. He was supposed to be a monster, a lewd and lecherous creature that lived only for his pleasure and the pain of others. Instead, he seemed to be the one in pain and hated to see children thrown away by uncaring mothers.

So, what was real? The tomes that had recorded every fact of the Devil they could gather, or the thing that caused the world to fear whenever he revived? A lifetime of belief was shaking when it met with reality. They still could not trust him. He could be orchestrating some great event that only he could understand. He could be manipulating them, corrupting him with deceptive words, making doubt their faith. Or...he could be honest. He could be telling the truth. It was possible that the so called 'Root of all Evil' was a tired individual who wanted to be left alone, neither interfering, nor wishing to be bothered with the problems and issues of the outside world.

They weren't convinced of his innocence yet, but a seed of doubt was beginning to form in their minds.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Basic stretches to limber up the body. Two hundred sit ups wearing all armor save the chest and back plates because they get in the way. Two hundred pushups while wearing armor. Fifty pullups while wearing all armor. Two hundred jumping jacks in armor. Two hundred squats. Run three miles in thirty minutes while wearing armor. Basic warmup exercises (for him) before he started his routine.

He threw himself into his sword dance, slashing with a flow that sung of the hate in his soul and his rage at the situation. How dare they, how dare they send him human sacrifices? He was no Dead Apostle, he was no Sealing Designate. Bastards. How dare they do this to him? What did they think he was, a demon?

...

…

...

**Not going to dignify that with a response**

Shaddup. Too many people are being idiots right now. Someone decides to spice up an old book and suddenly everyone and their pet dog sends him women and children, for concubines of all things. What was he supposed to do with a thousand unmarried woman, many who look like they have been prepared for domestic life of the era? Build a textile shop? Great, where would they get wool and cotton to work with? Have a bake sale? Great, where would they get the wheat? Noel's garden would never be enough, she only grew enough for the three of them to eat when they ever bothered to consume anything. She was an automaton, and Vincent just needed a few drops of blood from Kiri or a couple pieces of fruit a day to easily survive.

...Wait, if the women had been here for three months, then how were they still alive, and not looking like Holocaust victims? They must have bought supplies with them, but for how long? Three months of food for a thousand people is an enormous amount of goods. If they were going to live here, Kiritsugu was going to have to see how the girls were surviving and find ways to put food on their tables quickly.

It's not like he could conjure food out of thin air. He'd tried, he'd tried rather hard at creating a spell like that a different lifetime ago, but results had always been somewhere between dismal failure , horrifically epic failure, and failure so bad, so disturbing that it could never be spoken of for the safety of the world and the collective sanity of all of existence.

...Apparently his problems with food weren't restricted to just the cooking aspect.

*Knock Knock*

Kiritsugu paused in mid swing of his sword as the knock originated from the door. "Yes?"

Vincent opened the door and smiled faintly, "Sorry to disturb your routine, but the first Hero of the year has arrived."

"Already?" Kiritsugu asked slightly surprised. Usually it took at least six months before the countries of the world stopped wetting themselves and started throwing armies and/or heroes their way. "Well, what's he look like?"

"The standard opener for the Hero line up." Vincent replied dismissively. It was almost always the braggarts that were first on the scene, the semi-competent ones usually showed up a few months later. "Unfortunately, we've had to disable most of the island's security measures to prevent unfortunate accidents from harming the ladies."

"...Very well, then let us meet him halfway." Kiritsugu replied, sheathing his sword and gathering the tools of his trade (knives, bullets, his second sword, and his shield) from the side table. "Gear up Vincent, we're heading out."

"Just waiting for your command," Vincent replied with a slight bow. "Noel will be ready in but a moment. She''s busy cleaning up after Marple."

"Right, see you on the other side of the castle gates." Kiritsugu dismissed. Vincent bowed slightly and vanished in a burst of bats and magic. Alone in the training room, Kiritsugu sighed. "When it rains, it pours. Let's get this over with."

xxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, on the main road leading from the port to the rebuilding village to the castle

"It's Duke!'

"Duke A. Highland!"

"Wow!"

"Praise Exoda, we're saved!"

"The Hero is here!"

A great crowd of all the women sent to this gathered along the edges of the road cheering at the sight before them. A tall handsome man with blond hair in white plate armor calmly waved to the cheering girls while his two assistants/party members, young male mages wearing white and black robes respectively kept throwing confetti like it was New York City on New Year's Day. The girls cheered at the sight, telling each other of the 'heroic' deeds the young man had performed.

"At that age, and he's already a legend."

"He'd made great contributions to the world but isn't beholden to any country."

"If I married someone like him, I wouldn't mind dying."

"I heard he killed the Great Wolf of Trudor."

"I heard he has the strength of three men."

"Surely he'll easily defeat the Demon King."

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu, Vincent, and Noel calmly walked towards the hero, unimpressed by what they were seeing. Duke's limbs were too thin, probably never fighting any more than ten minutes of mild to mid-level combat maximum. His face was too clean, lacking the hardness or scarring that usually comes with any real veterans of war. He stood too tall and walked too broadly, feet landing heel first rather than toe first. Duke A. Highland was an E ranked hero, perhaps D ranked if he had a trump card or two. The bugger didn't even have any piece of enchanted weapons or armor on him.

The two magi who were with him on the other hand, were actually more impressive. Kiritsugu could feel their strength form a distance. Clearly they were the reason why this peacock had gotten so far. The black mage had a ring of enhancement on him and several mediums and catalysts. The white mage had a few holy items of not, including a time based artifact. Looking at it, Kiritsugu recalled it as a device that isolated an object or a person for a short time in a bubble of space. No one could harm the creature caught in the bubble while the spell was underway, but it was a great item to change the flow of battle in an instant.

Whoever had to fight the three would be heroes, the magi had to go down first.

Up on a balcony, the princesses Christina and Galett watched the two parties meet in front of a newly restored fountain. "Do you think Duke can win?" Christina asked.

"No," Galett replied bluntly as she gauged the man. "If it's this guy, then there is no chance for the Demon King to lose." Honestly, from what she saw, Galett was sure she could have beaten this man when she was thirteen. Compared to the power that the Devil released without effort, Duke was a child waving a stick at a fully trained and armed royal champion. "Heroes of his level can be found anywhere. It will take a Hero of the age, an unmatched champion, to win...probably."

Christina looked downcast, then scanned the crowd of women. "If that's the case, then something sorrowful will happen. Look at the women who were forced to come here," She indicated the crowd who were all looking at the hero with hope alight in their eyes.

Galett grimaced at the sight, "Yeah, their hopes are probably going to be crushed."

Duke Highland looked on at his opponents eagerly. Before him stood the legendary trio, the three Great Evils of the world.

The Soulless Witch, dressed in a maid's outfit for some reason, but the legends warned that she was a trickster and a seductress who had lured countless men to their death. The witch is known for casting spells of wind origin, blowing men away from hundreds of feet if she was given the space. It is said she possesses the power of flight, stolen from the Moon Princess upon feeding on her flesh. Legends say the eternal witch was an ugly hag that wished for her youth back. In ancient times, the witch gazed upon the Princess of the Twin Moons and despised her for the beauty the witch had lost ages ago. They say that the witch gladly sold her soul to the Devil for the promise of feeding upon Cynthia's body.

The Vampire King, an albino figure with red eyes and fangs hinting out of his mouth, regally wearing a black and white outfit (a tuxedo), and a cape that was black on the outside and red on the inside. The last surviving vampire is said to be able to turn his body into bats and change his body into fog to evade attacks. The sun weakens his powers, but unlike lesser vampires, he will not burn under the sun. The legends say that he has drunk lakes of blood in the past and gained immortality draining the blood from the savior Exoda.

And above all, the Demon King, wearing his black armor, stained by his sins against God and the slaying of Exoda the Savior and Cynthia the Princess of the Twin Moons. The bastard was standing in front of his two lackeys, coolly looking him and his two companions over. Duke felt a small shiver of excitement in his spine, he was actually going to do it, he was going to be remembered forever when he defeated the Devil and his two minions. They'd tell stories about him till the end of time. His name would stand just below the likes of Exoda and Cynthia. He smiled as he thought of the fame and fortune that awaited him.

Still, he would not be a fool like so the countless fake heroes in past ages. Quickly he reviewed the legends on the Devil. His left hand is said to wield fire hotter than dragon's breath, ice colder than the worst of winters, blades of wind that cut as sharp as any sword, and lighting worthy of any storm. It is said that the Devil gained that power by fusing the hearts of Exoda and Cynthia together. Legends tell that the Demon King could summon his black steed from the pits of hell and enthralled a black and red dragon to destroy any armies that attempted to take the island. However, the great spirit of Exoda has always prevented the Demon King from ever using either of those two beasts against the chosen heroes of Man. Glory and Praise to Exoda the Savior, who protects his flock even in death.

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu, Noel, and Vincent had a quick game of Rock Paper Scissors to see who would have to deal with this idiot. Kiritsugu lost by throwing paper to their scissors on the first game. "F*ck," Kiritsugu moaned quietly, it really did pour when it rained. Stepping forward, he idly placed a hand on the hilt of _Chivalry_ resting at his side. He flexed his shoulder, preparing to lower his shield at an instant while feeling the familiar bang of his larger sword _Honor_ on his back. Flexing one last time, ensuring that his armor was intact and properly secured, he finally deigned to listen to the boy's speech. Yadda yadda yadda, standard, 'I such-and-such shmuck with the title of who-gives-a-hoot have come to defeat you Lord of all Evil.' As always, the peacocks talk the talk but fail to walk the walk. A true professional would have already attacked or actually try some psychological warfare in hopes of lowering Kiritsugu's combat potential. Sighing, he wished one of the two others would have won and quickly dealt with this.

What drew his attention, was not the lousy excuse for a hero, but the two midget magi. Looking at them now, he saw that they weren't short, they were young, like early teen years young. The bugger of a hero had convinced kids to come with him and fight and die at his side. For Pete's sake, they were calling him a "Bad Bad Person" for an insult. This whole thing was a bad joke gone stale and dead.

Nearby, the two Princesses listened intently to the Hero as he finished his speech. "I Duke A. Highland will put my titles 'The Daring' and 'The Dashing' on the line and wager on them. I will kill you Demon." Sighing in disgust, Galett raised a hand to her forehead.

"It's just as I expected. How disappointing." The red headed princess said.

Confused by something the Hero said, Christina turned to her counterpart, "Um, what did he mane by 'putting his titles on the line and wagering on them?" If he meant that he was betting his name, preparing to fight for it, that would be one thing, but the way he said it, he made it sound like the title was like a sack of coins in a gambling parlor. But maybe she was just misunderstanding things.

Galett eyed the blond princess with surprise and suspicion for a moment before realizing that the blue eyed girl was completely serious. The girl must have been sheltered from this little tidbit. Sighing, she explained the situation, "In a certain country, heroic titles are given out in large quantities. The heroes in that country wager their titles against each other, accumulating numerous names for themselves in order to increase their prestige. Only heroes with seven titles or more are allowed to present themselves with the ruler of that country."

"How-how shameless," Christina remarked, shocked at the callous nature heroes displayed for their duty. She could tell that many men would game the system, gaining numerous titles in order to enrich themselves. "what kind of country would do that?"

"The country that does this is called Estogloria." Galett answered, getting Christina to flinch at the foolishness of her own country.

"I see, then what does Vansible do?" Christina asked.

"My country awards deeds on the battlefield." Galett replied. Vansible had numerous heroes due to the constant state of wars and rebellions plaguing her country. However, all heroes from Vansible were drafted into the army and busy with propaganda and peacekeeping. Galett was fairly certain only one or two heroes would be spared to face the Devil.

"I see," Christina replied looking down in mild shame.

"PREPARE YOURSELF DEMON KING!" Duke Highland roared, cutting off their conversation. They turned their attention back to the hero and his two companions facing off against the demon lord. The two magi began chanting their magic while Duke charged forward, yelling his warcry. The princesses watched as the black armor clad figure they had grown up fearing easily grab the swinging sword with his left hand and threw something at the two magi who collapsed in an instant holding their throats.

Galett saw the shine on the grown and saw that it was two throwing knives beside the two young spell casters. Judging by the lack of blood on the blade, it looked like they had been hit with the back of the handles of the knives on the neck instead of the blades. Rather than killing them, the two magi, they collapsed from the pain of the strike and the sudden loss of air for a moment. Judging by the volume of the noise they made, it sounded like their throats hadn't even collapsed from the blow.

Back on the ground, Kiritsugu heard the boy who would be hero whisper, "Not possible." Snorting to himself, he lightly (for him) slapped the boy on the head with the air of a man taking out the trash, sending Duke to the ground. Kiritsugu sighed in annoyance at the man lying at his feet and slammed the man's captured blade into the ground. In all probability, what was supposed to happen was one or more of the spell casters were supposed to boost Duke's abilities with their magic, but considering they were too busy focusing on trying to breathe, that boost never came. "This…this result," Duke uttered, "I won't accept it. I refuse to accept it."

"Give it up," Kiri dismissed in annoyance, "You lack any qualifications to even face me, much less defeat me."

"I-...lack qualifications?" The boy looked down on the ground. He froze up as a woman came to his side and tried to help him stand up.

"Please don't give up Duke" The girl cried, "Please, don't stop. You are a hero, you have every right, every abili-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Duke yelled smashing the girl back with his right hand, sending her flying and holding her stomach in pain. "Don't you dare touch me you filthy whore!" The entire crown of woman froze at the outburst. Even his two companions who were just now getting up from the blows to their necks froze in horror as Duke exploded. "I refuse to accept any sympathy from any woman on this island. You're all just the Devil's collection of whores! It would be better if you all just d-" Duke froze as the air went cold and the atmosphere went darker than the void. Slowly, Duke turned to the source of the killing intent slowly coming towards him.

"You- What did you just say?" Kiritsugu demanded as he marched up to the boy. Lightly he tapped a part of his helmet, which caused a certain piece of his hair to be pulled off. The air around him filled with a volatile nature, Duke suddenly felt the chilling aura of the being who was known as the Demon King. For the first time in eight hundred years, the White King was awoken and called out. "**What did you just say right now dog**? **For what purpose did you come to my island? Did you not come to save the kidnapped girls, forcefully ripped from their homes and families? Did you not bet your titles on saving the world?" **Duke began backing away in fear as Kiritsugu came within reach. He didn't get far when white vines covered in thorns wrapped around his arms and legs and lifted him up until he was face to face with the Devil himself. **"Your sins are mighty, **_**false hero**_**. You came not to save, but to gain. You dare to come to my island and try to kill me just to raise your reputation and status."** The left hand gripped Duke's neck and began crushing but not enough to snap the neck. "**Go Home, Worm. Never set foot on my island. Never stain my land with your foul soul again. Go!" **The vines and hand released Duke and let him fall to the ground. "**If I ever see you again, I will erase your soul from existence and feed your body to the crows**." Duke got up and ran for the boats, fearing for his life and his soul. Kiritsugu gazed at the injured woman, started to raise his arm, before lowering it. He calmly walked to the twin spell casters Duke had brought with him.

"**Heal her.**" He ordered, indicating the injured woman. The white clad spell caster hurried over to her and began chanting healing magic to repair the damage. Slowly, Kiri scanned the crowd, noting their dismal emotions, their hopes shattered by one false hero's actions. Then, silently, he walked to the harbor, ensuring the bastard was rowing (or more actually, ordering others to row) for his life back to the ship. Mildly, he noted the bugger had stranded his two allies on shore. There was a pitter patter as the spell caster in black raced to the docks and begin screaming at Duke who kept the seamen rowing without stop.

"**He abandons his allies.**" The White King hissed. "**Not surprising.**" He turned to the young mage who flinched under his gaze. "**Your sins are light. You came for other ****reason than him.**"

The boy shivered for a moment before nodded, "H-he said we were going to save the world. We believed him. We trusted him."

"**My death will mean little to the world child.**" The king chastised as lightly as he could. "**But your reasons are sound. Behave yourself and no harm will come to you.**" The boy nodded as Kiritsugu turned. He noted that numerous crates had been left on his island. It appeared that some countries were trying to send him tributes of food in order to appease him. That would work for a while, but tribute would only come for so long before someone realized that nothing was changing and put a stop to it. The island was going to need merchants to trade for goods until the land can be cultivated. He began making his way towards the castle, but stopped for a moment, and half turned back to the spell caster. "**You possess the qualities to face me boy, you and your comrade. Get stronger, get faster, learn more, and perhaps you can defeat me.**" With that, he walked back to the castle, Noel and Vincent flanking him as he returned to his elaborate prison. As he walked home, hundreds of eyes gazed at him with mixtures of hate, dismay, loss, and confusion. He would not explain himself to them, these sheep who couldn't even put up a resistance to what they thought was their fate. If they wanted freedom, then they could bloody well get on the next ship out of here and leave him alone until a REAL hero came along and finished him off.

Five thousand years.

God damn, he hated Shina Dark.

Xxxxxxx

AN: It's not what you were expecting, but the idea had been banging in my head for a week, so I finally said F*ck it and began typing. Next thing I knew, I had ten pages written from nonstop writing for several hours. The rest of the story easily kept coming to me until I came to here where I decided to cut it off and begin writing on the next chapter. Trust me when I say my muse is still kicking me in the head.

Meh, sometimes my muse comes along at weird angles and hold me hostage. What can I say?


	85. Black Island 2

**Black Island 2**

Slash Slash Backstep Slash Clobber Knee Headbutt Grab Slit

Round and round Kiritsugu danced between the swinging training dummies, carving what would be a bloody path if this was an actual battlefield. He weaved left and right, slashing at the fake enemies while venting his frustration, his rage, and his blinding anger until he stopped seeing red and started pumping the analytical parts of his mind.

These invaders, unwilling invaders mind you, had thrown him off the rhythm that had developed over five millennia. Was it a good thing? Was it a bad thing? He didn't know, in all probability, it would take time to determine that outcome. What he did know was that he needed to find a stable food source quickly for his unwanted guests. Noel had gone out and found that the women had a few weeks to months' worth of food left. That was unless something happened, either rats getting into the food or another ship dropping off some tribute. However, these things were in the realm of maybe. What lay in certainty was that the island couldn't feed this many people for an extended period of time.

Mentally, he reviewed the extensive knowledge of the island. There were several acceptable fields that could be easily converted into farmlands. Top priority would be the fields that used to be arable five thousand years ago. The rocks had already been removed by the original workers so long ago, and as rocks don't migrate, the fields should be easy to plow or be converted into rice fields. After that would be the fields that weren't originally tilled, but were currently clear of the woods. Lastly would be to convert parts of the forests into fields if the other two priorities were not enough. Considering there was about a thousand women on the island and the island was about half the size of Ireland or Iceland, priority three was unnecessary.

He paused mid swing to turn to the annoying bulge on the wall. It was a peculiar piece of cloth that matched the interior, but was clearly being held up by two hands. Honestly, it was like being back at home again…

Sighing in mild irritation of the observer, he walked up to her. "Are you supposed to be another of those ridiculous sacrifices?" He saw the hands tighten slightly before the cloth was lowered.

"How did you know?" She asked him. He looked into her eyes and deduced that she was naturally curious and also blushing from embarrassment. Seeing that she was serious, Kiritsugu opted not telling her that she was '_as obvious as a snow storm in July_' and went with a more tactful answer.

"I just knew." He replied. If she wanted to keep playing incompetent ninja, far be it from him from hindering her work. Even so every instinct in him said that the girl was much more dangerous than she was portraying. It was just her stealth that was lacking. "You didn't answer my question though." He pointed out. "Are you supposed to be a concubine, an observer, or an assassin?"

"...All?" She replied with a hint of hope that the man would give her credit for telling the truth, despite the fact that it was far from pleasant to the man's ears.

Shaking his head, Kiritsugu realized he should have seen that coming. "Well, do what you will. Just...stop trying to hide, it's driving me nuts." With that, he went back to practice, noting with a bit of frustration that the woman had gone back to hiding behind the blanket and quietly shuffling a bit away from where he found her in an attempt to hide her presence. Not like it was doing any good because he could still see the bulge in the wall and her hands holding up the sheet. Well, whatever...he had better things to do than educate a possible enemy.

...Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea. She might actually be the first real challenge he'd had in a long while…but not right now. Much more important matters needed to be taken care of first.

Like food. According to past experience, years of study, and several near disastrous crises that he had lived through, food was _very_ important. Not even five thousand years could make him forget something that important.

Swinging his sword, he began contemplating the issues with farming. All the farming implements from Exoda's time were gone, rusted away to useless scrap, not to mention said devices would have been impossible for the girls to use since advanced tractors weren't in their education, let alone automated devices.

Horse drawn plows were needed, and if the plows were needed, horses or oxen were needed. Probably horses. Oxen, while tougher, couldn't get the power a horse did. Which meant that special feed needed to be imported to keep the beasts healthy. If they imported horses, they needed things like posts and fences for the animals, feed and water troughs, stables, horseshoes, harnesses, pitchforks, rope, etc. Hundreds of little things were needed just to farm the land. Where were they going to get them, and more importantly, who was going to pay for all that?

Sighing, he knew the answer to that loaded question. Considering he was the only person (With Noel and Vincent as partners) with gold, and a literal mountain of gold (more like two and a half not counting Zoltia's personal horde) at that, it was obvious he was supposed to feed his so called–and rather unwanted– harem. He paused for a moment in his practice and shuddered, feeling as though he had just invoked a cosmic joke of some sort before returning to his attacks and his thoughts on food supplies.

Irrigation channels were necessary, not only for 'western' crops, which were actually Eastern in this world, but also for 'eastern' foods consumed in the West of this world. While rice and wheat may not seem like much of a difference to a starving soldier, the majority of any civilian population prefered to eat foods that they grew up with. Cultural differences were going to clash soon, but he could delay those problems with the food issues. As long as the food supply was available, limited, but available, the conflicting issues could be suppressed under the lingering threat of starvation.

Now, assuming food could be taken care of through some means or another, the next things these people would need addressed are safety and shelter. True, he had seen that they had converted the ruins of the mock village into real buildings. How? He had no idea, but the people had three months to figure something out before he awoke.

The problem was, was that village wasn't supposed to be populated, it was meant to be a trap. Enemy troops go in, and then never walk out, caught in an endless maze that confuses the men until they die of starvation or turn around and leave. Simple, easy, and effective. Also somewhat entertaining if one bothered to set up a surveillance system. Obviously someone had turned off that function, or else those girls would have never stayed for this long. As things were now with all the construction going on, the village trap functions were either permanently disabled or soon would be.

Sadly, that was one of the less...deadly features of the island. Most of the REAL death traps would have to be quickly disabled before he actually had to start digging graves again. Now if he could only remember what and where they were. Oh, he remembered most of them. He had spent thousands of pointless years making sure the defenses were intact...but it's always that one trap you forget that comes along to bite you in the *ss. That one field of mines that blows someone's leg off, that one trip wire sending bodies flying in all directions with massive explosions. That was several days, if not weeks, worth of work alone.

He was going to have to make a map of the island identifying safe zones and death zones and make sure the youngest of children knew it was a bad idea to go into the death zones. Probably the old 'throw a rock into a mine field and watch the explosion' routine, or perhaps the old 'throw a stump and watch it fall into a tiger pit'. Either way tended to work rather well. Though if he was really bored, he could always just do the same thing with a life sized human mannequin with fake organs for the extra effect. It wouldn't change the physical results, but seeing the unknowing females' expressions as they watched the show would break some of the monotony of dealing with the issues of keeping them alive.

Heck, if he was feeling truly sadistic, he might not even tell them it was a mannequin before he threw into the traps… no…That was a bad idea. If there was one thing he had learned from dealing with his family it was that starting a chaotic riot consisting of scared, confused, and impressionable females was one of the worst things you could do. Damn you Erika.

That... however, required him to call for a meeting with the inhabitants. Calling for a meeting, any meeting was going to give the wrong signals to these girls. Currently they are afraid of him, fearful and confused by his actions, and he had done nothing so far to explain what kind of person he is.

Why should he explain himself? For five thousand years he 'ruled' this island, for five thousand years he has held this land against heroes and armies, and for five thousand years he has lived a lie for the memory of Exoda and Cynthia. For five thousand years, he sacrificed so much for the people, and he was going to have to give up a great deal more to ensure that these girls lived to see harvest. They wanted an explanation? They can bloody well figure it out on their own! In the meantime he had work to do keeping them alive.

Food and safety dealt with, next came jobs and entertainment. Where was he going to find jobs? Farms? Fine, there would be a great need for farmers. Fishermen...er, fisherwomen in this case. That'd work. An island in the middle of the ocean was sure to have a bountiful harvest. Ranchers, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, all would be needed. In fact, there was probably going to be more jobs then there would be people. Good, unemployment was a pain in the neck to deal with. Entertainment...plays? There was the library...but most of the women probably couldn't read to save their life, more evidence that human society had been progressing at a stagnated pace.. Songs and parties would probably be required.

But that was in the future. Food and safety first, other problems for later. With that, he finished up his routine with a flourish of his sword, cleaving the last practice dummy in half. Then, he held up his blade to check for any imperfections. There were none, as always. It had been a loooooong time since he had faced anything that damaged his blade at all; four, maybe five hundred years now...or was it six? Who knows? Who cares? The bugger was long dead, probably forgotten by most people, just another one of countless failed heroes.

He had once wondered if he had reduced the number of heroes that would ever enter the Root by destroying their legends here, but that question had died from apathy a thousand years or more ago. Mentally he sighed as he put away his weapons and shield. So much of him had eroded on this island, so much life, so much curiosity, so much heart, all worn down and shredded. Damn Exoda, damn him in his bloody paradise in the Root.

Silently cursing, he left the training room and headed off to consult with Vincent and Noel. Thus, a certain female ninja, who went by the current name of Hajime, was free to lower her barrier. Her eyes hardened as she studied the destruction left in the man's wake. It had been obvious to her that he had shunted most of his mental processes away from the actual training, barely even paying attention to what he was doing...and it was nerve wracking. If this destruction, a hundred swinging training dummies moving along random tracks decimated without him even thinking about it, how strong was he really when he put his full concentration into something?

She mentally put herself in that harsh training routine and realized just how inadequate she was. It would have taken her full awareness to truly perform that fight, she would have been sweating profusely, and she would have definitely been short of breath. He had done none of that. He had been brutal and efficient with every move with mindless ease and lack of exertion while wearing who knows how much weight in armor on him. Just on raw skill alone, he was leagues above her from his display, and his power was just as high.

What's worse, he hadn't used a single spell that the legends claimed that he possessed. If she was ordered to kill him, an upfront battle was suicide. If she had to kill him, she would have to be sneaky about it... and from the looks of it, she would not be able to kill him in bed. From what she heard and witnessed, the Demon King had no interest in women, nor had he lowered his guard in their presence. In fact, he hadn't lowered his guard period, save when he had been sleeping so deeply she had sworn that he was dead back then.

Mentally, she flinched. Her superiors had told her to observe his actions first before calling for further orders. Her first report that the great Demon King had been sleeping deeply had been met with a warning not to act prematurely, fearing that any threat would awaken him and direct his rage at their clan. It was quite possible that she had missed the best time to ever kill the Demon King.

It would have been cowardly, but her clan specialized in sneak attacks...though she had been picked more to infiltrate the Demon King's harem and observe his moves. It had never occurred to her or the elders that the Demon King would not only uninterested, but actually be offended by the women being sacrificed to him. Her instincts were telling her that there was much more going on here on the island, and she intended to find out. Silently, she left the room and prepared to continue her observations.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Christina Rey Holden, thirteenth princess of Estogloria, daughter of a commoner risen to queen due to her father's favor while he was alive, unwanted princess, sacrifice...so many titles given to her, yet none were truly what she was. With blond hair the color of wheat at harvest time, eyes bluer than the sky, and C to D sized bust, she was a beauty in almost any male's definition. Almost, but not in the Demon King's apparently. The legendary Great Evil had looked her over and displayed not a single hint of interest in her.

It was...disconcerting to Christina. She was expecting the worst of perversions to fall upon her, the foulest of horrors inflicted on her. Instead, the Demon King had calmly told her that he had never forcibly taken a woman to bed. Perhaps he was lying, perhaps he brainwashed his victims first, but some part of her told herself that he was telling the truth.

So once again she was an unwanted princess. Seven years ago, Christina at the age of ten, along with her mother Silvia were banished from the castle by the reigning queen after the King died. Silvia was a rare occurrence of a commoner turned royalty because of her exceptional beauty. The King had first viewed her as a trophy wife and enjoyed the pleasures of flesh, but had actually grown fondness, and even developed love for her. When the king died, however, the first wife of the King, mother of the heir apparent, took the throne herself and banished Silvia to a land full of 'demi-humans' (actually they were just humans with strange genetic traits/mutations including pointed ears or fangs.) For two years, Christina lived in happiness with her mother, pouring over books, working in the villa's garden, playing with the servants. Sure, she was far from the capital, but the little girl didn't care. For two years, she was happy, then-

Her mother died.

Officially, a border skirmish took place exceedingly close to the villa where Silvia ended up getting caught in the crossfire and was killed. The palace had whispers carried to the people hinting that it was actually the 'demi-humans' who killed Silvia. Much of the population, however, were not fooled by the palace's lies and deceit. Silvia had been assassinated by the queen out of jealousy, it was common knowledge amongst the people.

However, though Silvia was dead, Christina was left alive, and the princess knew why.

The people might stay quiet, slowly building their resentment to the royalty if only Silvia died. Had Christina died as well, it would have triggered a civil war at the worst opportune moment. Vansible was coming. Slowly but surely it was preparing to attack the ancient and decadent Estogloria and add its territory to the ever hungry empire.

So, new servants came, replacing the 'losses' at the villa and Christina was given new and harsher tasks. She was supposed to become a princess, at least in public; a picture of perfection and an ideal amongst men. She was trained in the arts of royalty at an advanced pace to ensure that she was 'ready' to meet the public.

However, every meal, they added small doses of poison to her meals. They weren't even being subtle about it. The meals had the obvious hints and tastes of tampering, and the servants all but force fed her to eat it every time it was served. In her free moments, Christina had scavenged for any plants and herbs with detoxifying effects to try to counter the poisons they fed her. She researched in the library any remedies she could carefully create to stop the effects. For five years she kept herself alive. Each day alive was another victory, another wad of spit thrown in the queen's eye.

Then came the news that the Demon King's island had risen once more from the depths of the ocean and the subsequent announcement from the church of the Demon King's demands for maidens. The queen had ceremoniously put on a show soon after that, having Christina brought to the castle like a long lost princess returning home. It was a farce. Once she had knelt at the feet of the queen, she was commanded to go to Shina Dark. The princess was no fool. Should she refuse, she would be labeled selfish and a traitor and then executed. She couldn't have that, every day alive was another day of vengeance at the queen...not to mention that some other poor girl would be sent as the sacrifice in her place.

Thus, she agreed to the command. Christina boarded the ship filled with the sacrificial women of the East and headed for the Demon Lord's land, the land that the Savior lived and died on with his beloved wife, the Princess of the Twin Moons. A land both holy and damned at the same time. A land full of contradiction in every story ever told about it. It was now the land where Christina would continue her vengeance of living as long as she could, defying the queen's wish for her death at whatever cost. She had expected to be amongst the first to be summoned to the Demon King's bed, flinching at the thought, but prepared for the event.

She hadn't expected a three month wait before even getting to see the Demon King.

The result of meeting the 'origin of all evils' was not what she was expecting. Even now, she was pondering the revelations she had overheard. He had a father? Not something spawned form hell itself, but an actual father? Who were these other people who had a harem? Who were Haru, Chisame, and the like? Why did human sacrifice disgust the Devil himself? It appears that the Book of the Devil was not as accurate as she feared.

At the moment, however, she had no idea what to do with herself since the Devil Lord had no intention of forcing himself on the girls. So, being unwanted once more, she found herself with too much time on her hands. Taking the opportunity she had leftand unsure if she was going to be kicked out of the castle, Christina found herself exploring the it. Most doors were not locked, swinging easily to her exploring hands revealing their contents to her eyes.

What she found was...strange. All public areas, the great hall, the private throne room, the dining area, the kitchen, and a few well-traveled hallways were spectacularly decorated with tasteful paintings, elegant rugs and murals, grand drapes, fine furniture, and many other things that screamed wealth. However, the side corridors, the extra rooms, the...well, the vast majority of the castle was barren. Her feet echoed as she walked empty hallways, and gazed into the abandoned rooms devoid of anything. It was as if no one had cared to decorate anything beyond what a hero or merchant would pass through.

It reminded her of the backstage of an opera house she had snuck into when her mother and father were still alive. The pieces of the scenery that the audience saw were so elegant, but behind the pieces were crude and ugly planks of wood holding them all up.

She walked down a particular hallway and stopped as she noticed something. There was another corridor that was decorated. Nowhere near as heavily as those grand rooms, this one was far simpler, holding only a few modest paintings and portraits. Though for some reason, the hall was lined with dozens of suits of armor. For a moment, she swore the helm of one of the suits was looking at her before she blinked the illusion away. Then, she noticed that there was a door in the middle of that strange hallway and moved towards it.

She was now quite certain that the helmet had been looking at her, since she was now surrounded by four suits of armor all holding their weapons at her while a loud sound blared through the hall. Fast moving steps closed in on her and was greeted by the sight of the Soulless Witch Noel and the Vampire King Vincent running down the hallway. Vincent and Noel were speaking in a language she didn't recognize and she feared for her life.

Instead, the suits of armor returned to their positions and maintained their silent vigil. Christina didn't relax as she faced two of the legendary Evils.

"Mou, you should have told me you wanted to see the library," Noel complained, shaking a finger at the confused girl. "I would have had security let you pass."

"Indeed," Vincent added, "It was rather dangerous of you to explore without an escort. You could have ended up getting killed had the defenses not been disabled."

"Defenses?" Christina asked not sure if she liked the way that word was used.

"Ah...ahahaha never mind," Noel chuckled nervously, not mentioning the castle could end up as the greatest deathtrap on the planet with a flick of a switch. Pit traps, falling ceilings, spike throwers, killer golems, so many nasty little traps to kill any armies that dared defile Exoda's grave. "Let me just get you into the library."

She opened the door and revealed to Christina Heaven itself...or at least a library that held who knows how many books. Christina had grown up in a world where every book was worth a fortune. To find so many books in a place like this...

"Um, Princess Christina," Noel pointed out worriedly, "You're drooling."

Hurriedly, the blond girl rubbed her mouth of the disturbing fluid, "Noel," Christina spoke up, something between joy and bliss in her voice, "Thank you."

"You're welcome" Noel replied, still keeping an eye out for more fluid leaking out of the princess's mouth. Those books would be a pain in the neck to repair if any water damage occurred. Seeing that Christina was now acting like a human again, Noel nodded and gave her goodbyes, leaving the princess alone in the room.

Slowly, Christina took in the sight of the mighty bookcases twenty feet tall and thirty feet wide at the minimum. So many books, so many great finds. Christina could barely control herself as she walked like a zombie towards the selves, looking forward to reading the treasures made on parchment and paper. It was only when she got close, however, that Christina noticed a problem, many of the books were in languages she had never heard of. Now, Christina was a bit of a scholar, and one of her specialties was foreign and dead languages. However, there is a difference between knowing dead languages, and reading tomes five thousand years old. Still, she viewed it as a challenge, and was determined to read as many of the tomes as possible.

It was interesting to note that the books on the selves seemed to be ordered in chronological order of age. The books on the lower left were much, MUCH older than the books in the upper right of the shelves. The higher she went on the shelves, the newer the books.

It was at about the halfway point on the shelves that Christina recognized the languages in the books. A little higher on the shelves, and she could read with mild difficulty. Luck was truly on her side, because in that area was a dictionary, one that would aide her greatly in understanding the mid-level books and possibly some of the lower books.

She picked up a book at random from the shelves and the dictionary, climbed down the scaling ladder, went to the comfortable looking chair and table set in the library, and began to read. The book was interesting. She swore it wasn't written by a human. The words were too evenly written, too neatly placed, and the lines were perfect in all forms. For a book that didn't have a title, it was clearly a superior scribe that made this book.

She opened the dictionary and began reading a few pages into the diary. Mentally, she noted it was an older form of the 'holy language' that all educated people were required to learn. It was surprising to see the change in the language, the holy language was barely used outside of ceremonies these days, so it had barely changed over the years, but it HAD changed. Maybe it was an older holy book of some sort, or perhaps from the days when people actually spoke the language.

_Day 496789_

_Another Hero came today. Sir Renning the Noble or some such from the Urluran Kingdom. Annoying (untranslatable). Wasn't impressed in the least with the man, he wasted my time with a literal five minutes and thirteen seconds of pure (untranslatable). I had to literally play a few games of (untranslatable) with Noel and Vincent to pass the time while he spoke. I may have ended up encouraging him with his speech by playing (untranslatable) right in front of his face. You'd think anytime an enemy who was placing bets and rolling dice in front of him he would actually do something. Sneak attacks, wild charges, anything remotely resembling intellect and tactics. Nope. What a waste of my (untranslatable) time. Finished the rest of the day off by stripping all the goods off the hero, tossed his (untranslatable) back on the boat then went fishing. Didn't catch anything today._

_I (untranslatable) hate my life._

It looked like it was a diary of some sort. Mildly disappointed, Christina was prepared to set the book aside when the full information of the book's contents hit her like a freight train. This might be a diary of the Demon King- (Actually, it was a print out of his diary Vincent and Noel had forcibly made when analyzing Kiritsugu's mental breakdown) -or it could just be a trick left by one of the Great Evils. Nervously, she contemplated throwing the book back on the shelf and forgetting she ever saw this...but at the same time her curiosity urged her to continue reading.

Sure enough, curiosity won out. Carefully, she grabbed the dictionary and walked out of the room, but the silent guards made no move to stop her from taking a book from the library. Quickly moving back inside, Christina moved up the ladder, grabbed several more books, placed the diary in the middle of the stack and scurried away from the library. She'd read this at a more secluded place.

Xxxxxx

Galett Fey Sowauge, fourth princess of Vansible, knight in training, top page in her class, unwanted princess, sacrificial princess...so many titles, yet like Christina, it told little to nothing about her story. Since she was a child, she had been raised as a knight under Lord Algash W. Steelheart, the man responsible for piercing Gailmaric's lines, killing the king of Gailmaric, and paving the way for Vansible to become the empire it was today. Lord Algash was the emperor's old adviser and instructor in his youth. He had been entrusted Galett because of the emperor's favor when he was still a king, and because of a prophecy the soothsayer spoke of on the day of Galett's birth.

_The Princess was born in the night when under an unlucky star arrived. Under the grace of the clear blue moon she was born into this world. She will be burdened with a heavy destiny, becoming the queen who will bring justice to the world and life back to the darkness. However, her unlucky star will try to deny her duty, leaving her abandoned and consumed by the darkness. Should she fail the task, the world will continue to spiral in the black._

Believing Galett was destined to rule Vansible, as the king had no sons at this point, he entrusted his daughter to the man he had viewed at the time as a favorite uncle, having the poor Lord raise her in the virtues of truth, justice, and fairness in preparation of her destiny. So, she was raised in a fairly sheltered and loving life, not truly understanding or learning that her father was beginning to listen to a strange fellow who had appeared out of nowhere, bringing forth the idea of powder, cannons, and rifles. The age of knights was fading fast in the East, eroded first by Napoleonic and then trench warfare.

As she grew older, her father grew colder and colder, sending fewer and fewer inquisitive letters to Lord Steelheart asking about his daughter and instead focusing on increasing the size of his country. He seemed to never find complete satisfaction with the power he wielded. Still, the girl didn't notice, kept in her little bubble of happiness. She threw herself into learning how to be a knight, how to be a proper ruler, one to make her father proud and hopefully praise her.

When Galett was nine years old, something abruptly crushed the girls' world. A little brother, born of the king's second wife. The princess of hope was no longer needed as her little brother was named heir apparent. The girl remained quiet about the lack of concern her father had for her, evident by the sudden end to any letters for her or questions about her.

The girl, the once proud daughter and destined child was pushed aside, and she put on a mask, smiled in happiness for her brother and father and did nothing. Soon after that, Vansible was no longer called a kingdom, but an Empire. The king of Vansible became the Emperor of Vansible, and his greed grew tenfold.

Four years later, various sons of lords rebelled and attempted to kill the Emperor. Their reason: the emperor was leading his country to doom for his insatiable greed. The rebels failed, were surrounded, and decimated to the last. In addition to their deaths, the Emperor declared that the ringleader's family was also to be destroyed. The loyal Lord, his wife, his two daughters, their husbands, their vassals, and their servants were all executed as a demonstration to dissuade other possible rebellions. His daughter, raised to be a fair and just noble could not stand by silently. As she had been raised and trained, she strode forth to stand before her father and demanded him to tell her why he had done such a thing.

"It was too much," She had rebuked him, following the code the emperor had wanted her to live by when he was a simple king. "The Grazilian family was an ancient and prestigious family whose ancestors have faithfully served the Vansible line since their induction. To kill the entire family for the son they disowned...it was too much." When she had looked into those eyes, those cold eyes of her father, she had hoped, prayed that some spark of the good man he used to be would awaken. Instead, soulless gaze bored into her as he said one thing to her speech.

"I did not recall giving you permission for your visit. Leave immediately." He looked at her with no emotion. The daughter he had once viewed as the future for the kingdom was now nothing more than a hindrance for him, an obstacle for his ambitions. She left, sorrowful and confused. She had never considered her position as a princess. She had only wanted to become what her father wanted, something useful, something great for her country. Now, she was an unwanted princess, an unwanted daughter. She had cried that day, cried until her eyes were red and her nose was running.

When she was twenty years old, her father did the unthinkable. The island of Shina Dark, the land that was both the holiest, yet most condemned place in the world, the Demon King's Island had appeared. It was then that the church warned of the Demon King's appetites, his vast and unending lust for women. Countries across the world began preparing to send away various maidens to appease the Demon King's wrath, or at least redirect it away from others. The emperor's advisers had warned that various rebels might send fine maidens to try to convince the Demon King to destroy Vansible. Surely, a foolish move like inviting the Demon King to the Western Continent would bring about the destruction the rebels with the Empire as well, but desperate men would do desperate things. Thus, the Emperor sent a demand to his youngest daughter.

_Go to Shina Dark._

Twenty years ago, had someone told the emperor, who was but a king back then, that he would send a child of his to the Demon King's land as a sacrifice, the King would have been so outraged he would have cleaved the offender's head off with his own sword. Twenty years ago, when the ruler of Vansible had a heart, he would have sent his army, sacrificed his country, on a crusade to protect his child from being a sacrifice. That was twenty years ago. Now he sent her away without a moment's hesitation. The prophecy foreseen about the princess forgotten by the emperor, the words of the soothsayer fallen upon deaf ears.

With a smile on her face, hiding her sorrow, Galett had dutifully obeyed her father's command, trying to be useful for her country. She told herself her sacrifice would save them, that her loss would protect everyone in Vansible. Three months ago, she had arrived on Shina Dark, beside a ship bearing the thirteenth Princess of Estogloria. The two princesses and the thousand women had slowly come ashore to face the Legendary Vampire King. They had been challenged, demanded to explain why they had come. Galett was confused, but realized now the reason why this had happened. After they explained that they were the offerings to the Demon King, they had been lead to a ruin of a village just outside the port, leading to the castle. This ruin was theirs to use, the Vampire King told them, until the situation was sorted out. He had then asked them how their supplies were. The food had been gathered, offerings from countries to feed the sacrifices, finding they had about six months of food available.

The Vampire King had nodded at the sight and told them he would awaken the master of the island. At first, everyone waited with fear and anxiety, wondering what the Demon King would demand of them first. A day passed, then two, then five, then two weeks, and the residents could only be afraid for so long before they fell into confusion. For three months, they waited for the Vampire King to return and the Demon King to arrive. Many had hoped the Vampire King had been stalling, trying to hide the fact that his master was actually dead. However, the cynics pointed out that the Vampire King would have just taken them for himself if that was true.

Three months...that is a long time to do nothing. The castle remained closed to them, and the port lacked much of anything but a pair of docks without any ships to call their own. A few of the boldest of women had gone out to explore the island (or possibly try to escape it), only to come running back screaming tales of trees trying to kill anyone who walked near them, undead popping out of the grave, boulders becoming mighty golems, and other such things of nightmare. The girls decided to remain in the ruined village, fixing what they could and went no further.

For three months they waited, and then finally they were summoned...by small golems that reminded Galett of clocks. They had been lead to the Demon King's Great Hall, prepared for the worst. Instead, something that Galett had never considered occurred. The Demon King had become offended at the whole thing, disgusted and repulsed. For a being that was supposed to be the icon of evil and cruelty, the creature they met was completely different. Yes, some of the things...well, actually most of the things he said were disturbing, but there was also some sort of nobility in the Demon King. Perhaps he was playing by rules of some sort. Galett recalled an old instructor of hers who had dismissed the Demon King as nothing more than a side show, saying humanity was the lowest creature on the planet, andnot even demons could compare to what men inflicted on themselves. It was interesting to note the Demon King had said the exact same thing.

Whatever the case, what happened was something devastating to Galett. Just as her father had no need of her, so too did the Demon King see her as useless. The very air he gave off was annoyance and outrage upon seeing them on his land. He acted much like a hermit from the old stories, powerful and wise, but having no patience for social niceties and preferred to be alone. Perhaps that is why it took three months before he bothered to appear. Though she had met him for a total of less than ten minutes, plus gotten the chance to observe one of the most one sided battles she had ever heard of, she had learned much about him.

"_-et"_

Words could be twisted and turned to a wielder's will. Tone and volume were instruments to be played by the greatest of liars, but their walk gave themselves away. The way the Demon King had walked was one of caution and preparation in every move. Most people walk planting their feet heel first on the ground for comfort. Some warriors planted their entire foot flat on the ground in a marching pattern, their training beaten into their rhythm. He, on the other hand, planted the toes of his foot on the ground, a technique her grandfather had told her about that was best suited for rapid running and evasion. For someone to naturally walk in such a method meant he was always expecting to have to run or evade at any moment. In addition, his hands were always unconsciously moving towards his weapons, even if he never grasped them.

He was a fighter. A honed and trained fighter, not that it was surprising since there had been a recorded one hundred and fifty nine recorded invasion attempts of this island and who knows how many heroes.

"_Ga-"_

Now, what was interesting was that, though he walked with care and precision and kept moving his hands, his head never shifted, never looked side to side. That was...weird. Galett could only recall one man who ever has such a habit, and that man had been blind. Was he relying on sound in his helmet? No, couldn't be, sound is distorted in a helmet. He'd have to keep moving his head to make sense of everything. There had to be another reason why-

"GALETT!" A familiar feminine voice yelled in her ear

"Aaaah!" The princess yelled in surprise, stumbling in her gait. She turned to face the Soulless Witch Noel. "Uwaa um...ah...what?" Galett groaned as she recovered.

"We're about to serve dinner, would you care to join us?" Noel asked cheerfully. Blinking in surprise, Galett could only agree to the invitation. "Follow me then." Noel chirped, leading the princess down a series of winding corridors that had to have been constructed to confuse intruders. The pair of them ended up in a nice looking, but not overly decorated room with a large table that could have seated thirty people easily.

Galett saw that the Demon King sat, not at the head of the table, but on the left. The seat that was normally suited for the second favored guest. The right was the favored spot, but it, like the head of the table, was empty of chairs. The other chairs, however, were set up without mishap. Noel directed Galett to sit two places over from Kiritsugu and skipped off for parts unknown...probably the kitchen if that wonderful scent was an indication.

Trying to look casual and not like a mouse trying to keep watch on a cat, she gazed at the King of Demons. He was still wearing that black armor, not an inch of uncovered skin was displayed to the world. At least his weapons were stashed, but it was no true comfort to her while he had those nasty gauntlets on his hands. Hearing a sound of feet, Galett turned her head to find the Vampire King Vincent leading Christina into the room and seating her across from her.

Vincent bowed to the two girls before turned and heading towards the direction of the wonderful smell. Meanwhile, Galett was free to wonder about the strangeness of the seating arrangements. The head of the table was devoid of a chair as was the chair that would have been on the right of the head of the table. In addition, there was a gap between the Demon Lord and both of the princesses. Both the chair beside him and the chair across from him were empty, yet set up for someone to eat. Were they expecting company? Neither princesses were able to ask the question due to Noel and Vincent calmly pushing elegant looking food carts with covered dishes.

"Sure you don't want my help?" The Demon King spoke up in a flat tone. In an equally flat tone, both the Soulless Witch and the Vampire King replied, "No." It sounded like a routine or a ritual of some sort between the three Great Evils to the ears of the two princesses. The five covered dishes were put down calmly in their place, and then, much to Galett's and Christina's surprise, the two servants sat down in the empty seats. Vincent was across from Noel and next to Christina, while Noel sat in the empty seat between Kiritsugu and Galett. This still left the head of the table devoid of a chair as well as the chair that should have sat at the right of the head of the table that should have sat across from the Demon King. The two royals blinked at the strange development. The Soulless Witch and the Vampire King had always acted with deference to the Demon King, acting as Servants to their Lord. Now, however, they sat at his table, closer than even the two princesses. They sat as equals, or as equal as it was possible while leaving noticeable gaps at the table, like an open wound that had never healed or something.

Granted, one was the King of Vampires, and the other was rumored to have given her soul to the Demon King, but there was still something wrong with how the two calmly sat in their seats. Still, confusion was not going to distract them from the wondrous food before them. The meal was a bit strange to the two princesses, like a combination of Eastern and Western food mixed with some things that were impossible to identify. Not to mention those red berries were completely foreign to the two girls.

The pair had no idea that what they were being served was a certain fruit, strawberries to be precise, that was extinct save for the small garden Noel grew them in. Just another tragedy the Calamity brought forth upon the world. In addition to strawberries, Noel grew the last remaining pineapples, boysenberries, and pumpkins. It was a bloody shame how the world had lost such magnificent foods. However, tonight the girls would taste some of that lost legacy.

The first bites by both princesses were tentative, unsure of what they were eating. There was a noticeable pause before they dug in with gusto, enjoying the magnificent tastes and the foreign sensations assaulting their tongues. The food was wonderful, almost like an expedition into a long lost world of flavor.

"Sooo goood," Galett moaned in happiness, forgetting the most proper of manners for the moment as she savored the taste.

"Thank you." Noel beamed at the praise for her efforts. It had been a long time since she had been able to throw herself into cooking. Kiritsugu and herself had no need to eat and Vincent had long learned to live off the most minimal amounts of food.

"Impeccable as always," Vincent commented, eating with complete decorum in every movement.

"...It's delicious" Christina added quietly.

It had been a long time since she had eaten any prepared food that lacked poison. She had almost forgotten what normal food tasted like. At the same time, the food felt like it was missing something to it, besides poison of course. The food just...tasted less to her tongue. Admittedly, it could be her sense of taste was handicapped from her mother's efforts to slowly kill her. One of the books she had read had warned that the tongue could be damaged from prolonged exposure to poisons.

The two princesses focused on the Demon King, waiting to hear what he said, either praise or condemnation. Instead, they watched as the bottom part of his helmet popped open to reveal his average if not slightly aged and scarred human looking mouth and chin . Then they watched him feed a pace that made them blink. The food that had been laid before him was gone in rapid, yet dignified speeds. The Demon King ate with refinement, yet at the same time, blinding speed. How he accomplished that was beyond them, but inside of a minute, the food was gone. He then leaned back from the food and drank from his cup.

"Not bad," Was his only comment before putting the bottom of his helm back into place.

It was still nowhere near the food his father could make blindfolded with one arm in a cast, but it really wasn't bad at all. Noel beamed at his praise, long knowing how far she had to go to match the meals of Kiritsugu's childhood. Silently, he wiped his mouth and slid his chair back before standing up. Both princesses flinched, wondering what he would say, but what came out of his mouth was surprising to the both of them.

"I'm off. Need to start making the fields." Kiri told his two long time companions.

"Fields?" Christina asked confused by the sudden statement.

"You'll starve without food." Was his cryptic reply before walking out of the room. Both Galett and Christina wondered if that was the signal that the meal had ended, but one glance at Noel and Vincent, and they were sure that it was not. The two of them were calmly still eating their meal and enjoying the sensations and tastes. Mentally shrugging the two girls continue to eat, their meal and enjoying the strange but wonderful experiences that exploded in their mouths. They were so caught up in the enjoyment of their meal that they almost missed the question.

"So, how was your day?" Noel cheerfully asked the two of them. Vincent turned his head to the two princesses at the question with an almost eager expression. The question, however, had caught the two of them off guard so much that they paused before answering. Noel's face fell at the pause before turning to Vincent. "Was that a bad question? Kiri and you both reply to that one."

"Not really," Vincent replied, "It was a perfectly acceptable question."

Noel had a problem. She was socially awkward. Not surprising for a war machine turned into a maid. For five thousand years, the only real interaction she had was with Vincent and Kiritsugu who had known her so well that they accepted her quirks. The only other interaction she had during this time was with Merchants, whom she deferred to Kiri's advice and cut to the chase with few social niceties.

Noel was a mean merchant, but a disaster when it came to real interactions. She could mimic social norms...to an extent. Five thousand years had eroded the old ways for new methods and approaches. Back in the old (ancient) days, Noel had downloaded everything she could from the data Exoda held on his computers about sociology, psychology, and interactions. However, it had taken many (incredibly many) years for her to gain the social awareness of a ten year old. Back when Cynthia had been alive, the robot had been a blunt individual who couldn't pick up sarcasm to save her existence or spot things like sorrow and regret in a person's tone. Now, five millennia later, Noel was still trying to become socially adept. She was better, infinitely better than she had been before, but she still wanted to continue to grow. It wasn't helping that Kiritsugu and Vincent had barely talked in centuries.

"Um," Christina spoke up, taken aback by the strange reaction, "My day was fine."

"Yeah, same here." Galett added her voice.

The two of them were rewarded with a beaming Noel, smiling at what she believed was all but praise for her efforts. Vincent, however, gave a small sign with a free hand for Noel to continue. "Did you do anything in particular?" Noel asked, going down the checklist she had been coached on so long ago.

"Not really," Galett replied, a little unsettled by the strange glint in Noel's eyes.

"I found a few books that looked interesting," Christina added, getting an eager nod from Noel.

"I see," Noel replied beaming at her first REAL social interaction with anyone in who knows how long.

Mentally, she continued down the list, trying to match to what was said and came up with a few different methods. She tossed aside the phrase 'Surely there had to have been something interesting', Vincent had told her saying such a sentence to force a conversation was bad taste. The question 'Any good books?' was also discarded due to the way Christina had worded her sentence, indicating she hadn't read very far if at all. Still, she would save that question for a few days, give the girl time to read before asking.

"I hope you find the books interesting," Noel chose.

"Th-thank you very much." Christina responded.

"Have you anything you wish to do?" Vincent asked turning the redhead.

"Um," Galett responded as she tried to think of something she would prefer to do.

For three months, she had distracted herself by training, swinging her sword again and again, unsure if she would ever be allowed to touch a weapon when the Demon Lord came for her. Was more training all she had to look forward to?

"I don't know."

"Hmm," Vincent replied looking her over, noting the extreme physical shape she kept herself in, "Perhaps the tower of trials would be a good place for you to spend some time."

"The what?" Galett asked nervously, not liking the way the place was named.

"Oh!" Noel honed in on the conversation, "Yes, I can have it up and running in an hour."

"Please do," Vincent nodded to his counterpart. "I'm sure she would love the Tower."

"What is this tower?" The princess of Vansible asked.

"I would be delighted to show you after this pleasant meal," Vincent replied cryptically.

Conversation continued, barely, but mostly there was nothing to do but eat. The two girls didn't know, couldn't know, that the two residents of this island were starving for conversation, starving for interaction with new people, but had almost forgotten how to do so. Five thousand years with little interaction alters a person's perceptions in ways no one else can comprehend, but at the same time. Most can only imagine the loneliness a being would go through in that time. It some ways, it is almost a miracle that Vincent and Noel were still somewhat sane after all this time.

It sure as hell didn't do Kiri any favors.

xxxxxx

He stared at the plains before him. Here, before even his time had been a farm, plowed and prepared for growing food for the people who lived on this island. Then came the Calamity, burning the world with fires fueled with the sins of man. The land still bore those sins if one knew where to look. Gazing upon the field of grass, he could only feel resentment. Unlike his favorite hill which was free of the taint, free of all the transgressions and iniquities, this place was soaked to the bone with flaws. He hated it. He resented it. This was not what he had wanted to waste his time on. Five thousand years on a scarred island...damn Exoda.

Sighing to himself, he shook his head of extraneous thoughts. What he needed to do right now was focus on preparing the land for farming. Calmly, he removed the front and back chest armor to allow better freedom and woke up the King. From his back burst his throne of thorns, his trophy and his mystic code, made from the corpse of the Dead Apostle that took his arm. It served him well in life and death. He made his vines grow and grow, stretching them with the ease of flexing a muscle before going to work.

The ninja Hajime couldn't help but stare at the strange, intriguing, yet frightful at the same time, sight before her. The Demon King had sprouted wings, WINGS! White wings unlike anything she had ever seen, it looked like they were made of vines or something. She had witnessed the white wings bursting from his back, dripping blood from his body even as they spread far and wide.

Then the wings split, becoming individual vines that buried themselves into the earth. Confused, she could only observe as he began running while dragging his split wings in the earth. She watched as two dozen shallow trenched were dug while all the grass was ripped up and thrown to the side. It confused her to see him keep running some distance before stopping, turning around and going back over where he had been, removing the last bits of grass still growing there. She then watched him move off to the side a bit and continue the routine, plowing trenches, ripping up grass, and leaving a barren strip in his wake. Again and again he went at it, never stopping, for hours on end until he cleared a massive amount of land in the area. Only now did she begin to understand, he was preparing the land. Looking at it now, it looked sort of like a bastardized version of a farm.

Looking over his work, Kiritsugu could only shrug as the vines withered and fell off him. The whole field looked jury rigged. Heck, it was jury rigged, but at least they could quickly get crops planted on the field, which was the whole point of this endeavor. All farming begins with land preparation, the removal of weeds, the excavation of stones, and the creation of channels. Two of those three things were already finished long before this project. The nearby streams were meant for irrigation long ago, and the stones in this area were removed ages before Kiritsugu ever walked this world. With the removal of grass, the land was about as ready for planting as it could be with his meager knowledge on farming. Natural fertilizers would be nice; things like fish, crushed bones, and ashes to give the land a bit of a boost. He'd have to get to work on that tonight.

Cracking his shoulders, ignoring the blood trail that trickled down his back, he walked off towards the castle. He'd need another bath, blast and damnation he was tired from that monotonous work. He was glad he had never been a farmer, who would want to spend a lifetime with backbreaking work that could be destroyed by a bad day of weather? Make no mistake, anyone willing to put up with this sh*t was clearly worthy of praise, but damned if it weren't a b*tch to actually do any farming work. He paused and reviewed over his last thoughts, and sighing, he realized he was rather tired if he was cussing that much inside his own head. It was unprofessional behavior, it was weakness, and above all...it was human.

"Well at least I know I'm not that distorted yet," Kiritsugu mused. "Have to say, if I developed a Reality marble because of this place, not only would I be p*ssed, but so would the original. This is not what I want our Reality Marble to be if we ever find a way to develop one. I never want to come back to this island ever again once my end finally comes around." Mentally he refused to think of that revolting Reality Marble that came from a complete breakdown of his soul in 'That' War. That was NOT his Reality Marble, would never _be_ his Reality Marble. That had been the near complete takeover of his body by Angra Mainyu held back by sheer will and resolve.

Shaking off the shivers, he briskly walked back towards the castle, feeling the constant attention his would be observer was giving him. Annoyed, but uncaring at the same time, he continued on through the main gates, nodding at the clock golems who wave at him was they work. Silly little things, they tried so hard to include him in their antics, but he would not, could not join them. They were better suited to those of a younger age, such as that little Marple girl who was on a swing, being pushed lightly by the golems. The melody of their childish songs reminded him of better times and of worse times. Times when he held his children in his arms and sung the same songs to them. Times when he watched them grow up and grow old. In his core, he wished he could see his children again.

Gwen, his little apple of his lone remaining eye. A genius in the business world and able to sniff a brilliant business venture a country away. She was always full of both laughter and responsibility with every breath. He remembered how her blond hair had looked like straw at harvest time in the moonlight as he watched her fall asleep. He recalled those blue eyes that always forgave him whenever he missed an important event for her, knowing that he was a busy man. With fondness and regret he recalled the day she introduced her soon to be husband to him, one look at the gaze between the two of them and he had known that they were perfect for each other.

Well, he still threatened to rip the man's arm off and beat him to death with it if he ever dared to make her cry from anything other than joy. The expression on that boy's face was priceless, and luckily, Kiritsugu was having it recorded at the time.

Bedivere, his loyal son, always trusting his father knew best. He was always doing his best to follow his foolish father on a road to hell. Still, Bedivere had done things differently than Kiri, believing in bringing more aide than destruction as the Black Knight. So be it, the boy had learned well enough to make his own decisions. The future was in his hands, and he shaped them as he desired.

Finally, there was Aurora. His first child and yet his last at the same time. She who he died for, she who he gave his last rays of love and affection even as he bled to death. Aurora was his greatest regret, and his greatest pride. He died for _her_, not for glory or pride, but for his daughter. There is not one true father in the world that would not have looked at that death and praised it for what it was. A father was meant to die before his daughter, to die for her if necessary. Though he had only held her in his hands for a brief time, he had done all he could to let her know that she was precious, that even if the rest of the world hated her, she would only have her father's love and praise.

Kiritsugu missed them all.

Hajime watched him enter that castle and quickly as possible infiltrated the building. It wasn't like it was hard to follow him. His metal boots rang on the ground with every step. Stealth was not on the Demon King's priority, but then again, from what she had seen, it didn't need to be. He was strong, unbelievably strong, with massive amounts of skill and endurance to boot. Clearing a field like that should have taken fifty to a hundred men days to complete, instead, he cleared it in part of an evening. The sun hadn't even set for all the work that the Demon King did. Mentally, she added his latest abilities to the report she was going to send. Never before had she heard of wings made of white vines bursting from the back of the Origin of all Evil.

Granted, there were tales that the Demon King once held wings to soar in the sky, but it is said that God ripped them from the Demon after he fed upon the Savior and his Princess. Hence why the King of Demons had to make a contract with the black dragon with red wings. It is said that his personal dragon could cross the ocean at the speed of thought. People had called that creature the 'King of Dragons' and 'Dragon Emperor' in whispers and awe.

But wings, white wings of all things, said to belong only to the angels and the Savior and his wife...why did the Great Evil have such things? Even if they had changed their shape from wings into...whatever it was those things became as he shaped the earth, why were they white? It was always recorded that the Demon King wore black, always black, never white. Not a shred of white on his body anywhere. It was a tale as old as time that sacred items were white, that the greatest holy weapons were white or silver. In her own possession was a silver blade with the handle made from a white birch tree. But if he wore white...if a part of himself was white, then...did the color mean nothing to the leader of the Great Evils? Was the holy color not...holy?

That...that went against teachings as old as the church, thousands of years of assurance of a weakness shattered without a care. It was supposed to be a weakness, an opening to exploit. ...A bluff, it had to have always been a bluff. The Devil had played them all in his twisted little games, probably laughed every time he saw a hero or army clad in white appear before him.

How could they have not considered this? How had her superiors not considered that their knowledge was flawed. It was said that the Devil was the greatest of deceivers, but had they truly forgotten that fact when they had planned on killing him?

As she watched him walk away, unaware (at least that's what she thought) of her watching him, uncaring of how easily he destroyed the small assurances she held, she felt a small shiver run up her spine. She couldn't understand what she was seeing, Hajime and the rest of the world knew, KNEW he was an evil man, HAD to be an evil man. He had to be weak to certain things, he HAD to have disadvantages for mankind to take advantages from.

So if White meant nothing to him, or was possibly even a strength for him, then what other things were wrong? And not just him, what about the other two Great Evils the 'Soulless Witch' and the 'Vampire King'? Had the tales been wrong about them too? Had all her preparations been for naught but jokes played by the Demon King? That shiver she had was getting worse and worse as she began losing a bit of her professional demeanor and felt real human emotion once more.

Her teachers had always thought that was a bit of a weakness for her, but they had been unwilling to both risk using one of the others because they were too professional, too unable to blend into a civilian crowd. At the same time, Hajime was far more competent than anyone younger than her when it came to assassinations and she was the least scarred of all female operatives. Only the most minor of blemishes were on her skin, easily covered by light makeup.

Which would have been relevant if the Demon King had been interested in having a harem.

Once again the sheer size of this convoluted clusterfuck reared its ugly head at her, making the ninja wish things would just be simple for once in her life.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Everyone forgets the children. When they're not loud and annoying, children had an interesting ability of being in places they aren't supposed to be in. Turning one's back on a child is a sure fire way to lose them. Children were natural explorers, scouts, infiltrators, and all around stealthy creatures when they wished to be. Of course, most of the time they were loud, flashy, and all around hard to not notice. Right up until they decided to not be. Then the game changes.

Marple was a quiet child. She had to be. Her home hadn't been anything that could be considered healthy by any means. Fourth daughter of her mother. Her father had never met her, if he even knew about her in the first place. Her mother couldn't feed them, barely having enough food for herself. Her two older sisters (one had passed away some time ago) were too busy trying to find husbands or at least warm beds in their run down shanty village. Marple was too young to 'work,' too scrawny to attract even the most foul of men, and always hungry. Her mother had always despaired having another mouth to maintain.

Being unwanted... a horrific fate for any little one. For her, silence was life. If she cried, she was hit. If she complained, she was kicked. If she cried she was yelled at. Silence was life. Yet, no matter how much she was abused, Marple did what most children that young do, cling to their parents and try to please them...even if her mother was all but the definition of 'Trash'.

Marple listened to her mommy, always cleaning the best she could even if mommy was not always happy. Marple always stayed quiet and out of the way when guests came, even if she had a nightmare or heard the loud noises in the rain. Mommy had been really mad at Marple when that happened. When mommy told her to stay, Marple would stay all day and all night if she had to, always knowing that her mommy knew best. So when mommy had told her to go with Mr. Tompson, that 'mommy will catch up soon' Marple went with Mr. Tompson.

It had been a long trip. First had been the big wagon to the city (actually it was a village of less than five hundred souls). Mr. Tompson had then made her get out of the wagon and took her to a metal man (knight from the castle sent to pick up the sacrifices). Marple resisted, but Mr. Tompson hit her, but then Metal man hit Mr. Tompson. Metal man yelled at Mr. Tompson. Apparently Mr. Tompson damaged Metal Man's 'offering for the Demon King'...what's an offering and Demon King?

Marple went with Metal Man though, Marple was a good girl. Only bad girls get hit. Marple will go. Marple went with metal man and got in the covered wagon. Strange wagon, it had metal on the windows, but at least metal man opened the door and let Marple go to the bathroom when Marple needed to. Metal man took Marple to Biiiig city. There, Marple went with Metal man to stay with strangers. More metal men came bringing more strangers, but no mamma.

Marple remembered meeting a nice Metal man in the biiig city. He had been delivering food when he noticed Marple. "Wh-what is a child doing here?!" The metal man had asked another metal man.

"What does it look like?" Another stranger replied. "The Demon King has that kind of taste."

"A Child?!"

"Don't even think about it. It'll be your head on a pike if you try anything. Royal Decree." Metal man was weird, but he always kept bringing Marple sweets and fruits just for her.

Metal men are nice. They never hurt Marple and they bring her good things. Momma always said, "Don't talk to strangers", but metal men aren't strangers, they're Nice Ones, so it's fine to talk to them. Marple just wished they would talk about things Marple could understand.

Then Marple went with the strangers to the sea! The Ocean, it was sooo wide! Ugh, but Marple hated the ship, it smelled bad and Marple kept feeling sick. It was also crowded, so many strangers. Marple had looked and looked but momma wasn't there. Marple was a good girl though. Marple would wait for momma as long as Momma needed her to. This new place is boring though. The Ocean was fun to play by but now it's boring. There are no other kids to play with and momma still isn't here. But Marple would would always wait for mommy.

Besides, black metal man and the tiny metal men were nice. Giving her delicious food and playing games with her to pass the time.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

He didn't have a name. .He had a number, number forty two to be precise. Forty two was one of the Clockmen assigned by Lord Exoda five thousand years ago to serve Mistress Noel. For five thousand years the ageless golem had served her, following her commands no matter how...strange they could be at times. There were questions. Forty Two and the other Clockmen WERE sentient after all. If an order was too stupid, they'd have the right to refuse...if only Mistress Noel didn't have those scary eyes and that malevolent frying pan...

Still, for five thousand years they had served Mistress Noel, Master Kiritsugu, and Master Vincent. Forty Two had been assigned various duties in his long service. Over four hundred years had he served as the kitchen door guard, only to be relieved from duty after Master Kiritsugu had gotten past him for the two hundred and thirty ninth time. Honestly, Forty Two was glad to no longer had to keep a wary eye for that lunatic when he wanted to get into the kitchen. Ninety Nine and Seventy Five were much better suited for that task.

Forty two had also spent the five millennia cleaning, washing, dusting, repairing, patrolling, and destroying whatever was required of him. With the strength ten times greater than a man (five thousand years ago when mankind was stronger), capable of running ten miles per hour on his incredibly short legs, rocketing forward or up on his boosters at seventy miles per hour for ten second increments, there was few tasks that he could not accomplish.

He also had a personal kill count of thirty nine thousand eight hundred twenty one and a half men from the various invasions. The half kill came from the time he and Twenty One had ripped a man apart like a wishbone and so had to split the count between themselves. All in all, not bad for something that barely came up to the height of a man's knee.

Today Forty Two was given a great, no, grand task. He was to watch over the little girl known as Marple. Just being with her was like a blast from the past like when he played with Cynthia after he had been newly assembled. Forty Two played simple games like jump rope, hop scotch, tag, and various other childish games with the poor little thing. He was having such a good time, but he was not a fool. The others his fellow clockmen were looking at him with significant looks as they played with the child. Marple was usually thin for one her age, less energetic, and much weaker than she should have been.

Marple was malnourished, unused to having eaten anything of real substance in significant quantities for an unknown amount of time. Marple had actually thrown up some of Mistress Noel's cooking, her stomach unused to real meals. The poor girl had cried and it had taken some effort to clean her up from the small mess. The small thing had thought she was going to get yelled at or worse for throwing up what she was given. The signs were there, and they were recording each one and preparing to inform Mistress Noel of their findings.

Though there was food on the island, apparently Marple had only been able to scavenge small amounts to survive. Though Marple was the only child recorded on the island, it was possible that several other children like Marple were still hiding amongst the populace. It wasn't like they had actually tried looking for the past three months for other children. If there were any, the Cloclmen had a moral imperative burned into their very cores to do what they could to protect them..

The clockmen were meant to guard the youngest of men in their time of vulnerability. They were miniature guardians that would not frighten the children with their appearance but still be able to rip apart with impunity any who dared harm their charge. It had been they who had held back any who would harm Cynthia until Kiritsugu was summoned. It had been they who had silently glared at the desperate remnants of man. Though they had been robbed of their purpose for five thousand years and had to subsidize with other tasks, their primary purpose was but a simple task that still remained.

_Protect the Child._

Exoda had given that first order to them when they had been created. Before ever being assigned to Noel, the first of the Clockmen had all been given that order. It directed their personality, their purpose, their drive. Finally, after five thousand years, they were about to begin their primary purpose once more.

That's what Forty Two's task for the evening and night was. Locate and protect any children hiding in the village. He along with numbers Twenty eight through Fifty Nine were to fan out and search the area. If they found any other children that had been isolated and starving, they were to call for assistance and begin treatment. Forty Two was assigned to quadrant One Dee Three of the village. Of the parts of the village before these women had come to the island, this quadrant had been an area that had seen the most battles as it was the closest to the port..

Five minutes into his search, Forty Two had seen no sign of any children in his quadrant. What he had seen was interesting developments. For starters, a bar was already open. Truly, humans were strange creatures. Their food supply was limited and currently unable to be increased, their homes were made from ruins five thousand years old, and the first thing they built was a place that lowers inhibitions and increases the violence in the area.

Analyzing the air particles, Forty Two was able to determine that the Bar was full of alcohol and fresh breads. The sound waves coming from the bar indicated intoxicated patrons in the establishment but no physical fights at the moment. Master Kiritsugu would probably like this sort of place-

Oh Bytes! Another place that will need twenty four hour anti-cooking surveillance! In a near panic, Forty Two began signaling to his brethren the issue and was met with the electronic equivalent of screams. Said screams intensified when wise One pointed out that there would be several kitchens in the village, dozens if not hundreds. The panic going over the wireless chatter would have deafened a human. There was only a hundred clockmen, how were they going to guard hundreds of kitchens?!

One, ever wise in his decisions as the first of them, was already preparing to ask Mistress Noel for permission to have more Clockmen built. In the meantime, that bar was the number one priority as it would have to have a larger kitchen to feed the patrons. In addition, since it had a hefty supply of alcohol, it was quite possible that Kiritsugu would end up wandering in there to sample the drinks.

Forty Two was already on the way in the building. He quickly located the oven and stood in the shadows, watching nervously for signs of the Master's cooking attempts. He was proverbially sweating as he feared the worst had happened or would happen at any time. Forty Two remembered the things that had come out from Kiritsugu's cooking:

_The flying burning toast monkeys_

_The Roasted Rat King_

_The Kung Pow Chicken_

Those were just drops of nightmares spawned from the horrors of Kiritsugu cooking. Several of them couldn't be killed, only thrown into the most secure of vaults available. A few of them had even escaped the island. Poor humans, those things became creatures of myth and legends that only their greatest of heroes had a chance of standing against. No one noticed the miniature automaton enter the room as it seemed that humans still had the problem of looking down past the height of their waists for some reason.

Silently shaking, Forty Two kept alert for any signs of Kiritsugu. So far there was no sign of him, but that meant nothing. He always came when he was least expected. Like the time he had come out of his coma early and had cooked a feast while everyone else had been distracted. That nightmare had taken months to put an end to, and they still couldn't figure out a way to kill that shortcake. It had to be chained up and thrown in a vault for the good of the world. As he guarded the kitchen with dread, the diminutive golem overheard some strange conversations. In the bar were a few patrons, a waitress, and a barkeeper, though the waitress and the barkeeper were silently working, it was the other patrons that spoke on some interesting viewpoints.

"What the hell?" A clearly drunk woman moaned, "We get sent to this godforsaken rock, waste three months here, then he sends us away without a second glance?"

"Thank God, I heard from some of the others that he'd really ugly under that armor." Her companion replied. "All ripped apart and everything. The Pervert."

"Szat so?" The first woman muttered as she took another swig. "Damn, and here I was hoping he was at least decent lookin."

"Please," the scornful woman replied in disgust. "Harems are for ugly men. Any REAL man would be satisfied with a single woman and count himself lucky. Bastard"

"So ya say he looks ugly under tha' armor." The drunk one spoke up, "Wadda he look like?" The golem ceased to care about such conversations. Human appearance mattered little to the mechanical men save for indications of physical and mental health issues, or if they were showing signs of premeditated violence.

In another table, Forty Two noticed that the magi pair from earlier in the day was busy eating a late meal.

"Apparently there's supposed to be another boat tomorrow or the next day." The black mage spoke to his companion. "Apparently some merchants from Zirus."

"Zirus? Isn't that the country run by a council of tradesmen?" The white clad mage asked.

"Yeah, I've heard it said that they're willing to walk into Hell if it meant a profit. Looks like it's true if they're willing to risk it here."

"So, we'll pay for passage back to the mainland on that ship then." The white mage nodded with a sigh of relief. "Good, the less time here the better." He expected his comrade to agree with him, but instead, he received only silence. "Toto?"

"I'm not going," Toto replied firmly.

"What!?" his comrade screeched, getting annoyed looks from nearby drinkers, but he couldn't care less.

"I'm not going." Toto responded once more. "Things don't add up here."

"What, that he didn't kill us on sight? You're crazy. We need to leave now while we still have the chance." The white mage urged.

"You weren't there when he talked to me." Toto said. "The way he talked to me, it almost sounded like he wanted us to try again. Like he wanted us to defeat him."

"You're nuts, you're crazy, you're letting him play you like an instrument. We need to go before he decides to kill us."

"He won't kill us," Toto spoke while shaking his head, "Of that I'm sure. He doesn't care about us any more than you care about pebbles on the road." He looked at his longtime friend, whom he considered an older sister, dead in the eye, "I'm staying, but you can go home if you want. Personally, I've got nothing to go back home to. I dropped everything to follow Duke, believing in him. The academy won't take me back, not after I swiped an artifact from their collection. If anything, they'll hunt me down for it."

"You...stole an artifact from them?" Disbelief was clear in the healer's voice. "Why?"

"I believed in Duke." Toto repeated, "I thought that the quest was noble, that we'd save the world. I figured a simple theft would be excused for the quest...shows what I know."

"...F*ck." the white mage moaned. That meant she was probably on the Academy's hit list as well for cooperating with the thief. There was a chance, an incredibly small chance, that she wasn't. Maybe, a very unlikely maybe at that, if she took the stolen artifact back she could barter his way back into the school.

...No, for better or worse, she had also followed Duke by his own volition, cutting off his relationship with the Academy in the name of world salvation. She had followed that liar and fool into this mess, and now it was time to pay for it.

Looking back at his remaining comrade, she gave a small, sad smile. "If you stay, then I'm staying."

"You don't have to-" Toto began

"No, I will stay as well. They probably need a healer on this island anyways." She gave a small shrug, "I'm not a professional healer, but I'm probably the closest thing they have here."

Forty two would have pointed out that Master Kiritsugu, Master Vincent, and Mistress Noel had all spent decades to centuries trying to learn medicine if for no other reason than to never have to see another stillbirth again, but it wasn't his place. That wasn't his job, his job was to search for any children on the island and ensure that Kiritsugu didn't get into the kitchen. So he stayed in the shadows, keeping watch whilst recording any conversations he heard in the bar.

xxxxxxxxxx

Vincent nodded as he congratulated himself for showing the Vansible princess the 'Tower of Trials'. The girl was ecstatic to know that there was a special place (highly advanced simulation room) for her to practice her skills against opponents that fought back. Even now, he watched her with a self indulgent smile as she gazed inside the building just off from the main keep. She was all but bouncing for joy at the thought of facing phantoms in the shapes of monsters that would play their roles to perfection.

At least that's what he told her. Actually it was a remnant artifact from Exoda's old home. A sorcery that kept these shades of various monsters for whatever reason. Supposedly Exoda's family believed that all heirs of their family were to be as proficient with combat as they were with magic. Hence, one or more of Exoda's ancestors had created this place to test and train the heirs. Bloody difficult place, it simulated a great tower that one had to climb to the top battle incredible numbers of monsters and golems, each level of the tower more difficult than the one below. One hundred of these levels, one hundred trials... there are reasons Exoda was as dangerous as he was. This tower was one of the reasons, honing the Sorcerer's skills to near perfection.

"Now, there are a few things to do before you start," Vincent spoke up. The red head whirled on him with eyes gleaming with eagerness. "First, we need to get you registered." The princess looked at him blankly at that and gave him a most eloquent of responses.

"Huh?"

Motioning to her, he had her follow him to a pedestal. "Place your hand there," He told her. Galett did so, placing her hand as instructed on the strange stone and metal...thing. She almost flinched as it glowed upon her touch, but as soon as it came, the flash left. "You can remove your hand now," Vincent told her.

Doing so, Galett found that the side of the pedestal now had something sticking out. Seeing the Vampire King's gesture, she grabbed it and pulled it out to see that it was a card, made from a strange material, not quite metal, more like a crystal. She frowned at the strange symbols and sequences on it, some language she had never heard of. She held it up to him in confusion. Lightly taking the card, Vincent went over it, not seeing any issues-

Oh, right.

Muttering a spell, he handed it back to the princess. Galett looked down to see that she could understand it now.

GLETT FEY SOWAUGE

LEVEL: NONE

HIGHEST FLOOR: NONE

ID NUMBER: 53

"Floor? Level?" Galett asked confused.

"Ah, that's the next step." Vincent replied. He pointed towards the building. "Follow me." With that, he lead her into the building, which was nothing more than a giant domed chamber, but was much larger than the outside had indicated, like someone had altered space to make room inside. Just inside the room, Vincent had Galett put her card into a slot on a wall.

The room shimmered and suddenly made it look like they were standing in what looked like a temple. At first, this seemed normal to Vincent...then his blood went cold as he saw the image of the guide. The last time Vincent had come here some two or three thousand years ago, the guide had been the image of an old man. Instead, a blond girl with green eyes, yellow hair, silver armor, and a black ribbon stood before them. Now, considering it was possible to change the image to whatever the users wanted it to be, it wouldn't have been so bad. But Vincent knew who this person was, the sister of Kiritsugu. Why had the man changed the guide to her? The last time he had gazed upon an image of his sister, he had destroyed it in rage. Was he breaking further, or had this come from before the breakdown had gotten too serious? Vincent quickly made a mental note to check on the change logs as soon as possible. It would be incredibly useful data for him to gather on his research on Origin breakdowns. Nostalgia, psychosis, possibly a misguided attempt to relive the past, there were so many possibilities as to why this was done. Vincent felt almost giddy to have the new data for his research.

...What? He was a magus, and that's perfectly normal. Besides, Vincent has every intention of trying to understand and reverse Origin Breakdowns as soon as he could figure out how. In the meantime, he would watch silently as Galett talked to the guide. Perhaps even more data would become apparent when it spoke.

Galett stared at the beautiful woman in awe. There was no doubt, this was a warrior, a great warrior of renown. There was no way anyone who held themselves like this, who stood as tall and proud with a hand on her blade at all times could be anything but the greatest. Mentally, Galett feared that the Vampire King had liked to her, that this was not a shade, but an actual soul, bound to serve here for eternity.

"I greet you warrior." The blond woman told Galett. "This is the Tower of Trails. Here you will face your greatest nightmares and be tested in all you believe in." Well that was slightly different from the default speech given by the guide. It was almost disappointing to Vincent. The guide must have just been a bit of nostalgia. "From here you will progress from a mere child swinging a stick to a champion with the possibility of slaying the Demon King." The image looked down with sadness, "Here you can prepare to do what I was unable to do." Oh, this was another one of his schemes to try to improve the heroes...well that WAS disappointing. That would place the change sometime around four thousand years ago.

Wow, had it really been that long since he last came here? Maybe there was something to Noel's talks about being less of a shut in...

"Tell me young warrior, are you prepared to become something more?" The image asked Galett.

"Um, yes?" Galett responded, taken aback by the sheer load of the (imaginary) burden placed on her by the ghost of this warrior.

"Then prepare yourself," The image of Arika replied drawing her own blade. Galett froze for but a moment, captivated in the beauty of the weapon, before leaping to the side in order to avoid the slash coming for her.

xxxxx

_It has been a long time for me_

_and I think I am beginning to see_

_the changing course of history-_

Kiritsugu erased the beginnings of his latest poetry attempt. He wished he could get his inspiration back, wished he could find a way to express himself. Sadly, right now all he wanted to do was kill something, namely those damned priests that brought these unwanted invaders to his island. It had to be a cosmic joke, a prank laid by certain beings that clearly wanted to watch him suffer once more.

That or SHINRA was trying to make a point again.

For now, he had to content himself with looking upon the moons, remembering the times where he had sat with his family in the moonlight of his own world. The best times were when the entire family had just sat on porches and balconies silently taking in the view, but more often there had been more private moments with few closer family members.

Especially with his twin.

Oh, the fun and slightly embarrassing conversations they had made, the warm comfort of their other half being beside them to comfort them in their darker moments. It was always him drinking something alcoholic while his twin sister was always drinking her favorite tea-

Wait... wait a minute... oh crud. He still had that programming set up in the tower from the last cycle. His madness had gotten so bad he had reactivated the old fake imagery and actually talked to it, expecting her to respond and relive the old times. Right, need to take care of that before anyone reactivated her.

Xxxxxxx


End file.
